Kailynn Zheng PG’27 leaps up to spike the ball onto Thayer’s side of the court.
Co-Captain Selene Xu ’27 sets up the ball.
9/11 – Andover: 2, Dana Hall: 3
9/16 – Andover: 3, Thayer: 0
Last Friday, Girls Volleyball (1–1) lost the season opener in a tight five-set match against Dana Hall. The team won the fourth set to push the game to a fifth-set tiebreak to 15. The team then lost the fifth set 13–15. On Wednesday, Andover confidently swept Thayer 3–0 in a redeeming match.
Against Dana Hill on Friday, Andover took an early lead, but Dana Hill quickly stormed back. The set ended 23–25. Kailynn Zheng PG’27 commented on the frustrating first set, and the mentality shift that resulted in the confident second set win.
“We led them early in the first set, and even though we lost, going into the second set, I knew we were capable of beating them. So going into the second set, the goal was just to play a lot cleaner. In the first set, I think we just got too comfortable, so when they started climbing back, we got really flustered and didn’t know what to do with ourselves. Going into the second set, the mindset and focus on staying calm and playing confidently, just helped us have a strong second set,” said Zheng.
As the game progressed and afterschool commitments ended, Blue Key Heads and fans showed out and lined the court. The home support was crucial, especially in such a close game where one point could shift the momentum of the game, according to Zheng. She elaborated on the close game, and how the energy in the gym helped.
“I saw the other outside [hitter] go up, and because every point is important to a tight game, I knew I needed to block her, or she’s going to get a kill on us. I ended up blocking her and the crowd went wild. I saw the Blue Key Heads, the football team, and a lot of people standing up on the sidelines getting super hype. Everyone just goes crazy, and I remember someone screaming my name. And just from that moment it was so hype, and the energy in the gym was insane,” said Zheng.
Throughout the entire game, Andover and Dana Hall traded blows, with every set being tightly-contested: 23–25, 25–22, 21–25, 25–22. The game would ultimately be decided in a tiebreak. In this final set, Dana Hall opened strong and took a commanding lead; despite this, with the support of the fans, the team regained momentum to set up a 13–14 match point. Andover would end up losing this crucial point. Despite the loss, Co-Captain Ashley Schuman ’27 reiterated thanks to the fans, sharing a positive email from a parent of the opposing team.
“We even had a Dana Hall parent email the athletic office to compliment our student section for being both energetic and respectful at the same time, so definitely shout out to them for coming. That brought the energy to the court and it was a really fun game,” said Schuman.
The following Wednesday, Andover had its first away game at Thayer. The team swept Thayer, winning 3–0. Eden Dunleavy ’29 shared a highlight of the game, where Zaeemah Keshinro ’29, hit a strong downball that resulted in a point for the team.
“Zaeemah had some really great blocks and had a really powerful downball. The ball slammed down then bounced up. It was just a really cool moment because we’ve both been working together on trying to improve our hits. She got to a spot where we’re all kind of hoping to get [to] at some point and it was really cool to see a teammate do that,” said Dunleavy.
Similarly, Zheng highlighted Co-Captain Selene Xu ’27 for her defense, remembering a massive dig from Xu.
“Selene also had a really big dig today. For me personally, I was blocking the hit. I thought it was a really hard ball, and I didn’t think anyone was digging it. I totally thought it was going down, but she got it up, and everyone just started screaming. It was really good because we were able to convert it into a point,” said Zheng.
Girls Volleyball will play Taft and Hotchkiss in a doubleheader on Saturday.
