Middlesex Varsity Volleyball hosted the brand new Rivers team on Saturday September 17, tallying another win in straight sets. The Rivers players were athletic and gritty, but the more experienced Zebras won the day, despite the various lingering injuries and illnesses that plagued the Middlesex squad.
The first set was decisive: the first point was scored by co-captain and middle blocker Lydia Paddock '17 assisted by Leyla Hotamisligil '18 from a perfect pass by libero Nina Huttemann '18. Outside hitter Avery Light '18 also notched some kills from sets by both Leyla and Defne Colak '18. Setter and defensive specialist Erin Brady '17 stepped in to serve and scored an ace before setting a kill by middle blocker Mimi Larrieux '18. Another highlight was the perfect overhead pass by Lydia to Leyla, who set it right back to Lydia for the quick. The set ended with a long run off of Leyla's hard serve, which included a crushing line shot by co-captain and outside hitter Lily Renneker '17 followed by an ace by Leyla to seal the final set score at 25-8.
The second set was much closer, as Rivers capitalized to score more points from unforced errors by Middlesex. Opposite hitter Hadley Jevon '19 stepped in with some big kills when the squad needed the momentum shift, followed by more strong offense by the entire squad. The set ended when defensive specialist Stephanie Li '17 provided Leyla with a perfect pass to set up the final kill by Lily, ending the second set 25-20.
The final set was similar to the second. Middlesex maintained a lead throughout the set, but unforced errors and a few big blocks by Rivers continued to keep the scoreline close. Highlights in this set included a couple of quicks by Mimi from Defne's set and some strong serves, especially by Nina, who racked up five aces in the third set. The set ended with a kill by Lily assisted by Defne from Stephanie's dig, followed by a final ace by Leyla, closing out 25-19.
With this win, Middlesex successfully ends the first week of the season with a 2-0 record (1-0 ISL), and the team will strive to continue to improve and build upon this momentum as it faces tough competition in the upcoming weeks. The Zebras look forward to hosting Concord Academy on Wednesday, September 21 in the Cage at 3:30 PM before hitting the road on Saturday, September 24 for a quad match at St. Paul's School, where they will face both Lawrence Academy and St. Paul's starting at 3:00 PM.
