On Wednesday October 7th, the Middlesex Varsity Volleyball squad squared off with the perennially strong Governor's Academy team in a thrilling back-and forth contest, which ended 21-25, 27-25, 25-19, 26-28, and 11-15, in Gov's favor.
Middlesex fell behind in the first set on missed serves and unforced errors. Some solid work at the net by outside hitter Hadley Jevon '19, middle Lydia Paddock '17, and opposite Natalie Burden '18 helped keep rallies going to get Middlesex on the board. Later in the set, a kill by outside hitter Lily Renneker '17 off of the assist by libero Nina Hutteman '18, followed immediately by a set of aced serves by Mimi Larrieux '18 helped to shift the momentum back in the Zebras' favor. A big kill by Lydia assisted by co-captain and setter Abby Meyers '16 from the dig by Sarah Ong '16 and another ace by Mimi tied up the game. The two teams stayed neck and neck through the final third of the set. A pair of aces by setter Leyla Hotamisligil '18 was then followed by another big kill by Lydia from Leyla's assist and a fantastic dig by Nina. A quick succession of just 3 unforced errors then put Govs on top to end the first set 21-25.
In the second set, Middlesex stayed competitive from the beginning, with kills by outside hitter Avery Light '18 off of Leyla's assist. Once Leyla rotated into the front row, she was replaced by co-captain Alyssa McNally '16, who jumped right in for a quick angle shot and then a block, followed shortly by a big kill off of Abby's assist from Nina. Nina then had a pancake dig off of a big hit by Gov's powerful middle, which Mimi stepped in to set for another kill by Alyssa to bring the score to 9-8. This set off of series of points by the Zebra offense, scoring kills by Lydia, Alyssa, and Lily. Mimi Larrieux dished up a pair of aces, and with the score at 16-10, MX felt fairly comfortable. Govs took advantage of the Zebra's momentary complacency to pull together a series of points to close the gap to only one point. A series of aces and unreturnable serves by Leyla brought the score to 24-24. The two teams traded unforced errors to bring the score to 25-25. Then, after a dramatic rally, Avery and Lydia scored a big block to put the Zebras at set point, and then a well-placed ace by Lily finished the second set in Middlesex's favor, 27-25.
The momentum was now in the Zebras' favor, and they stayed ahead for most of the third set. The Middlesex front row put up a huge block to try to neutralize Gov's powerful middle. Avery and Lydia blocked her several times early in the set, making her think twice about hitting down the middle and forcing her to find holes or to hit off-speed. Avery found her groove at the net in this set, putting up several important kills before rotating to the back row, where her powerful jump float serve added to the Middlesex lead. More aces by Lily and by Abby, and finally a kill by Lily off of Nina's assist, ended the third set 25-19, Middlesex.
Up 2 sets to 1, MX came out swinging in the fourth, but Governors, facing elimination, came out fighting, as well. Long and intense rallies kept both sides on their toes. Highlights included big blocks by both Lydia and Mimi, and a perfect kill down the line to the corner by opposite hitter Natalie, which brought the score to 16-17. Another kill by Natalie tied up the score at 25-25, and a big block by Lydia put MX at match point. Unfortunately, a couple of errors allowed Gov to come back to take the fourth set 26-28 and force the deciding fifth set.
The 5th set featured great defense in the back row, with some spectacular digs by Nina to set up the Zebra offense. The two teams stayed neck and neck for most of the set. When they were tied at 11-11, a series of tough rallies ended in Governors' favor, and the final set ended 11-15, Gov.
The players and coaches felt encouraged by the overall level of play, which demonstrated the girls' tenacity and grit. They look forward to another quad-match this Saturday, October 10 hosted by Milton Academy-- they will play Thayer Academy at 2pm and Milton at approximately 4:00 PM.
