After hearing the final whistle of the game on Wednesday, Girls Volleyball (3-8) defeated Phillips Exeter Academy (Exeter) for the first time in a decade and started their first win streak of the season. This past week, the team played one home and one away match, defeating St. Paul’s 3-1 away and Exeter 3-1 on home ground. Despite a rocky start to their season, the team looks to have found a groove, winning back-to-back games.
Emma Webber ’28 described how the team performed between both games. She emphasized the qualities that led the team to victory and how their mentality has evolved since the start of the season.
“Our overall performance in the last two games has been really great. We’ve been playing confidently and with aggression. There’s definitely been noticeable improvement since the beginning of our season,” said Webber. “[We] have been connecting more as a team [to] execute skills really well.”
Energy can elevate both a team’s confidence and play. According to Hailey Piasecki ’26, despite coming into Wednesday with less energy due to school being busy, the game against Exeter boosted the team’s energy immeasurably.
“The energy was insane by the end of [the game]. The student section was really great. Everyone was cheering so loud. It was just such a fun game overall,” said Piasecki.
Zoë Gilbertson ’27 shouted out players Rihana Gomez ’26, Gracie Aziabor ’26, and Jacqueline Li ’27, who made key defensive contributions to the win.
“We had a ton of blocks… Early in the second set, when it was only three or four points in, [Gomez] got a huge block against [Exeter’s] outside. It really set the tone for the rest of the game,” said Gilbertson.
The team’s win against St. Paul’s last week helped the team improve their mindsets against Exeter. Webber explained how the team was able to play at their best and maintain focus even when things did not go their way.
“Although we won both games, today we definitely played with a lot more confidence and positivity. We really wanted to win and that determination to win helped us to push forward,” said Webber. “[Against St. Paul’s], whenever we would get down a point, we would struggle to bounce back from it. But against Exeter, we were able to bounce back easily and didn’t let ourselves get stuck in a rut,” said Webber.
Even as mistakes inevitably happened, not only did the team bounce back quickly, but the bench also made sure positivity remained intact. Gilbertson applauded the infectious energy from her teammates.
“The whole bench kept up really impressive energy the entire time. Everyone was cheering. There was never a moment of silence. That energy really carried through the court,” said Gilbertson.
Despite starting the season with five losses, Gilbertson believes that these two wins will be something they will look back on at the end of a successful season.
“Beating Exeter was a huge win for us. To carry that momentum we just need to play the way we played today, with that kind of tenacity and a goldfish mindset throughout the rest of our games, especially when we play them again during Andover/Exeter weekend,” said Gilbertson.
Girls Volleyball will compete against Northfield Mount Hermon on Saturday at home.
Editor’s Note: Gracie Aziabor is a Layout Editor and Zoë Gilbertson is an Associate Layout Editor for The Phillipian.
