Andover Crushes Exeter Boys’ Squash

By Vir Shrestha and Catherine Wu

The Academy’s boys’ squash team played against Phillips Academy on Feb. 2 for an interscholastic match held at home. Though Exeter suffered a zero to seven loss against Andover, they showcased their fighting spirit and look forward to a strong end to their season.

Players on the squash team shared their experiences at the match. “The match against Andover was a cool experience,” lower Eric Wu said. “It was the first time I played as an Exeter athlete against Andover. I have some friends on the Andover squash team so it was cool seeing them too.”

“However, we had a big loss against Andover, with only two wins on our team. Personally, I had a 2-0 lead against my opponent, but I ended up squandering it and losing 3-2,” Wu continued.

Prep Davido Zhang also discussed his thoughts regarding the match. “We originally didn’t have the first chance to play against Andover. So I thought it was a really good time to practice, especially against some really strong opponents. Andover was a really good school to offer us that chance.”

“That match didn’t go as well as I thought, but a really good lesson from it was that I would really have to calm down to adjust my stamina, because that could really mean a lot when you’re playing against someone terrifying such as [an Andover student],” Zhang continued.

Senior Oliver Riordan reflected on his match. “I was quick to hit the ball back to my opponent but I need to improve my playmaking abilities for future matches.”

“Although the Andover match on Wednesday, Feb. 2 was tough, we maintained a lot of team camaraderie and spirit. The matches were close ones and everyone gave it their best shot. It was a challenging day but we kept our spirits up and played hard to the end. We are all looking forward to a rematch,” lower Ryan Breen added.

Captain Ben Ehrman commented on the audience turnout as well. “The Fisher squash center was the most packed I’ve seen since the start of the pandemic. It was great to see we had that much support from the Exeter community.”

Still amidst the pandemic, members on the team discussed their playing experiences with COVID protocols. “For the beginning of the term, everyone had to have a mask on at all times. However, a couple days before the Andover match, we were allowed to practice without a mask on, and when we played Andover both teams did not have to wear a mask on the court. When we were not on the court, everyone still needed to have a mask on,” Wu agreed.

“We currently wear masks when we are off the court during practices and matches. However, they are not required while we are playing the match on the court. The COVID protocols and guidelines have enabled us to have a safe, uninterrupted season,” Breen noted.

Many players commented on facing defeat against Andover at the match. “I believe in our squash team,” prep Byran Huang said. “As our coach says, it’s not losing if you learned something from that experience. I think our team received motivation and lessons in each loss we encountered, and we will use them for our future matches.”

Ehrman stated, “I learned from this match to head into games playing at a faster pace. In the future, we got to take the ball earlier and put pressure on my opponents.” 

Despite suffering a loss, members still remained optimistic for the match and held positive attitudes. Regarding the loss, “It was very predictable based on previous records, and we were pretty prepared for it. The team spirit was okay… we were pretty prepared for our match and it didn’t end up being as bad as we thought it’d be,” Zhang said. 

“The Andover team generally has a higher rating than our team, so they definitely had the edge coming into the match. After we lost, the team was pretty tired. However, we kept our team spirit and rooted for those who were still playing. After the game… Coach Shang gave us a good talk, which definitely helped brighten our spirits,” Wu shared.

Players expressed hopes for the remainder of this season as well. “I hope we can further improve for E/a. I am certainly excited for the prospect of playing Andover again, and I am sure the team is too. I want to shout out to my captains and teammates for helping me improve through this season and I wish we can come back with more wins.” Huang stated.

“This loss gave us motivation: we’re more motivated than ever to get better before our rematch during E/a,” Ehrman concluded.