The Kent girls varsity squash team is back from Christmas break and more than ready to continue both their personal training and team consolidation on the courts. Before break, the girls defeated Taft’s JV team 4-3 and crushed Westover 5-2 on our home courts. Although the final match before break ended in a loss of 3-4 against Ethel Walker, Coach Anderson maintained an optimistic attitude, and the teammates were committed to continuing their success through the rest of the season.

Last week’s match against New Canaan was not originally planned, but the girls were eager to take on more competition as the new year began. Despite the frigid winter weather and the outcome of losing 2-6 against New Canaan, the girls did not stop carrying themselves with their heads up.

Jojo Story ’18, the captain of the girls varsity team, reflected that, “Although we lost, all the matches were very competitive, and New Canaan was at a comparative skill level. We hope to play them again this season with our full lineup because we were missing two key players from our roster.”

Story added that Coach Anderson continued to push the team to its maximum ability. Her positivity as a coach helped the girls remember that losing gives them the opportunity to grow as players and reminded them the unmatched feeling of winning a hard fought battle. “Overall, I am very proud of the team, and I think we can monopolize on this loss and comeback this Wednesday against Hotchkiss stronger and ready to play,” said Story.

Jana Safy ’21 mentioned how excited she was about this weekend’s match because it was her greatest competition this season, and her New Canaan component had pushed her to be better. As the girls continue to improve their technique on the courts, Story said, “our team dynamic is the best it’s ever been, and it reminds us all that we aren’t just playing for ourselves or the score, we are playing for each other.”