On Saturday, November 20, as the rest of school prepared to depart for Thanksgiving Break, the #6 seeded Varsity Volleyball squad traveled to Connecticut to face #2 King School for the NEPSAC Class B semifinals played at Suffield Academy, a neutral site. After coming out strong in the first set, King's offense lit up and Middlesex was unable to counter, ultimately losing 1-3.

Throughout the match, the Zebras played some of the highest quality volleyball of the season, with relentless work at the net led by middle and co-captain Morgan Clapp '22, middle Parker Boyden '23, and right sides Annabelle Lerner '23 and Anna Buell '22. Morgan and Parker in particular were indefatigable in their efforts to neutralize the King offense, getting touches on many of their attacks and allowing the back row defense, led by libero Romy Ahn '23, to dig up much of what King sent over. Highlights of the first set included first-serve aces by setter and co-captain Sofia Dickinson '22, and a big early-set kill by Morgan for a sideout. Romy's service run, which extended the Middlesex lead early on, included a big kill by outside hitter Sydney Feeney '22 assisted by Sofia. Setter Caroline Cervini '23 also scored a first-serve ace with her tricky float serve. Late in the first set, a first-serve sideout came off a great serve receive by defensive specialist Antonia Baylor '22, which allowed Sofia to set up a kill by outside hitter Julie Chen '23. The first set ended with Morgan at the net-- her attack was returned as an overpass, which she was there to kill, concluding the set 25-18, Middlesex.

The first set included very few unforced errors by the Zebras, but a few errors in the second set allowed King to even the set score: King adjusted their own defense, scoring on a few blocks and killing a couple of overpasses by the Zebras. Parker showed great composure and resilience as she stepped back to serve late in the set, and a big block by Morgan extended Parker's run, but the second set ultimately ended with a great kill by King's talented outside hitter, 19-25, King.

The third set stayed even for the first twenty points, but the Zebras gave up a couple of runs of points later in the set as the King hitters found their groove, while the Middlesex hitters failed to find their spots to keep King under consistent pressure, and the third set ended 14-25, King.

The fourth set stayed more even, with Middlesex finding the lead in the first half: Julie had an early service run, notching two aces, while Sydney's great dig allowed Sofia to set up a kill by Annabelle. Morgan, meanwhile, scored two big blocks early in the set. A few points later, Caroline aced three consecutive serves, forcing King to take an early timeout. After being down five points early in the set, King was able to even the scoreline on a long service run at 16-16, and then capitalized on missed serves by the Zebras to extend their lead with another service run later in the set. At the end of the set, with the score at match point, Romy dug up a ball to allow Caroline to set up a kill by Julie for a sideout. Then, with the score at 21-24, Parker stepped back to serve-- again, showing great composure in a high-pressure situation. Morgan had a huge block to keep Middlesex in the game, but the final point came on a big kill by King's powerful middle, ending the fourth set 22-25, King.

While defeat always stings, the players and coaches are proud of the quality volleyball and competitiveness on display in this match, as well as all our accomplishments this season. We want to congratulate King School on their great playoff run and on their win in the finals against the undefeated BB&N team to claim the New England Class B championship for a second straight season. 

This was the final match of their Middlesex career for the members of our talented Class of 2022, and we wish Marie, Marissa, Antonia, Anna, Sydney, Sofia, and Morgan all the best. They have all contributed to the continued growth of our program, and they have established a foundation that we look to build upon in future seasons.

As we head into Thanksgiving Break, the team and the coaches would like to thank the athletic office and training room staff for their support this season, and the parents and families of our athletes for their support throughout the season.