On Saturday November 13, 2021, one hundred and twenty years after the first interscholastic contest between Middlesex and St. George's, the two schools finally competed in a Varsity Volleyball match. The Zebras emerged victorious in straight sets, contributing to the school-wide sweep of the Dragons on a historic day for Middlesex athletics.
As this was the final home match of the regular season, the Middlesex Varsity Volleyball team began the match by honoring their seven seniors: defensive specialist Antonia Baylor, outside hitter Anna Buell, co-captain and middle hitter Morgan Clapp, co-captain and setter Sofia Dickinson, right side hitter Marissa Fadely, outside hitter Sydney Feeney, and manager Marie Krou. Our program greatly appreciates and will always be grateful for the contributions both on and off the court of these amazing members of the Class of 2022.
All the senior players started the first set on the court, and the two teams traded sideouts and the scoreline stayed even to begin as the Zebras regained their focus after the seniors' ceremony. Morgan scored the first kill for the Zebras with a block during Anna's service run. For the next sideout, defensive specialist Julie Chen '23 sent a perfect serve receive to Sofia, who assisted a kill by Marissa. Libero Romy Ahn '23 notched the next kill for Middlesex, again assisted by Sofia. Middle hitter Parker Boyden '23 helped the Zebras pull ahead with a first-serve ace, but it was Morgan's service run in the middle of the set that let Middlesex extend their lead. During her run, Sofia set up a quick kill by Parker, and Sofia then set up a kill by Sydney, forcing St George's to take a timeout to regroup. Morgan continued her run after the timeout, and when St George's eventually earned the sideout, Middlesex was up by six points. Setter Caroline Cervini '23 was the next to serve for Middlesex, and her run, which included two overpass kills by Parker and a kill by Sydney, put the score at 22-15. Sydney was the final server for Middlesex, and Sofia scored the final kill, ending the set 25-15, Middlesex.
The second set opened with the two teams trading sideouts. An early highlight came when Morgan and right side Annabelle Lerner '23 put up a big double block. The Dragons returned it as an overpass, which Morgan was there to kill. During Caroline's serve, outside hitter Charlotte Heafey '25 dug the Dragons' attack, and Caroline set up a kill by Marissa to extend the Middlesex lead. Middle Devon Coyle '24 had the most impressive service run of the second set; her run included three aces. A quick sideout in the middle of the set came on a great dig by Sofia, which Romy stepped in to set, assisting an out-of-system kill from the right by Annabelle. Caroline rotated back to serve near the end of the set, and after dishing up two consecutive aces, she then assisted consecutive kills by Charlotte. After losing the serve, Middlesex earned the first serve sideout and put the score at set point with a perfect pass by Romy which Caroline set to Charlotte for the kill. Defensive specialist Tem Taepaisitphongse '23, who was making her varsity debut, stepped back to serve, and ended the second set with a crushing topspin ace down the line, 25-11, Middlesex.
The third and final set again featured all the seniors, all of whom played all the way around. Highlights of the third set included rock-solid defense by Marissa, Morgan, and Parker, whose strong passing allowed Sofia to mix up the offense with her consistent sets, and great swings by Sydney and Anna. The third set ended with a run of aced serves by Parker, 25-10, Middlesex.
Middlesex concludes the regular season with an 11-4 overall record and a 7-4 ISL record. This earns a tie for third in the ISL as well as clinches a spot in the New England Class B tournament as the sixth seed. The team now looks forward to traveling to Weston, Mass to play #3 Rivers School in the Quarterfinals on Wednesday, November 17 at 3:30pm. As we head into the postseason, the team would like to thank the parents, families, and community members who have encouraged the players throughout the season, and especially the families of the seniors for their continued support of the program.
