After claiming a win off a scrimmage against Central Catholic last Wednesday, the Andover Boys Volleyball team faced Choate Rosemary Hall for the second time this season on Saturday. With two victories behind the team, Andover was looking for another to continue its winning streak. Since the last game against Choate the team made some major improvements and looked to display its skill. Andover suffered a disappointing 1-3 loss to Choate earlier in the season, which led the team to seek revenge this time around. In the first match, Choate’s offense served up many demanding balls, but Andover fought to return the challenging serves and recovered most of the carefully placed balls. Unfortunately, the team’s efforts weren’t enough. Andover fell to Choate in the first match 25-15. The team came back for its second match ready to overcome Choate. As both teams fought hard to gain a significant lead over the other, neither team could successfully dominate the game. This type of play resulted in an unusually high score of 31-28. Even with aggressive play Andover couldn’t defeat the skilled Choate team and fell in the second match. Andover came out strong again in the third match. All players contributed to the offense, attacking each ball aggressively. Paul Bloemsma ’10 exhibited excellent offensive play as he put precise hits down on Choate’s side of the court. He received strong assists from Co-Captain Sam Burwell ’09 in the setter position. This team chemistry and burst of energy was exactly what the Boys Volleyball team needed to snatch the third game from Choate with a score of 28-26. After dominating the third game, Andover was prepared to claim a victory in the fourth match. Choate, however, took on Andover’s defense with tricky hits. Coach Clyfe Beckwith said, “Choate’s deceptive attacks often surprised Andover’s defense, catching them out of play.” Even with Andover’s powerful defense, led by Co-Captain Menelik Washington ’09, the team could not keep up with Choate’s attack. Andover fell to Choate in the last game with a score of 25-18. In the end Choate took the victory with a final score of 3-1. Andover’s record is 4-7 going into the Final Four tournament that will be hosted at Choate this coming Saturday.
