5/9 – Andover: 3, Exeter: 1
Boys Volleyball (10–0) defeated Phillips Exeter Academy (Exeter) on Saturday to earn first place in the NEPSBVA, marking the conclusion of its season and the final game of the team’s ten departing Seniors.
Going into Saturday, the team focused on specific techniques and drills in practices, which Kwadjo Adjepong ’27 elaborated on.
“It was a lot of intense practice that led up to our championship match against Exeter. We were more intentional with our drills. We focused on improving the areas we lacked in and strengthening the parts where we could beat Exeter at,” said Adjepong.
According to Justin Puno ’26, the team found itself struggling to communicate effectively at the start of the match due to intense pressure and high expectations. However, Puno recounted, the team effectively used the opportunity to discuss in the middle of the game.
“We lost the first set and won the last three, and there was just some miscommunication. We got into a little bit of a rut in the middle of the set during one rotation we couldn’t get out of, and so we called time-out, and talked to the team about where we were going, and it became a bit more level headed,” said Puno. “[We] liked the momentum of what we changed, [and] it carried into the rest of the game.”
Adjepong described a specific play that empowered the team’s mindset.
“There was one play where Kai Szanton [’26] was being set the ball, and it looked like he was gonna hit across the court, but he waited for the ball for just a split second, and rotated his body in a way that he was able to hit the ball straight down the line, right past the Exeter blockers, and it was the most beautiful hit I had ever seen all season,” said Adjepong.
According to Ren Oh ’28, although the team did not enter the NEPSBVA tournament with a specific game plan, players had various goals that they wanted to achieve.
“One of the things that we kept in mind was that we need to be smarter on our tips, like diversified offense more and kind of straying away from a tactical aspect. We knew that Exeter was really gonna go all out in this game, as it’s a championship and we have beaten them throughout the season, twice. We knew that we were gonna be in for a match, so we had to make sure we were mentally in the right headspace,” said Oh.
Having ten Seniors on the team, Boys Volleyball will have an almost completely new roster next season. Puno expressed optimism for the team’s future success.
“There are 15 kids that I’ve seen this year, and ten of them are Seniors, so it will definitely be a big challenge for all the underclassmen to assume the roles of not only leadership, but stepping up in their play for next season. And making sure to foster a strong sense of community and teamwork with so many people leaving, but I’m confident that whoever we choose for captains for next year will do a good job in not only encouraging others to play, but also motivating them and helping them improve and drowning our team for possible future success,” said Puno.
