Michael Huang ’26 saves the ball in 3-0 sweep against NMH.
Last Saturday, Boys Volleyball (5-0) took on Northfield Mount Hermon (NMH) for their fifth regular season match, seeking its fifth consecutive win to start the season. The team, led by co-captains Inti Stephenson ’25 and Arthur Wu ’25, dominated the match 3-0. The team has only dropped a single set the entire season, losing one set in its first match against St. John’s Prep.
Brandon Fu ’25, who sat out Saturday with an illness, praised the team for their consistency. Specifically, Fu commended the team’s consistency in serves, both on the striking and receiving end, to put pressure on its opponents.
“NMH was one of our stronger opponents this season, but our execution was great. In terms of defense, we got aced twice the entire game. We also received NMH’s serves really well, and we put pressure on them with our serves. We had a couple of players who could serve each time with aggression that couldn’t be matched with a receive on the other end. So we got the ball down,” said Fu.
Fu noted that Wu’s serves were especially impactful, scoring multiple straight aces to secure the second set. He added that the team’s offensive structure allowed it to continue its pressure after the serve.
Fu said, “Arthur Wu, a senior on our team and our captain, had somewhere between three to five aces in a row in the second set to close it out. That was a good momentum boost to take us through the rest of the game. We got a lot of pressure off of serving. We also got a lot of pressure from staying in our offensive system, even when we were out of the system elsewhere on the court. Those characteristics will continue to push us throughout the season and get us those wins that we need.”
Justin Puno ’26, a new Upper on the team, emphasized the need to work on communication, as that will be key in later matches.
“Communicating with the other blockers even before the point starts allows the whole team to be on the same page. It allows us to be more organized as a team,” said Puno.
Similarly, on the defensive end, Stephenson was an anchor in the back row. As the team’s starting libero, he led the defense with composure and helped facilitate attacks with well-controlled receives.
“He had a really strong game. He passed the ball well, was all over the court, and was very intentional with his movements. One crucial aspect of this team is a good defensive anchor to hold everything together. Inti was that defensive anchor for the first two sets before he was subbed off,” said Fu.
In the third set, most of the starters were taken off, and more playing time was given to the younger players on the team. Warren (Ren) Oh ’28 came on and had a spectacular performance.
“I’d like to shout out Ren Oh. He’s a Junior on the team. He got some playing time in the third set and made the most of it. He served several times and got a kill, which was cool to witness. The whole gym exploded. We were really hyped for him,” said Fu.
Following Saturday, Boys Volleyball does not have another game until over a week later against Exeter. William Oh ’26 noted that the team would continue to train its focus to get the more minor things right as they work towards a larger goal.
“It will be the most difficult match we have this season. It’s something that we shouldn’t shy away from, but something that we should look forward to. We’ve been practicing a lot regarding our chemistry, mainly because we have new players on the team. It’s been really fun seeing this progress. As we continue this week and next, we’re working on getting the little things right, which overall make a big difference,” said Oh ’26.
The team will play Phillips Exeter Academy at home on Wednesday.
