On January 15, Girls’ Thirds Squash faced a strong opponent in the Westover School’s JV Girls’ Squash team. Although most of the Choate team is new to both the team and the sport, their cohesiveness and team spirit was evident at the match as they triumphed over Westover’s JV team.
The series of matches started with the girls’ at the bottom of the ladder and moved upward as the event progressed. Danielle Storr ’23, Sabrina Wang ’23, and Annalise Rhodes ’23 all demonstrated their dedication to a new sport in their individual matches. Storr, put up a great fight but eventually fell to her opponent. Wang fell behind early and lost her second game but rallied to return her opponents well-placed shots. She eventually won her match, 3-2. Rhodes continued the momentum for Choate and, beginning with a 2-1 lead, won her match, also 3-2.
Continuing up the ladder, Irene Garcia Gutierrez ’22 was able to keep up with her opponent for most of her match, ending the second game tied at 1-1. After a hard fought match, she lost by serving her final point out. Sarah Markley ’23, an aspiring freshman with a strong shot, fought hard, but eventually lost, 2-3, after pushing her match to the fifth game. Johanna Diaz-Rosales ’23 maintained a strong defense, keeping her head up as she scored points to catch up to her opponent. Alyssa Jaster ’23, another newcomer to the sport, lost her first match but re.
The top of the ladder fought well against Westover, showing the team’s promise. Grace Liu ’23 began her match with a strong lead and was able to stay ahead of her opponent. Unfortunately, Liu’s concentration was tested when a let was called after a ball from a neighbouring court was flung over into her court, interrupting the point. After this pause, Liu was unable to regain her focus and lost her first game. Heidi Small ’23 made a great comeback after losing her first game, applying her tennis experience to the squash court to beat her opponent. With a series of strong shots and serves, Small kept her head in the game, continuing to push herself and focusing on shot placement. Ava Coletti ’22 initially began her match with a comfortable lead, but her opponent was fast on her feet and quickly returned Coletti’s shots. Nonetheless, Coletti continued to push herself and was tied by the final point of the first game. She eventually lost the game, TKscore.
Maya Robie ’23, the top-ranked player on the ladder, led the Choate team with great sportsmanship despite ultimately losing her match. Robie was an exemplary sport on the court, continuously complementing her opponent with “nice shot.” Robie’s hustle and determination to return the ball led her to a close 7-11 loss in the first game, followed closely by an 11-7 comeback in the second game. Unfortunately, Robie lost the match 2-3, but her sportsmanship was reflected in the team’s positive performances as a whole, nevertheless.
The matches against Westover marked Girls’ Thirds Squash’s first victory of the season and the first squash match ever for some of the team’s players. The girls will try to use the early momentum to have a successful season.
Jaster said that the match was “a learning experience, and the great team support helped me grow as a player.”
