Outside hitter Zoe Roschach ’12 shone this weekend at NMH, racking up 16 kills in Andover’s two games against NMH and Taft. In their first match of the day against NMH, Andover coasted to a decisive win in the first set with a score of 25-8. In their brief time on the court, Roschach and Co-Captain Jamie Shenk ’12 combined for 11 kills. Coming off an injury, Chelsea Ward ’12 commanded the team’s offense, earning 13 assists and four kills. At the net, Co-Captain Kemi Amurawaiye ’11 quelled the NMH offense with two stuff blocks. Behind their blockers, Andover played a solid line of defense with five digs from Ward, six saves from Shenk and seven more from Amurawaiye. The team served tough with nine aces from Ward and eight more from both Amurawaiye and Shenk each. Andover switched up its lineup in the next set. Shenk said, “I was really proud of how we played on Saturday. Usually when we play teams that aren’t as challenging we let up our game and don’t play as hard as usual, but last weekend we kept our energy up. It was a good indicator for how determined we are this season to succeed.” In the second match, Taft proved to be a tougher challenge, putting up an imposing block with their strong front row. With 10 kills, Roschach terrorized Taft’s defenders with the help of Ward, who racked up 17 assists in the match. Amurawaiye set up a solid block once again, adding two more blocks. Shenk made nine saves and Sarah Onorato ’11 dug an incredible 10 balls. Onorato also made seven successful passes off of Taft’s serve, supplying the team with more choices on offense. In the end Andover won the match 2-0. Andover also had the opportunity to scrimmage Reading High School. The game was meant to allow many players to have more game experience and find some cohesiveness as a team. Despite the numerous setbacks the team has faced due to twists and sprains, other players have filled in the holes. The team found a rhythm quickly and played well together. Ward said, “The new players displayed their skills [Monday] in the scrimmage against Reading. They did an awesome job and really showed improvements in every position. They are definitely great additions to the team. I look forward to us having a strong rest of the season.” When the usual line-up stepped onto the floor, it was a battle to maintain focus. Andover fell behind and Reading kept on pushing to a seven-point lead. Finally, Andover pulled together to tie the game at 24-24. After two hard-fought points, Andover lost 24-26. Andover looks to step up their game against 2009 League Champions Choate on Saturday.
