Last weekend at Choate, four of Andover’s standout volleyball players were rewarded for their hard work and success this season with all-star recognition. It was a tough decision for the Andover coaches to select four players to make the trip to the all-star game, as many members of the team deserved the honor. However, after some deliberation, Dawson Joyce-Mendive ’07, Sarah Beattie ’08, Isabelle Engelsted ’09 and Cassidy Carpenter ’08 were chosen as the Andover representatives. On Sunday, in the all-star game, all four Andover players had great performances and were selected to the Boston Globe All-Star team. This was particularly impressive, as only 12 of the 36 players present were selected to the Globe team. Joyce-Mendive’s impressive season continued as she was selected by the coaches as the MVP of the league. All season, Joyce-Mendive has been one of the main contributors to Andover’s success, and it was no surprise to those involved on the team that she was selected as the MVP. On Wednesday, the Andover girls had another strong showing against non-league opponent Worcester, winning the match 3-0. The team looked very sharp from the start, and Worcester was unable to handle the strong serving of Andover. Great teamwork was displayed on the court, and the entire team contributed to the shutout victory. Over the course of the match, nearly every player on Andover’s 12-woman roster saw time on the court. The scores of the games were 30-18, 30-10 and 30-18, respectively. With the win, Andover improves to 13-0 overall on the season and 11-0 in the league. Even though Wednesday’s win was truly a team effort, there were some great individual performances that propelled the team to victory. Engelsted provided consistent serving with an impressive 18 for 20 from behind the line. Also serving a strong game was Melissa Yan ’10, who went 14 for 15 with 6 aces. Once again, Captain Carpenter demonstrated her great playmaking abilities by contributing with 34 assists. Finally, Joyce-Mendive proved her MVP status with 10 kills throughout the match. This Saturday, Andover looks to finish the season with an undefeated record against rival Exeter. The Big Red will come to the Borden Gym with a 10-2 record, and will be looking to avenge their 0-3 loss to Andover earlier this season. With 3-0 wins against Deerfield and St. Paul’s after the loss, it is clear that Exeter was motivated by the defeat. Exeter has a strong defense, and it has the ability to keep tough balls in play and extend rallies. Andover is expecting the Big Red to put forth a very tough match, as is always the case on Andover-Exeter day. After a very productive scrimmage against Andover High and two more solid wins, the Big Blue feel well prepared for both Saturday’s game and the postseason. Andover hopes its all-around great play and leadership will top off an undefeated season with a win against Exeter.
