Girls’ Squash Falls To Deerfield

This past Saturday, the girls’ varsity squash team faced off against Deerfield in one of the season’s hardest matches. Deerfield’s team, a division above Exeter, is currently ranked third in the nation. While the match ended with a loss for Big Red, it did not undermine the impressive 11-5 record Exeter has sustained this season.

The team began the match with intensity and drive after weeks of highly-focused training and practices that emphasized footwork, ghosting drills and sprints. While individual focus was crucial, the players also focused on supporting one another. 

Coach Bruce Shang wanted the team to refine their technique. “[All the girls] practice standard shots like drives, cross courts, boasts and drops every day,” senior and co-captain Caroline Matule said. 

Matule was one of the standout players this Saturday. Teammates praised Matule for her drive in the absence of two of Exeter’s top players. 

According to Senior Francie Treadwell, “Caroline had a really good match and stepped up to the plate … she won a game and challenged the Deerfield player.” Senior and co-captain Ursula Sze added that “[Caroline] played one of her best games on Saturday.” 

The rest of the team also performed strongly against skilled opponents. Senior and co-captain Chandler Jean-Jacques praised her teammates, saying that “as a team, we all worked equally as hard and played our best.”

Upper Asha Alla explained that the team “[focused] on our mental game … making sure that we make the right decisions about what shots to make and stay level headed when playing Andover.”

Mental toughness was a primary area of focus this week for the team as a whole. The girls have played Andover many times before, especially the senior captains, and knew what to expect when going into the match.

While everyone has their minds set on winning the E/a match, the girls also decided to have some fun celebrating their last days of the season “with high-spirited practices [like] dressing up with beach day and twin with your partner,” said Treadwell. 

Matule added that “the most successful in matches when we come together as a team to play our best possible game.” She believes that “the team dynamic is something really special this year,” and will help Exeter bring home a win this up coming week at Andover.