Storm Squash Find Success At Nationals

On Friday, February 12, the boys and girls varsity squash teams travelled to Episcopal Academy outside of Philadelphia to participate in the annual national high school squash championships. Each squad played a total of four matches in the tournament, and wound up finishing second and third respectively. The teams’ outstanding results are a testament to hard work, dedication, and effective coaching from Brian Mathias, Lucia Mathias, and Mac Pivirotto ‘11.

 

The members of the boys team that played were, in order of team position, Ian Blatchford ‘19, Dennis Polyakov ’18, Chris Bloomer ‘16, Logan Diliberto ‘18, Hank Ferris ‘16, Andrew Patty ‘19, and Ian Thomas ‘18. Peter Denious ‘19, and Tom Howells ‘16, travelled with the team as alternates. The Storm’s first round, which was played against Trinity School, was a breeze. No one on the St. Luke’s side dropped a match, which gave the team a 7-0 win. The second round was significantly closer, as the Storm went up against a tough Mary Institute and St. Louis School team. The match score was tied 3-3 when Ian Thomas clinched a win in the round with a hard fought 3-2 win. The close 4-3 victory was followed by yet another dominant performance from the Storm, in which they defeated Millburn High School 6-1. The three victories gave St. Luke’s a chance to play for the national title against an esteemed Canisius High School team. The Storm could not hold off the Crusaders, and dropped the match 1-6. Although the members of the Storm did not defeat Canisius, their exemplary performance placed them second overall in the tournament. Freshman Ian Blatchford was the team’s most valuable player, as he did not drop a single match while playing in the top position.

 

The girls team also enjoyed great success at the tournament. Laura Howells ’16, Paige Ballard ‘16, Natalie Bachman ’17, Caroline Nevin ‘18, Pamela Jaramillo ‘19, Elizabeth Pellegrino ‘16, and Eleanor Bailey ‘21, played in the tournament for the Storm. In the first round, St. Luke’s faced a tough opponent in the Hill School, from Pottstown, Pennsylvania. Three out of the seven matches went to five games. In a show of true grit from Paige Ballard, Caroline Nevin, and Pamela Jaramillo, the Storm won all three of the close matches. A dominant performance from Natalie Bachman in the three spot clinched the match for the Storm who won the first round 4-3. The Storm had an easier go of it in the second round against the Spence School, winning the match 5-2. In the third round against the Nichols School, the Storm once against had to rely on grit and determination to move on to the next round. Losses in the one, two, and four positions necessitated wins from the rest of the squad. The Storm pulled it out, winning the match 4-3. In the fourth and final round, St. Luke’s was matched up against a talented, and deep Westover School team. While each girl gave it her all, the team could not defeat the Wildcats, losing 2-5. Despite the loss in the final round, the team’s overall performance earned the Storm third place overall.

 

While neither the girls nor the boys team was able to walk away with the national championship trophy, the members of the St. Luke’s squash program proved that they are high level competitors on the national stage. With the outstanding performance under their belt, the teams have certainly gained a sense of confidence that will prove indispensable to their success in the rest of the 2015-2016 season.