Sports

Boys Volleyball Captain Q&A

How are you trying to connect the team despite being off campus?

Co-Captain Colin McNamara-Bordewick ’21: “It’s definitely been hard because at the start of this term we didn’t know if the whole term was going to be cancelled, and we thought maybe we’d still have a bit of a partial season. So, during that time we were talking a lot over group text. That’s been a lot harder since the season and the term was canceled.”

Co-Captain Shaw Xie ’20: “I’ve been keeping in touch with the team through our Facebook group chat.”

What were you most excited for this season?

McNamara-Bordewick: “I was excited about every aspect of the season from practices to games to bus rides. We had a great preseason, and I think we were preparing for our strongest year yet. We had gone to the championship last year, and we were really hoping to go back and win it this year. [Unfortunately] it couldn’t happen.”

What has been your favorite moment on Andover Boys Volleyball?

Xie: “There are so many, from playing on the beach court in Pine Knoll after the season, going as a team to Harvard to watch the volleyball team play, to the team dinners and Fuddruckers trips.”

McNamara-Bordewick: “I can’t really pick one certain moment, but I’d say all the small moments with my teammates like before practices, after practice, at team dinners, just hanging with my teammates. I think we had a really great team chemistry.”

Why do you love Andover Boys Volleyball?

Xie: “I love the team culture and how close the team is both on and off the court, and how passionate we all are for the sport. We have great coaches who not only want us to have fun, but challenge us to become better players.”

McNamara-Bordewick: “We have a great team dynamic. I think that’s what sets us apart. We are tight-knit and have fostered an environment where practices both have intensity and competition while still being really supportive and fun.”

What was your favorite match and why?

McNamara-Bordewick: “My favorite game was last year at Choate. We started off really sluggish because it was a road game, and it took us a while to get into full gear. It was a really close game and we were tied for most of it. We had a lot of injuries, and I think a lot of people really stepped up on the team. It was a great win in the end and we won by only a point or two in the fifth and final set. It was a great bus ride back after that win.”

What are you going to miss most?

McNamara-Bordewick: “I’m really going to miss the camaraderie of the team again from moments before, during, and after practices, to bus rides and water breaks. Everyone brought an amazing attitude, and I think that led to a lot of success. I will especially miss the Seniors who won’t be able to play their final season this year.”

Xie: “I’m definitely going to miss being on the court, as well as my teammates and coaches because of how close we’ve gotten throughout my time on the team.”

How have your coaches impacted your Andover experience?

McNamara-Bordewick: “I only started playing varsity volleyball last year as a Lower, and I didn’t know anything about the rules. Despite that, my coaches still welcomed me with open arms, and even though I started on JV, they really helped me move up from there. They taught me the game and helped me grow. My coaches, Alex [Svec] and Clyfe [Beckwith], have both become one of the best role models on campus. I really look up to them.”