The Deerfield boys’ varsity squash team traveled to Andover MA to face USA #5 Phillips Academy. Missing a top player, the boys knew winning would involve maximum focus, determination, and courage.
As the first flight got underway, seniors Rudy Shukla ’26, Kyle Yang ’26, and Max Ng ’27 all faced very tough opponents in the 2nd, 4th, and 6th ladder positions. Although he was not feeling 100% physically, Max Ng was able to take his opponent the distance, but could not quite secure the win (2-3). Simultaneously, Rudy faced the formidable Corey Shen ’26, where the points were long and closely fought. Ultimately Rudy fell in 4 games, but hope stayed alive on the next court, where Captain Kyle Yang ’26 had lost the first game, but was mounting his comeback. By the close of that first round of matches, Kyle had physically overwhelmed and mentally outmatched his opponent, thus the scoreline read Deerfield 1, Andover 2.
In the second flight, Captain Read Kitchel faced a tenacious opponent in the #3 position, while Captain Hart Robertson took on the young phenom John-Jaden in the #1 position. Ultimately, we lost a battle on Read’s court (1-3) but snapped up a commanding win on Hart’s court (3-0). The scoreline continued to evolve as our younger warriors battled very well-matched opponents at the #5 and #7 spots. Newcomer Zan Pervez ’29 collected his first Deerfield win in four games, which brought the match to 3-3. Sophomore Ian Henry split the first two games, and by the time the 3rd was underway, the other matches had finalized, and all bodies began to converge on his court. This was the moment when Ian began to shine, extending rallies, drawing on extra stamina, breaking down his opponent one point at a time. The fourth game was all Ian, and the boys rushed to celebrate with him as he convincingly won the game, and the match for Deerfield.
This match represents the epitome of team squash. Up and down the ladder, winning or losing, the boys cheered, coached, and supported each other. It was a proud moment for the program – Go Big Green!
#1 Robertson ‘26: 3-0
#2 Shukla ‘26: 1-3
#3 Kitchel ‘26 1-3
#4 Yang ‘26: 3-1
#5 Henry ‘28: 3-1
# 6 Ng ‘27: 2-3
# 7 Pervez ‘29: 3-1
The team will host Loomis this coming Wednesday for our first home match of the season!