**Andover (L): 3-0**
Disregarding the intimidating score line of 12-24 in the first set, Co-Captain Ji Tae Park ’14 mustered up what motivation he had left and vaulted his body at the ground for a diving save. His efforts put the ball back in play, but unsuccessful communication could not save the point as Andover Boys Volleyball lost 3-0 to Central Catholic in a preseason scrimmage on Wednesday.
During the first of the three sets, careless mistakes from Andover, including brushing the net and setting the ball long, gave Central Catholic a quick lead of 15-5, which it developed into a 12-25 win for Andover’s opponent.
New additions to the team stepped up in the second and third sets, however, as Andover surged forward to close the gap.
Newcomers Brendan Deorocki ’15 and Austin Tuan ’17 were brought on the court during the second set, working well with libero Thayer Anderson ’15 who came in for Park.
The team saw an improved level of play as Andover’s new players quickly began to adapt to their first interscholastic match. Spikes from Tuan, who stands at 5’7”, and David Yoon ’14 paired with blocks and tips from Deorocki and Achindra Krishna ’15 posed a challenge to Central Catholic. Andover fell just short of securing the close set, losing only 22-25.
Andover had another slow start in the third set, down 4-11. Then, with Park back on the court, Andover rallied back from 12-18 to 16-18. Finally, Yoon finished off an intense, drawn-out rally that tied the scoring at 20-20.
Andover struggled to seal the win, however, and fell 22-25 again in the third set.
Inconsistent serving proved to be the major struggle for Andover throughout the game; the team did not record a single ace during the game and struck the net on multiple occasions. Identified by Head Coach Clyfe Beckwith as the tone-setter for the game, Andover will work on securing its serving game heading into the regular season.
Andover looks to see improvement in its next game, a double-header against Choate and Northfield Mount Hermon on April 19.
“It’s good to know that we have some time to not only improve our services, but also to help our team’s chemistry and consistency,” said Beckwith.
