Selene Xu ’27 (left) and Nneka Ezeike ’26 (right) celebrate with the team
after winning a point.
Girls Volleyball (5-11) closed out its season on Saturday with a hard-fought 3-1 loss to Phillips Exeter Academy (Exeter) in the annual Andover/Exeter (A/E) rivalry match. Having defeated Exeter at home earlier in the season, the team tried to carry that momentum over, but ultimately could not prevail. Despite the defeat, the team showcased resilience, defensive strength, and growth that has defined its second half of the season.
Reflecting on the game, Kaliah Fortune ’26 emphasized the team’s defensive effort and composure in a high-pressure environment. Ashley Schuman ’27, specifically, had a moment turning a broken play into a highlight-reel level moment, which Fortune commended.
“It’s a lot harder to perform when there are obviously huge crowds that are cheering against you, but we performed well. Our defense, particularly, was the best I’ve ever seen. Our liberos were doing crazy well, and our defense and blocks were crazy. There was one very broken play where somebody shanked the ball, and then somebody else went sprinting after it to the baseline and got it up, but it was straight up. Then our libero, Ashley, chased it and literally, with one hand from the baseline, swung at the ball, [bumping] it up, and it went from the baseline over the net. It was a crazy, insane save,” said Fortune.
Jacqueline Li ’27 echoed Fortune’s admiration for the team’s effort and energy throughout the match. She also noted that the match atmosphere fueled the team’s intensity.
“At the beginning, there was a huge Exeter crowd, while we didn’t have that many people. But later, as people trickled in, everyone was standing. Everyone was cheering. I really liked the atmosphere. At times it was distracting, but most of the time it really brought our team spirits up. And even though we lost, it was a really well-played game. We fought really hard [for] every point. We tried our best. We covered for each other. We were always so supportive of each other, and the energy was just great,” said Li.
The team had struggled to find its rhythm at the start of the season. For Sophia Fang ’28, the match reflected how far the team had come since then.
“Our team performed at a higher level than usual because we knew the competition we were facing was going to be more challenging. Exeter’s also our rival school, so we placed a lot of importance on that game. Our team [was] really focused, and everyone performed their role to the best of their abilities, [which] really helped the team work cohesively and helped us put up a good fight against Exeter,” said Fang.
The team developed a stronger team mentality and improved execution in high-pressure moments. According to Fang, the game against Exeter served as the ultimate showcasing of the its improved teamwork and chemistry.
“At the beginning of the season, all of us placed a lot of emphasis on our individual mistakes. But this game, we all moved on pretty quickly if we did make a mistake, and we were just there for each other. Thinking about the team overall, that kind of mentality really improved. Also, skill-wise, we’ve gotten a lot better at serving consistently. We’ve practiced a lot of pressure serving in practice,” said Fang.
Fortune reflected on the team’s growth and the emotional end to a season that saw major development both on and off the court.
“It was so emotional at the end of the season because first of all, our team is mostly Seniors. [We will be] losing six Senior players, four Senior managers, and our assistant coach,” said Fortune. “If you look back to the beginning of the season, we did not have that great of a record… But we turned it around. Since then, we’ve definitely played at a higher caliber. Now, we’re running all these different plays, and our offense is doing crazy well. We’ve definitely grown insanely as a team.”
