The Middlesex Varsity Volleyball squad hosted The Governors' Academy, currently the top team in the ISL, in their final home match of the season, and fell just short in three hard-fought sets, ending 25-27, 25-17, and 25-22.
The game started with a farewell presentation by head coach Ashok Pillai honoring the team's captain and only senior, Rose-Marie Fuchs '15, for her last home match. In the pre-game huddle, Rose-Marie urged her teammates to leave everything on the court at their last home match of the season, and her last home match of her Middlesex career.
The team did, indeed, play some of the best volleyball of the season, coming together to put together a series of amazing plays, thrilling their teammates and their fans. Middlesex traded sideouts with Governors through the first set, staying neck and neck from the beginning. Ariana Odom '17 put up a huge block at the start of the set, setting off a battle at the net. Rose-Marie '15 had the first big kill of the game, off of a dig by libero Nina Huttemann '18 to setter Abby Meyers '16. With the score at 11-12, Sarah Ong '16 dug up a tough serve to setter Leyla Hotamisligil '18 for a crushing kill by middle Lydia Paddock '17 to tie up the score. Leyla set to Lydia again in the very next play, and the resulting kill put Middlesex on top. After Lydia stuffed an overpass by Govs in the next play to put Middlesex up 2, Governors called a time-out, clearly shaken by MX's dominance at the net. Another big block by Rose-Marie a few rotations later put the Red Dogs on the defensive. A great dig by Sarah to Abby Meyers set up a smashing kill down the line by outside hitter Lily Renneker '17. Rose-Marie then rotated to the back row, where she dished up two non returnable serves, putting Middlesex on top 21-20. A few errors by both teams moved the score to 22-23, when a huge block by Lily and Lydia tied the game at 23. Leyla dug up a tough tip over the middle block to opposite hitter Ari Odom, who stepped in to provide a perfect set to Lydia for a kill to put the score at 25-24. Only one point away from taking the first set from the top team of the league, Middlesex unfortunately lost the next three points to hard-hit spikes and a non returnable serve, ending the dramatic first set 25-27.
Governor's adjusted to our powerful front row in the second set, showing their respect for our blockers by consistently tipping over or around the block, rather than risk getting stuffed on a full swing. This tactic proved just effective enough, as despite some more great plays, including more kills by Rose-Marie off of sets by Abby, blocks by Lydia, and aced serves by Sarah, Middlesex fell 17-25 in the second.
Middlesex came out determined in the third set, which proved just as dramatic as the first, as our defense adjusted to the visitors' strategy. An epic dig by Nina to Leyla set up a kill by Lydia to put Middlesex on the board. Soon after, Abby set up a kill down the line by Maile Cowell '17. More kills by our middles, Rose-Marie and Lydia, off of perfect passes and sets by their teammates, kept the Zebras right in the game until the very end, when a hard-hit serve by Governor's ended the third set 22-25.
Middlesex is excited to finish their season on the road with second games against some of the tougher ISL teams, including Milton (10/25), Nobles (10/29), BB&N (11/1), and St. Paul's (11/7).
