The Middlesex Varsity Volleyball squad traveled to Noble and Greenough on Wednesday, 9/28 to square off with an undefeated ISL opponent and came home with the win-- the first against Nobles in program history.
The entire match showcased the importance of an aggressive and consistent serve, as the team earned 8 aces in the first set alone, 6 of which were from libero Nina Huttemann '18. The offense also scored big in the first, with kills by co-captain and middle blocker Lydia Paddock '17, outside hitter Avery Light '18, and opposite hitter and setter Defne Colak '18. A big dig by Nina to setter Leyla Hotamisligil '18 for the kill by middle Mimi Larrieux '18 put the Zebras at set point, and a final ace by Defne closed the first decisively at 25-15.
Nobles made some adjustments to their defense in the second set, and their hitters began finding holes in the Zebras' coverage. More aced serves, this time from co-captain and outside hitter Lily Renneker '17, helped Middlesex take the lead, and some spectacular defense by Nina, including a great dig to Defne who set up the kill by Avery, gave the Zebras some breathing room. Opposite hitter Maggie Chamberlain '19 had a solid kill off of Defne's assist from Lily's perfect serve receive. Toward the end of the set, the Middlesex block had a solid run, with stuff blocks by Lydia and Defne, and after a series of long and intense rallies with strong work by the whole squad, the set ended with a kill by Avery from Nina's dig to Defne to side out Nobles' best server, followed by a topspin ace by Avery, and the second set ended 25-22.
Nobles was not to be defeated so easily, though-- they are, after all, a top team in the ISL and a perennial playoff contender in the New England Class A tournament: in the third set, they came out swinging hard, and made very few errors, while the Zebras showed some fatigue and gave up a run of points to unforced errors to allow Nobles to take an early lead. Despite some strong plays, including a great dig by defensive specialist Stephanie Li '17 for a kill by Avery off of Lydia's assist, the third set ended 15-25, Nobles.
However, the Middlesex squad regrouped between sets and came together as a team in the fourth set to play some of their best rallies of the season. The Zebras minimized unforced errors and made smart plays, mixing up the offense and digging up almost everything the Nobles front row could hit at them. The fourth set ended with a great run of serves by Leyla, including a big block by Lily and Lydia and a crushing kill down the line by Lily before Nobles sided out with the score at 24-11. However, Middlesex immediately earned the side out and ended the match with a kill by Lydia off of Leyla's assist from Avery's perfect serve receive. The set ended 25-11.
Middlesex looks forward to hosting BB&N in the Cage on Saturday, October 1 at 3:30PM before hitting the road again for an away contest at The Governor's Academy next Tuesday, October 4 at 5:15PM (note date change).
