Andover Girls Volleyball won its scrimmage against Brooks on Thursday, sweeping all three sets. The team went on to open its official season with a 3-0 shutout against Dana Hall on Saturday.
With seven new players this season, the team worked on figuring out its chemistry. Alex Dalrymple-Roth ’25, one of the new players, highlighted the team turnover this season and the importance of the scrimmage against Brooks.
“As [Head] Coach Clyfe [Beckwith] had told us, a few days ago, this is the biggest turnover in the team that he’s had in many years… This first game was a good chance for us to figure out what our chemistry [looks like],” said Dalrymple.
Co-Captain Drew Nelson ’24 shared how the team had great energy and excitement for its first game. Nelson also expressed a similar sentiment to Dalrymple, explaining how the players were getting used to the team dynamic.
“This season there are so many new players, so [we’re] just learning how to adapt to each other’s playing styles…and [build] chemistry,” said Nelson.
The scrimmage against Brooks was a chance for the team to get a sense of real in-game situations. Nelson highlighted how it helped the team observe its dynamics on the court prior to the official first game.
Nelson said, “Playing out a real live game even as a scrimmage prepared us for Dana Hall and taught us how to be competitive on the court and work together as a cohesive unit.”
In Saturday’s game against Dana Hall, Saraya Angbazo ’25 credited Lena Ciganer-Albeniz ’25 for her strategic hitting plan, specifically emphasizing Ciganer-Albeniz’s performance and high energy throughout the game.
“She was able to skillfully place her hits and hit off the other team’s big block, causing the ball to go out and winning us the point. She put the ball in smart, empty spots on the other side of the court. Ultimately, she just brought another level of energy and passion for the game to our team that day,” said Angbazo.
Though the team had a strong start to its season, Angbazo shared that players will need to continue to adjust to each other’s playing styles. Angbazo emphasized the importance of communication and expressed that team chemistry and cohesiveness will come with time.
Angbazo said, “We just need to work on our flow on the court with the six of us that are playing at the same time. Our communication, while it has had steady improvement over the past couple of days, definitely needs to be elevated more to help us truly work together and know what’s happening on the court at all times. And that’ll just come with time as we get to know each other and find our place on the team.”
After a full week of practice, Nelson looks forward to playing as a unit again against two strong teams.
Nelson said, “I’m excited to get out there again, and after having this full week of practice I’m excited to go up against Taft and Hotchkiss, who are normally good competitors, and just to play together again.”
Andover Girls Volleyball will face Hotchkiss and Taft on Saturday.
