Saturday 4/25 – Andover: 3, NMH: 0
Wednesday 4/29 – Andover: 3, Exeter: 1
Boys Volleyball (6–0) swept Northfield Mount Hermon (NMH) on Saturday and bested Phillips Exeter Academy (Exeter) on Wednesday in a competitive rivalry matchup.
Against NMH, Boys Volleyball took control early with aggressive serving and steady execution, staying ahead throughout the match with strong transitions and consistent play. Will Oh ’26 described the team’s mindset.
“It was more about keeping the energy high, and after a couple good swings and good serving in the first set, I think the momentum was really on our side… We had already beaten [NMH] 3–0 [last season]. It really felt like we were just going to have fun. The competitive aspect of it was almost a side benefit in that sense, because we had so much confidence in ourselves,” said Oh ’26.
In its matchup against Exeter, Boys Volleyball faced longer rallies and closer set scores. Justin Puno ’26 discussed the match’s atmosphere.
“It was always going to be a more hostile environment, and everyone had extra incentive to buy in and win. We played Exeter earlier this season already, at Exeter, and we swept them in three. So, to some degree, we were feeling pretty confident coming into the game,” said Puno.
Co-Captain Ajay Mistry ’26 noted how the energy shifted as more supporters arrived, and highlighted the team’s mindset after dropping the first set.
“Historically, we’ve played [Exeter] in the championship many times, and every year beating Exeter in the championship game is the ultimate goal. I’d definitely say the energy shifted once the JV [Boys Volleyball] game ended, and a lot of those guys came over to watch us play and cheer us on. They did a great job supporting us and helping us get momentum to come back after starting down,” said Mistry.
Mistry continued, “We always try to have a goldfish mentality, where if something bad happens, we try to forget it within ten seconds, like the memory of a goldfish. So when we went down and lost the first set, that was definitely the mentality we all had. We just forget about it and focus on what’s in front of us and what we can control.”
Ren Oh ’28 described the last set as particularly strong, marked by a decisive run that helped close out the match. Oh ’28 also highlighted Michael Huang ’26’s passing and shot placement.
“I think the overall goal of volleyball is about getting the ball over to the other team’s net, right, and [Michael] was playing really smart. He had awesome passing, and we know from a lot of experience that a good first pass is really what starts the offense, allowing the setter to have a lot of options. His passing was really great and he had some really, really nice shots down the line, which is something we don’t do often. That was really impressive and I think that’s kind of what sealed away the game, those last two sets,” said Oh ’28.
Boys Volleyball will face Choate on Saturday.
