11/4 – Andover: 13, Milton: 15
Andover Girls Volleyball (10-5) finished its weekend falling short to Milton by two points in the fifth set. Despite playing without its starting setter, the team fought and pushed through the first four sets.
According to Selene Xu ’27, Andover could have pushed through the last set, especially playing head-to-head with Milton. Xu talked about the challenges of filling in for Wendy Wang ’24 due to her injury.
Xu said, “We didn’t practice this a lot, so we did better than we expected… Even though Milton is a great team, we feel like we could have done better against them, especially considering how close the game was.”
Saraya Angbazo ’25 mentioned that the team worked hard to recover from having low morale and it strategized ways to deconstruct Milton’s plays. Angabazo also commented on adjusting to lineup changes on both ends.
“Overall, I think we played well and managed to bring ourselves back up from the low dips in intensity we had. We were able to adjust well to new players on the court and the different types of plays Milton would use,” said Angbazo.
The game would not have been such a close one if it wasn’t for some energetic outburst during the second set. Kate Rodgers ’26 discussed how the team redeemed its score.
Rodgers said, “I think that during the second set, we were slightly down, but we were able to pick up the energy from the bench and we were able to take that set. That led us to stay in it into the rest of the game, and it was able to boost our momentum going into the next sets,”
According to Xu, the team entered the fourth set with determination after being down a set. Andover’s shift in momentum allowed it to equalize the score.
“In competitive sports, it is just a really good rally or a really good line of serves that could change the momentum of the game around. We really had nothing to lose, so we went all out, and we were kind of angry at Milton because we knew we could do better, and we pushed through it,” said Xu.
Xu added that a string of great serves from the team’s libero, Sarah Beth Sirmon ’24, turned the game around in Andover’s favor.
Xu said, “In the fourth set, we were down 1-2, and we were down 14-17, but she served five points and was able to turn the set around and be able to eventually win the set. But I feel like everyone contributed so much to the team, but Sara Beth just stood out.”
Andover will play its last match of the season against Phillips Exeter Academy (Exeter) on Saturday. Rodgers noted her excitement, especially playing in front of both schools’ crowds.
“I am really excited. I remember last year we had home court advantage, but this year we are traveling there, and we are able to fight against them on their court, and we are super excited for the super competitive game that will happen during Andover/Exeter [A/E],” said Rodgers.
Xu reinstated the excitement of playing Exeter in its last game of the season and getting a chance for redemption. The game has been heavily anticipated because Andover lost to Exeter earlier in the year 1-3, with very close sets.
Xu said, “It is the biggest event of the term, if not the entire year. I really want revenge because they beat us earlier in the year. Last time they played well, and we didn’t play our best, but this time I think we could beat them and win.”
Andover Girls Volleyball will travel to Exeter on Saturday.
