by Kathleen McAleese
Managing Editor
Boys Varsity Volleyball fell Monday afternoon on the road against rival Acton-Boxboro at their game played at Acton Boxboro Regional High School. The team went on to lose the first three sets they played, terminating the contest.
In the team’s last game against AB on March 28, the boys lost three sets to one at home. Monday, over a month later, the team was again unable to pull out a win.
The team’s ill fate seemed to begin early in the first set when AB scored the first point and proceeded to take an early 4-1 lead. The Colonials held onto their advantage and with the score at 7-4, the tables began to turn in favor of the visiting Ghosts. WA was able to tie AB’s squad and then gain and hold the only lead they would earn during the set at 10-8, then 10-9.
After WA’s brief and small lead, the Colonials came back and eventually developed a comfortable lead of five at 18-13. From there, the Ghosts began to fall apart and only scored an additional three points while AB added seven. At the end of the first set, the score stood at 25-16.
WA was able to put up a much more competitive fight in the beginning of the second set than they were able to do in the first and were never more than two points behind the opponent until AB broke out, making the score 13-10. This back and forth struggle was characterized by a few key kills by Brendan Ryan, a senior outside hitter. As AB developed their lead to 15-10, they were then able to hold on to their lead for the remainder of the set and were able to win the second 25-17.
As in the first and second set, AB scored the first point and was able to develop an early lead and without much action on WA’s part, the score was quickly 7-2 with AB in the lead in the third. However, in this set, the boys were slowly able to gain back lost points and capitalized on some of AB’s more poorly executed plays. They were able to get the score to 12-9, and although still playing from behind, WA stepped up both their offense and defense.
Eventually, the score was tied at 15 and from that point, the two teams put on an exciting finish. Neither of the teams developed a lead greater than two points, and with some more kills from Ryan accompanied by a few blocks by Chris Imbriaco, the team was neck and neck with the rival. However, the Ghosts’ competitive finish came to a halt with a few detrimental hits going out of bounds. The score, once tied at 23 progressed into AB’s 26-24 win over WA in the third.
Playing for the best of five games, AB was able to conquer the opponent three sets to none and coach Russell Coward was unimpressed by the team’s performance at the game.
“Usually we are pretty focused but today we didn’t serve receive as well as we could. We need to pass the ball better,” he said after the game.
The team has two more games of the regular season which they must win in order to advance on into the state tournament. Playing Boston Latin on Wednesday and Cambridge Rindge and Latin on Friday of this week. The team beat Boston Latin three sets to none at the last contest on April 16, but was unable to conquer Cambridge Rindge and Latin on April 23 when they fell 3-1.
“We just need to win the next two to make it to the tournament,” said junior middle hitter Conor Hanly.
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