Andover traveled to play NMH on Saturday and came home with a 3-1 victory. The set scores were 30-24, 30-15, 18-30 and 30-28. On Wednesday the girls went to Cushing and defeated Purple again in four sets, with scores of 29-31, 30-12, 30-13 and 30-22.
Megan Winn ’05 took control of the situation partway through first game with a string of 10 scorching serves, including 3 aces. Winn’s streak may have very well won the girls the first set, considering their continued trouble getting off the starting blocks in the past.
Andover maintained the offensive intensity Winn initiated and took a strong 2-0 lead. After losing the third game Andover easily took the match in the fourth game.
Remarkable statistics for the match include Winn’s seven aces, six kills, 20 assists, and two stuff blocks. Captain Lauren Cantwell ’05 finished the match with ten kills, while Captain Cassie Tognoni ’05 recorded seven, Jackie Price ’06 added six, and Gretchen Berns ’05 finished with five kills.
Andover rolled to a 3-1 victory against Cushing, losing the first game before taking the next three games for the win. They pulled together quickly though and took the second and third games easily. Once they were firmly settled into play, Coach Beckwith began playing the non-starters until all players had been in the game. The entire fourth game was played by non- seniors.
Price’s seventeen kills headline the match’s outstanding numbers. Throughout the match she hit 28 balls out of 35 that came her way. Cantwell had twelve assists, as did freshman newcomer Cassidy Carpenter ’08, and Winn had eleven assists of her own. Cantwell also hit eight aces and made 24 serves out of 26 hit. Atima Lui ’08, proved it was a good day for freshmen by hitting six aces and making 23 out of 25 serves.
Tognoni said of Price’s performance, “We have started to mesh really well and our newcomers are really adding strength to the team. Jackie keeps getting better every game, as it seems like her hits get harder every time we step out on that court. I’m really looking forward to the rest of the season. It’s only getting better from here.”
Andover has now improved its record to 8-2 in league, and is 9-3 overall.
