The Middlesex Varsity Volleyball squad traveled to Thompson, CT to face Marianapolis Prep on Saturday, and, after cheering the JV team to a victory in straight sets, followed up with a win of their own, taking the Knights down in three exciting sets.

The noise level in the Marianpolis gym was eardeafeing on this hot Saturday afternoon, making communication on the court difficult, but the Zebras rallied early on to control the scoreline in the first set. The first big play of the match was off of a solid dig by captain and outside Mayu Lee '20 to setter Sophia Poplyk '21, who assisted a kill by middle Morgan Clapp '22 for a sideout. A few plays later, a tough serve by opposite Natalie McCall '21 got returned as an overpass, and defensive specialist Sevilla Jin '21 was right there to send it to Poplyk who assisted the kill by captain and middle Kiley Briand '20 to extend Natalie's run. Middlesex added to their lead on another service run by Mayu; then, for the next sideout, Morgan was there for a huge stuff block of the Knights' strongest hitter, and rotated Poplyk back to serve, where her four-point run, which included three aces, forced Marianapolis to take a timeout to regroup. The set ended when Sevilla's pass to Poplyk set up another kill by Kiley to put the score at set point, and Natalie ended the set with an ace.

The first Middlesex kill of the second set was scored by outside Katy Qin '21 for a sideout. A service run by libero Sofia Dickinson '22 put the Zebras on top-- her five-point run included two aces and a stuff block by Natalie. The Knights, however, were determined to take back the set, and encouraged by the raucous home crowd they put together a service run of their own, catching up with the Zebras and taking a decisive eight point lead. However, the Middlesex players once again proved their resilience and composure under pressure to stage a comeback. A great pass by Mayu to Poplyk allowed Katy to score the sideout and rotate Poplyk back to serve with the score at 14-21, Knights. Poplyk then put together an incredible 11-point serving run, which included six aces, to end the set 25-21, Middlesex.

Middlesex's consistent serves again allowed them to control the third set, as Poplyk opened the set with another run, putting the Zebras up 4-0 before Marianapolis got the sideout. Strong serves by the whole squad, including Sevilla, Sofia, Natalie, and Mayu, allowed Middlesex to extend their lead and keep the Knights from capitalizing on their offensive weapons. Highlights for the Zebras included a solid dig by Mayu during a long rally that allowed Poplyk to set up a powerful kill by outside Sydney Feeney '22, extending the Middlesex lead to 18-10. A few plays later, defensive specialist Emily Pyne '21 had a perfect serve receive to allow Poplyk to set Morgan in the middle to earn a first-serve sideout, and the final set ended 25-15, Middlesex.

Following this first week of non-league contests, the Varsity Volleyball squad looks forward to hosting Tabor Academy on Wednesday, 9/25 at 3:30pm, and Milton Academy on Saturday, 9/28 at 2:30pm, to kick off their ISL season.