The Varsity Volleyball team played their first official match of the season away against Newton Country Day School on Wednesday, September 21, and came away with a 3-0 victory.

Middlesex set a high bar during the first set, with co-captain Romy Ahn '23, and Charlotte Heafey '25 making strong defensive plays. Defining offensive kills by Annabelle Lerner '23, Devon Coyle '24, and Julie Chen '23 made for a strong lead with a score gap as high as 12 points by the middle of the set. Caroline Cervini '23 contributed with a series of aces and strong sets. Although the Falcons worked their way back up the scoreboard, Middlesex maintained their focus and closed the set with a score of 25-18. 

The home team felt the pressure of losing the first set at home and came back more focused for the second set, maintaining a small lead for most of the set. Nonetheless, Middlesex remained resilient and never let the Falcons build a large lead. Annabelle, Devon, Julie, and co-captain Parker Boyden '23 maintained a consistency in offensive kills, while Parker and Devon also shut down the Falcons offense at the net with strong blocking. Through strong serving, including aces by Parker and Julie, the Zebras finally caught up and took the lead at the end of the set, ultimately winning 25-20.

The third and final set again featured fantastic defensive performances by Romy and Charlotte, who maintained the pressure on NCD's hitters. Strong blocking by Parker, Devon, and Charlotte further increased that pressure. Romy and Julie controlled the game from the service line. The team displayed clear chemistry and an incredible ability to work under pressure together, bringing the win home with a final set score of 25-20.

Charlotte earned the team helmet for the match for her consistent play both on offense (10 kills) and defense (1 block, 7 digs). This was an excellent win for the Zebras to open the season as it demonstrated the team's grit and potential, while also identifying areas of growth to work on in future practices. The team hosts their first home game of the season against Marianapolis on Saturday, September 24 at 2:30pm in the Atkins Cage..