On January 18th, the Kent girls varsity squash team faced off against Miss Porter’s School. The team was down a couple of key players, including Jojo Story ’18, Lillian Wang ’17 and Linnea Koskinen ’18. As a result, players all had to shift up one or two ranks to accommodate. The girls fought hard and struggled against the strong team, ending the match in a 0-7 loss.

The squash players tried their best to win their individual matches. Morgan Baravalle ‘17 who played as Kent’s #2 was able to win her second set with 12-11 points after losing the first, but unfortunately was overwhelmed by her opponent and lost the two sets that followed after.

Charlotte Kwong ’18, captain of the JV Squash team, stepped up to support the Varsity team, playing as Kent’s #6 rank. Despite her lack of experience, she was able to hold out the longest, winning her third and fourth sets before losing her last set with a close score of 10-12.

Victoria Geh ’19 pointed out afterward that each Kent player had their individual strengths and weaknesses, and had to focus on different skills to progress as a team. “Personally, I need to work on my backhand volleys, also improve on my stamina and running speed in matches,” she explained.

Despite the loss, Coach Jeon expressed that the team is a work in progress. “A lot of these girls are new, but they are holding out against really veteran players. It’s a learning experience.” When asked about his expectations for the future, he said “I am looking for us to take this time to really focus on hitting the right shots and playing a complete game. With a just a couple more practices, a little more extra time hitting the ball and working on form; they should all be really good complete players.” He also added that he didn’t mind calling this season a “building year”, as next squash season was going to be significant with brand new courts and recruits. “I want everyone here to put the work in this year, and show up next year ready to compete for their spot on the team.”