The Middlesex Varsity Volleyball squad traveled to Dedham, Mass. to take on Noble and Greenough for an ISL league contest on Saturday, October 19, and showed grit and resilience to bring home a win, extending their winning streak to seven.
The Zebras started strong in the first set, opening with a great dig by libero Sevilla Jin '21 to setter Sophia Poplyk '21 for a crushing kill by opposite Natalie McCall '21 to put Middlesex on the board first. However, inconsistent play by Middlesex allowed the Bulldogs to run away with the first set, which ended 12-25, Nobles.
But the Zebras were determined in the second set: another kill by Natalie assisted by Poplyk, who had 25 assists in the match bringing her season total to 213, earned the Zebras a first-serve sideout and sent outside hitter Katy Qin '21 back to serve. Katy's five-point service run, which included two aces, put the Bulldogs on the defensive, and solid passing by Sevilla allowed Poplyk to vary the defense, setting up kills by captain and outside hitter Mayu Lee '20 and middle Morgan Clapp '22. Another key sideout was earned on a great dig by defensive specialist Emily Pyne '21, which allowed Poplyk to set up a big kill down the line by Mayu. Another long run of points by Nobles put them back on top in the middle of the set, but captain and middle hitter Kiley Briand '20 came in strong with a key stuff block to earn the sideout. Middlesex continued to push points through the end of the set, when, with the score tied at 23-23, Mayu rotated back to serve. Her first serve was converted to an outside hit, which Mayu was there to dig up, and Poplyk set up a kill by Sevilla from the back row, putting the score at set point. Mayu served up another tough one, which was returned as a free ball, and again she was alert on defense, passing the ball to Poplyk who assisted a final kill by Katy to win the second set 25-23, Middlesex.
The third set was another battle, opening with a run of points off of Poplyk's serve. An early first-serve sideout came with a dig by Sevilla, which Poplyk set up for a back row hit which Emily put away for the kill. Middlesex fell behind toward the end of the set, but with the score at 17-22, Poplyk stepped back to serve and aced her first two serves, and then a dig by Mayu allowed Poplyk to set up a kill from the outside by Katy. A few plays later, with the score at 22-24, defensive specialist Angela Bi '21 subbed in to serve, and her consistent, tricky float serve forced several errors by the Bulldogs, and the score was at 25-24 before Nobles earned the sideout to tie the score at 25-25. A perfect serve receive by Emily in that high pressure situation allowed Poplyk to set up Mayu (eleven kills in the match), who put it away for a kill, moving the score to set point, Middlesex. Defensive specialist Sofia Dickinson '22 then stepped back to serve, and her tough serve forced an error on serve receive by the Bulldogs, and the third set ended 27-25, Middlesex.
Backed into a corner, the Bulldogs were clearly determined to bite back, and did so in the fourth set—their tough offense and gritty play caught the Zebras off guard, and the fourth set ended 14-25, Nobles, forcing the deciding fifth set.
But the Zebras came out kicking in the final set. Poplyk opened the set with consecutive aces, and then a pass by Sevilla, who had twenty digs in the match, allowed Poplyk to set up a kill by Morgan. Next to serve came Katy, who had a six-point run and showed off her solid defense in the back row to extend the Middlesex lead. During Katy's serve, Morgan earned three consecutive points by staying alert at the net, ready to stuff overpasses. Nobles finally earned the sideout with the Zebras ahead 9-3, which became 11-4 after a few consecutive sideouts. Once again, the Bulldogs proved their mettle by continuing to fight, and a strong service run, paired with a couple of Middlesex errors and close calls on the line in Nobles' favor, closed the deficit to 11-9. Then, a decisive stuff block by Kiley and Natalie (who ended the day with eight kills and three blocks) earned the vital sideout, putting Sofia at the service line. On the next three plays, Nobles scrambled to return her serve, and the fifth set ended 15-9, Middlesex.
The Zebras (9-1 overall, 6-1 ISL) look ahead to another big week of league competition facing Rivers away on Wednesday, October 23, at 3pm, before hosting Thayer Academy on Saturday, October 26, at 4pm to close out the Middlesex Parents' Weekend festivities.
Match highlights video link: http://www.hudl.com/v/2CADUj
