The #1 Middlesex Varsity Volleyball team hosted #8 Kingswood Oxford for the quarterfinal round of the NEPSAC tournament on Wednesday, November 15. In front of a large and boisterous home crowd, Middlesex secured the victory in straight sets. This win advances the Zebras to the semifinals for the third straight year.
The excitement of tournament play and a huge and supportive home crowd made for a great game for players and spectators. A strong service run early in the first set from setter Defne Colak '18 helped to put Middlesex in the lead in the first set, and she hustled to set up kills by outside hitter and co-captain Avery Light '18 for the first three kills of the match. Middle Natalie Burden '18 also excelled, both at the net, where she notched several kills in the first set, and at the serve, where her well-placed float serve earned aces on each of her runs. Natalie's second service run forced Kingswood Oxford to take a timeout to regroup after a great double block by opposite and co-captain Mimi Larrieux '18 and middle Kiley Briand '20. Right after the timeout, a great dig by Defne allowed Natalie to step in to set up a kill by Avery. On the next play, a dig by Natalie to Defne set up a kill by outside hitter Hadley Jevon '19. The set then ended during Hadley's serve, with a great pass by libero and co-captain Nina Huttemann '18 to Defne for a kill by Kiley, closing out the first set 25-12.
The second set was closer, as the Wyverns came out determined to clean up their play. The set again featured strong serving by Defne and Nat, and Hadley, too, notched an ace. Mimi hit her groove at the net, and scored some crushing kills off of Defne's sets. The defense, grounded by Nina, managed to dig up almost everything that Kingswood Oxford sent over, and the Zebras maintained their lead eventually winning the second set set, 25-19.
The final set opened with a great float serve by Nina, which the Wyverns sent back as a freeball. Nina passed it perfectly to Defne, who was able to set up a kill by Natalie from the middle for the first point of the third set. Later, during Defne's service run, Natalie scored another stuff block to extend the Zebras' lead. A five-point service run by Natalie, which included an ace, a kill by Avery, and a kill by Mimi, brought the score to 22-14. After the sideout, serving specialist Sophia Poplyk '21 immediately dished up an ace, putting the score at match point, 24-15. After a couple of tough rallies-- the Wyverns were unwilling to give up the match without fighting to the last point-- Middlesex closed out the final set 25-17.
For the semifinal round, Middlesex will face the familiar opposition of crosstown rivals #5 Concord Academy. The match is scheduled for a 1:30pm start on Saturday, November 18 in the Cage. Despite the start of Thanksgiving Break, we hope many of our local community members will be able to attend and continue supporting the team!
