The Varsity Volleyball team traveled to Rhode Island for St. George's Day on Saturday, November 12. The hosts brought the energy and determination for this century-old rivalry match, and despite their efforts, the Zebras suffered a 3-1 loss to the Dragons.
The Zebras started the match shakily as they attempted to shake off the bus legs and increase their focus. Despite the initial lead by the Dragons, the Zebras maintained their composure and as they looked to improve their play. Charlotte Heafey '25 had a streak of aces that brought the Zebras from being down 24-15 to 24-21 before the set ended on a sideout by the St. George's. Defensively, Romy Ahn '23, Charlotte, Devon Coyle '24, Parker Boyden '23, and Caroline Cervini '23 scrambled to hold back the Dragons' offense and kept rallies alive. Devon also provided a block and strong net presence. However, offensively, the Zebras were making many more unforced errors than they typically do.
The Zebras were determined to fight for a better result in the second set, but continued to struggle to regroup. The Dragons opened up the set with a lead, though the Zebras were quickly able to tie it up at 7-7. While the score remained tight, the Zebras were able to build an 18-11 lead late in the set with strong serving by Julie Chen '23 leading the way. The Dragons fought back and the set remained tight until the end, with the Dragons tying the score back up at 22 all before then closing it out at 25-23. The set featured aces by Caroline and Tem Taepaisitphonse '23 as well as blocks by Devon and Parker.
Dissatisfied by the results up to this point, the Zebras back in the third set. With rallies growing longer, the Zebras were able to maintain a consistent, yet tight lead. Having found their pace and established a good dynamic in court, the Zebras built up a 21-15, forcing a Dragons timeout. Middlesex maintained their momentum and closed out the set 25-16.
The fourth set took the match to a new level of intensity. Featuring long rallies and many scramble plays with great defensive efforts by the hometeam buoyed by an energy crowd, the set pushed both teams to their limit. The set featured aces by Tem, Caroline, Charlotte, Romy, and Julie, as well as blocks by Devon, Parker, Annabelle Lerner '23 and Caroline. A tight score to start kept both teams working hard. The Zebras were able to maintain a tight score up until a 12-12 tie, after which the Dragons scored seven points in a row to open up a large lead. Despite the Zebra's best effort, the Dragons closed the set at 25-16, winning the match 3-1.
Despite the loss at St. George's, Middlesex (12-3; 8-3 ISL) are headed to the NEPSAC Class B playoffs. The team has earned the #5 seed and will travel to play #4 Newton Country Day School in the quarterfinals on Wednesday, November 16 at 3:30pm for a rematch of the first match of the season.
