Leading the way in kills last Saturday, Zoe Roschach ’12 slammed nine balls in big game against NMH. “We played fantastically. Our defense picked everything up and solid hitting assured us the win,” said Roschach. Despite yet another rearrangement of their lineup, Andover glided to a 3-0 win over NMH, their sixth consecutive victory this season, upping their record to 7-1. In the opening set, Andover played a scrappy and messy game. Rather than playing their normal positions as hitters, co-captains Kemi Amurawaiye ’11 and Jamie Shenk ’12 stepped on the floor as setters. Both stepped up when their team needed them, performing excellently in the place of usual setter Chelsea Ward ’12. “It was really difficult attempting to set, since crucial players were missing, but I’m proud very of how the team pulled together,” Amurawaiye said. Even with Andover’s initial tentativeness, Amurawaiye pulled the team to a 10-6 lead on her four service points. Roschach served bullets, gaining a 15-8 advantage. Though NMH valiantly fought back, Andover closed out the game 25-18. Trying to stabilize Andover’s rhythm, Alice Tao ’11 stepped up to set in game two. Tao boosted Andover’s line of attack, earning 10 assists for herself. Unfortunately, Andover’s errors allowed NMH to stay in the game. Coming from behind at 19-24, NMH fought to tie the score up at 24-24. Possession swayed back and forth between the two teams for several heart-pounding plays. Finally, on two serves from ever-consistent player Shenk, Andover emerged victorious with a score of 28-26. In the third and final set, Andover commanded the court. The team quickly grabbed the lead. Although NMH rebounded from a deficit of seven points, Andover worked through the minor slump. Tao earned another 11 assists in game three, fueling the team’s offense. With a final score of 25-17, Andover closed out the match on a win. Big hitters, Shenk and Amurawaiye slammed eleven kills between the two of them. As a setter, Shenk also set six balls that lead to kills. On defense, Alexi Bell ’13 earned three stuff blocks and Sarah Onorato ’11 made 31 digs. Despite the match being littered with an abnormally high number of serving errors on Andover’s part, Shenk lead the way in serving with five phenomenal aces and 21 service points in all. Roschach claimed three aces and successfully served nine more balls. Having already faced some of the toughest teams in the league, the team hopes to finish the season strong and rank among the top teams in New England. On Parents’ Weekend, Andover will host Deerfield at home, and in next Wednesday’s away game, the team will play against St. Paul’s for the second time this season.
