Overheard at the Feb. 11 Girls Varsity Squash match, from an onlooker: “It’s easy, you hit the ball really hard and hope the other team doesn’t hit it.”

While it’s not necessarily incorrect—certainly the observer had the basic logic of squash figured out—there’s a subtlety to the sport its players were quick to address.

“People think it’s a super easy sport and it’s just hitting the ball against the wall,” said junior Olivia Zaiken, the top-ranked player on the team, “but in reality, it’s so much more than that, and it takes a lot of skill and work to become good.”

“It looks so simple, but it’s very complex,” echoed Addison Perich, a junior. From the overhead viewing area, she and teammate Emma Hwang were watching junior Mia Bauer take on her opponent on the team’s Senior Day game against Westminster, a match the team won 4-3.

On the varsity squad since eighth grade, Perich, a day student from Westfield, noted the intensity, dexterity, speed, and strength with which players need to move and hit the ball, as well as avoid smashing into their opponent. “There’s a lot of strategy, and a lot of little details,” she added.

“You have to be really resilient,” added Hwang, a junior from Busan, South Korea, who said she and teammates employ a “goldfish mentality,” a way of approaching each point by forgetting any mistakes made in the previous point or game.

Because each match is a best of five, a player can lose a game and still be in contention to win. Zaiken, who was introduced to the sport at six years old and since then has “never put the racket down,” said this structure helps keep things in perspective, even in a tough match.

“[Squash] taught me to never give up, because if I lose the first game it does not mean anything, I can still come back and win the next three games,” she said. “Squash pushes me to have a better mentality.”

It’s working, too. Zaiken, from Easthampton, has been the top-ranked player on varsity since seventh grade, and often practices with the boys’ squad.

The fierceness and resilience of the squash team’s players are visible when observing from above but get clearer when seen up close. That path, from just outside glass-walled court No. 1 and down the hallway to back up to the viewing platform and the day’s individual games mapped out on a whiteboard, is well trod by Head Coach Patrick Loftus.

As Loftus monitored his squad, Chloe Raker explained how the coach bonds the team together, and how that unity impacts their performance on the court.

“He is the best coach; he treats it like we’re having fun,” Raker, a senior from Longmeadow, said. “He makes the environment not all about winning,” though she was quick to add that the team takes every competition seriously.

As Raker and Perich watched captain Ashley Zhang compete below, their closeness was evident. Raker said it’s not just Perich she’s gotten close to since joining the team sophomore year.

“I feel like I’ve developed a friendship with everyone,” she said. “No matter the day I’m having, I can always count on everybody.”

Perich agreed and said even though it’s an individual sport when it comes to match time, “We all lift each other up, we all win and lose together.”

Though it isn’t Perich’s main sport—she has been on varsity soccer since eighth grade and varsity lacrosse since ninth—the connections she’s made with her squash teammates are real, important, and lasting.

“The bonds we’ve made don’t just end when winter’s out,” she said. “It’s not just a seasonal friendship.”

Zaiken said the sport has given her newfound “mental toughness” and the confidence to push through frustration, both of which were on display on Jan. 28 when she came back from behind to win a match against Miss Porter’s. Along with working hard and pushing herself “physically and mentally,” Zaiken agrees there are perks besides the final score.

“The most fun thing about squash is definitely winning a hard match but also celebrating wins with my teammates on the bus ride home,” she said.

Loftus has seen this firsthand. In his second year as coach, he noted how driven the group is, and although he said they are “really competitive with one another,” they always come to practice and games enthusiastic and excited to challenge themselves.

“They show up enthusiastically and authentically,” he said, “They’re a great bunch.”

The varsity squad includes four new members: juniors Mia Bauer, Madi Goulet, Caroline Webster, and Mary Choo—all of whom have integrated seamlessly into the existing team.

Because they’re so tight-knit (“the team chemistry is awesome,” he said), Loftus is able, as coach, to “put them on the court with anybody.” It’s a change from last year, when he admitted the group dynamic wasn’t as close.

It’s something Loftus can observe on a daily basis. “I really see them growing with one another as they compete in practice and matches,” he said.

With the most recent win, the team’s last home match, they’ve now doubled their match wins from last year, and there’s still time left to improve.

“We still have a few matches ahead that are pretty winnable,” Loftus said. “We’re excited about that.”