On Friday afternoon, the Middlesex Varsity Volleyball team earned their sixth consecutive straight-sets victory defeating Milton Academy in their second ISL contest of the season.

The Zebras were dominant in the first set, scoring on long service runs and quick sideouts. Highlights included aced serves by co-captain Mimi Larrieux '18, by setter Defne Colak '18, and by outside hitter Hadley Jevon '18, and great work at the net by Mimi and Hadley, by middles Kiley Briand '20 and Natalie Burden '18, and by opposite Grace Chamberlain '19, all of whom put together quality hits to throw the Mustangs off balance. The first set ended as co-captain and libero Nina Huttemann rotated back to serve at set point, and her jump float was returned as a roll shot, which Natalie Burden easily handled and sent to Defne, who set up the final kill by Hadley, ending the set 25-6.

The Mustangs were not to be so easily defeated, however-- they came out stronger in the second set, and caught the Zebras on their heels. More quality offense by Milton, combined with a number of unforced errors by Middlesex, allowed the Mustangs to pull into a decisive lead in the middle of the set, which the Zebras managed to narrow toward the end of the set. A great dig by Defne was picked up by defensive specialist Lyn Wu '19, who assisted a kill by Mimi to help close the deficit, bringing the score to 19-22. The Mustangs managed to move to set point, 20-24, off of a hitting error by Middlesex, and, with the set on the line, Hadley dug up a hard-hit ball which Nina stepped in to set to Grace, who put away the kill for the sideout. Hadley then rotated back to serve in a very high-pressure situation, and managed to serve out the set, aided by quality work at the net by Mimi, who notched two stuff blocks and two crushing kills during Hadley's final service run, ending the second set 26-24.

The Zebras were determined to clean up their play in the final set, and although Milton kept the scoreline close, the Middlesex defense, anchored by Nina (7 digs in the match), never allowed them a substantial run of points. Highlights in the final set included a couple of big blocks by Defne, who had rotated to the front row to play right side, a kill to the baseline by opposite Natalie McCall '21, and more kills by both Hadley and Mimi, who combined for 24 kills on the day. The final set ended on a long service run by Mimi (5 aces on the day), with a final score of 25-20.

The team will enjoy a weekend of rest and recovery before heading on the road next week, traveling first to Lawrence Academy on Wednesday, 10/4 for a 3:15 start, and then to Cushing Academy on Saturday, 10/7 for a 3:45PM start.