As Sydney Baumgardt ’16 aced seven consecutive service points, Andover Girls Volleyball clinched the first set and went on to win 3-0 against Milton last Saturday. The day before, Andover marked a dominant 3-0 victory against Governor’s. With these two wins, Andover extended its undefeated streak to eight games and its record to 15-1.
Baumgardt’s impeccable serves in the first set combined with flawless setting by Darcy Burnham ’18 helped the team sweep the set with an easy 25-9 victory. The victory gave Andover enough momentum to claim the rest of the game.
Co-Captain Annette Bell ’16 said, “Darcy was a key player as she set the entirety of the game. She did a great job distributing the ball and seeing holes on the other team’s side.”
As Andover widened the lead with a 25-19 victory in the second set, Head Coach Clyfe Beckwith experimented with different lineups against Milton. Evelyn Mesler ’17 said, “A lot of our subs played in this game and did really well.”
Well-placed serves from Sewon Park ’17 secured the final set 25-18 and clinched the 3-0 victory for Andover.
Mesler said, “Skills-wise, we were a stronger team than Milton this year, which lead to three wins and a fairly short match. Milton’s strongest aspect of play was their defense. They were really good at keeping the ball up after our hits.”
The day before its win against Milton, Andover cruised to a 3-0 victory against Governor’s. Again, Andover came out blazing and established a precedent for the rest of the game.
Tiffany Bauman ’16 served seven consecutive points to secure a commanding lead in the first set, leading Andover to a 25-15 victory. In the second set, Andover hit a lull, succumbing to Governor’s top-spin serves. Despite the challenge, the team won the last two sets 25-15 and 25-22 respectively.
The back-to-back victories over the weekend extended Andover’s undefeated streak to eight games heading into its matchup with Phillips Exeter Academy. This weekend’s game will be the second time that Andover has played Exeter this season, with Andover emerging victorious 3-2 previously.
“Exeter’s outsides seem to be their biggest strength this season, so as a team we’re going to do all we can to neutralize their hits,” said Mesler.
Andover heads north this weekend to continue its undefeated streak against Exeter.
