The Middlesex Varsity Volleyball team traveled to face Class A opponent (and last year's Class B champion) Nobles on Friday, November 6, and came up short in 3 tough sets.
In the first set, Middlesex scored first, with a well-placed tip by opposite hitter and co-captain Alyssa McNally '16 off of the assist by Lily Renneker '17. Nobles' consistently tough serves kept Middlesex on their toes, and middle blocker Lydia Paddock '17 put up a big block for a crucial sideout against their top server. A great dig by libero Nina Huttemann '18 to setter Lily assisted a huge kill by outside hitter Avery Light '18, and rotated setter Leyla Hotamisligil '18 in to serve. Leyla immediately dished up an ace, bringing the score to 7-8. More unforced errors by Middlesex allowed Nobles to extend their lead. A few great plays, including kills by Lily, Lydia, and Avery, weren't enough to overcome the deficit, and the first set ended 13-25, Nobles.
The Zebras were first to score again in the second, with a cross-court kill by Avery off of Lily's assist from Nina's serve receive. Again, though, Nobles was able to pull into an early lead based primarily off of unforced errors by Middlesex and a few well-placed kills by their middle. Aced serves by Avery and Leyla, big kills by Lily and by middle blocker Mimi Larrieux '18, and some quality plays by Nina and by defensive specialist Sarah Ong '16 highlighted the Zebras' depth, but the second set ended 15-25.
The Zebras continued to lose points to unforced errors in the third, again falling behind early. In the middle of the set, though, determined not to go out without a fight, Sarah Ong stepped in to serve and dished up two aces in a row before the sideout. Nina was the next server, and she put up a great run of points that included four aces off her tricky jump float. Mimi showed off her vertical at the net, putting up a huge block to challenge Nobles' middle, and Avery had quality kills from both the front row and from the back. Despite an impressive comeback to close the gap, the Zebras were unable to prevail in the third, and the final score of the set was 21-25, Nobles.
Middlesex will finish their regular season at home next week, hosting Lawrence Academy on Wednesday, November 11 at 2:30 and St Paul's School on Saturday, November 14 at 2:00pm. The team looks to regroup and refocus after a tough week as they continue to strive for one of the last New England Class B playoff spots.
