9/28 – Andover: 3, Tabor: 1
10/2 – Andover: 1, BB&N: 3
This past Saturday, Girls Volleyball (4-3) battled Tabor Academy (Tabor), winning in a 3-1 showdown. This Wednesday, the team lost to BB&N, but showcased improvements in some crucial volleyball techniques.
In its win against Tabor, Nneka Ezeike ’26 highlighted the energy and excitement on the court. Going into the match, the team initially underestimated Tabor, but were able to recover through enthusiasm from the crowd, coaches and teammates.
“It was just a really fun game for us. It was really exciting to get on the court, and honestly, Tabor is a team that at first we kind of underestimated. But, through great coaching and helping each other out with great energy, we got back into it throughout the game and we fed off of each other’s energy and the energy of the crowd,” said Ezeike.
Ezeike also noted the team’s great movement around the court against Tabor. Doing so allowed it to throw its opponents off guard and score more points.
“I know a lot of what we wanted to do is move our feet to the ball more and take that first step to where the ball is going, as well as making sure to distribute the sets and be smart about it. And I really think our setters and passers did a great job of that. Therefore, our hitters were able to get some great hits against Tabor and really throw them off their defense,” said Ezeike.
In its loss to BB&N, Gracie Aziabor ’26 mentioned the high energy, both from players who were on the court and those sitting on the bench. She noted an improvement in the team’s mindfulness of its attitude which has led to better performance.
“Specifically a strength [that we] had was just energy. It’s definitely something that we’ve been working on a lot: keeping the energy up and not letting a couple of lost points diminish from our gameplay and not discourage us. But today the team did a really great job of being mindful of their energy on the court and on the bench and just channeling really good energy into helping us play better and not getting caught up in previous points whether we won or lost,” said Aziabor.
Kate Rodger’s ’26 praised the team’s libero, Ashley Schuman ’27, who against BB&N, adapted well to her opponents and played her position particularly well.
“Ashley [Schuman ’27] stood out a lot. She’s our libero and honestly, this entire season and specifically this game as well, she’s just been so solid in the back row and she really adapted to the other team and adjusted to all their hitters and was able to pick up every ball. And it’s been really awesome to have her in the back row and she’s been really both a calming presence and also a leading force on the court. It’s just been really fun to play with her,” said Rogers.
In retrospect of the team’s performance against BB&N, Ezeike noted that the team should better take control of the game and maintain that sense of composure, as they did in the second set. According to her, doing so would allow the team to have better chances against higher-ranked teams.
“It was a great example of the fact that we have control over the game. We beat them during the second set, and I think the second set? Yes. We beat them during the second set and that game was ours, but then as we continued, we let them take control of the game and it was a good example of the fact that if we take control of the game, we can easily win against strong teams,” said Ezeike.
This Saturday, Girls Volleyball will face off against Choate.
Editor’s note: Kate Rodgers is a sports associate and Gracie Aziabor is a layout associate for The Phillipian.