Jessica Ma ’23 sets up for a hit in the team’s game against Nobles on Wednesday.
Andover Girls Volleyball faced a difficult loss during its close game against Loomis after multiple shifts in momentum throughout the game, leaving the game with a final score of 2-3. However, the team went on to secure a 3-1 win against Nobles with an energetic start in the first set.
Andover’s loss against Nobles came in spite of a bright start. Andover’s movement was highlighted at the beginning of the game, according to Saraya Angbazo ’25.
Angbazo said, “We definitely had strong players and strong hitters and the energy we brought in the first set vs Loomis was over the top and that’s what powered us through… It was fire. We were getting a lot of ups and moving our feet to the ball.”
Co-Captains Dagny Bingham ’23 and Jessica Ma ’23 exemplified the front row players’ persistent efforts to create scoring opportunities. Despite the team’s attempts, Andover’s mistakes cost it the game, according to Jaedyn Ford ’24.
“[Loomis] basically thrived off of our small mistakes, but on our side we were trying to swing hard on every ball… Jessica had some really strong hits and as well as Dagny, one of our captains. She really took charge and went really hard against the other team. Also our middles who were coming back from [Covid-19] also played really [well],” said Ford.
Angbazo shared Ford’s sentiment, crediting Bingham and Ma for their relentless drive. Even when the momentum was against Andover, Bingham and Ma drove the team with strong plays..
“Dagny, our captain—wow, she was so amazing. Also, in one rally of one of the sets Jess had three amazing hits in a row. Unfortunately we didn’t win that point but over and over again Jess just kept on swinging,” said Angbazo.
Despite Andover’s win against Nobles, the team performed noticeably worse against a weaker opponent, according to Mary Lord ’24. She noted that playing against a strong opponent in Loomis gave the team a special zeal that made the performance one of its best this season.
“This game was worse than Loomis [because] the team we were playing was less competitive. I would say that Loomis is one of our best games we have had so far. Today we had players injured and sitting out and the energy was low just because we struggled to bounce energy off of a team who doesn’t have good energy,” said Lord.
According to Angbazo, a key goal for Andover moving forward is to maintain energy levels throughout the game regardless of the strength of its opponent.
“I think we need to improve on not letting our energy or spirit go down, and if the other team is playing at a slower pace or a slower energy level, instead of matching them we should multiply their energy by two,” said Angbazo.
Ford also noted that keeping that positivity in a game is an essential part of winning. Encouraging each other from the sidelines and keeping that regard for winning in mind.
Ford said, “I think it’s the same thing as when we played BB&N. We lost again in the fifth set because we had let the energy get taken away from us so we couldn’t finish strong. We need to make sure that we have the energy and motivation to win.”
Andover Girls Volleyball will face Tabor Academy on Saturday.
Editor’s Note: Mary Lord ’24 is an Eighth Page Editor for The Phillipian.
