After a Deerfield player spiked the ball down the line, Captain Serena Liu ’19 dove to the ground and saved the ball, contributing to the team’s 3-1 win against Deerfield on Sunday. On Wednesday, Andover lost 0-3 against an undefeated and top-ranked St. Paul’s team. The team’s record now stands at 8-3-1.
The team found the second set to be the most difficult in the game against Deerfield due to lack of communication, according to Violet Enes ’21.
Enes said, “Communication was a big problem we had against Deerfield. We didn’t communicate enough, and that was why our reaction time was a little slower. We didn’t say ‘mine,’ or we didn’t convince our teammates that we were gonna get the ball.”
However, according to Liu, the team was able to rebound from the second set by working to keep the ball in the air and using more aggressive and more varied plays.
“I think we did well in pushing back after the second set and going to more straight wins to win in the fourth, being able to keep the ball in play instead of letting it drop. Even though they weren’t the best plays, we were able to maintain momentum through all four sets.” said Liu.
She continued, “Some of the hits up in the front just really got the game moving especially [with] a lot of variation. That’s another thing we have been working on, trying to change tempo from fast to short.”
According to Enes, Chioma Ugwonali ’20 was a vital asset in keeping the team in the game during challenging moments.
She said, “Chioma made some really great hits when we were down. Especially in the last set, she brought us back up with some really strong hits on the ten-foot line.”
The team played St. Paul’s during Family Weekend, and was hoping to bring improved skill to the game, according to Liu.
According to Mudmee Sereeyothin ’20, the team was prepared for some difficult plays against St. Paul’s.
Sereeyothin said, “Their setter makes a couple of really tricky plays. One time during our first game with them, she was in the front row and typically we expect the setter to set it deep or bump it over, but she straight up hit it. And I don’t think anyone was expecting that. So we should be careful on what they do.”
The team will face Milton on Saturday at home.
