Mudmee Seeryothin ’20 is one of ten returning players on the Girls Volleyball team.
Prior to the team’s game this past Wednesday, the team competed in two scrimmages. Andover first battled it out against Andover High School, ultimately falling 2-3, but later triumphed over Dana Hall with a score of 3-2.
According to Co-Captain Brooke Fleming ’20, “In our first scrimmage against Andover High, we hadn’t made final cuts yet, so the main purpose was to see how everyone competes. When we played Dana Hall, the final team was set, which was a good opportunity for us to begin working together and prepare for the rest of the season.”
The team was able to snag a dominant win over BB&N by keeping its energy high, despite the slow tempo put forth by its opponents, according to Co-Captain Chioma Ugwonali ’20.
“Our team played really well, especially for a slow game. The other team kept a slow tempo in reference to passes, hits, and general movement. It was difficult to keep the energy up on our side, but I am glad we managed it every set,” said Ugwonali.
This season, Andover hosts a large number of returners, adding just four new players to the Varsity roster. The team has already begun to work towards incorporating these players into its singular cohesive unit, according to Ridley Warner ’22.
Warner said, “As a team, we have been training really hard to work together and to learn each other’s strengths and weaknesses, so we can see where we can fill those spots and really work as a team.”
Looking forward, Andover will focus on varying the speed of its offense and defense, as well as continuing to grow together as a team, according to Ugwonali and Fleming.
Ugwonali said, “Each player can influence the team energy; not solely because they are on the team, but also because we are observant and considerate of one another. When one player is having an off day, we all feel it and will try to keep the energy up by cheering for and reassuring that player. I am really hopeful about this season and am proud of my teammates.”
Fleming added, “Going forward we want to speed up our offense and keep playing our own game. We also aim to improve upon our slow and fast tempo plays. Finally, we want to continue hyping each other up and really working as a team to have a successful season.”
Andover will face Taft away on Saturday.
