Westford Academy Boys’ Volleyball fell short to Boston Latin 3-1 in a four set match at their senior night game on Thursday, May 16.
A lack of defense and communication caused WA to struggle in the first two sets, but a flip switched in the third set allowing great gameplay all around by the Ghosts. In the fourth and final set, WA fought hard, but Boston Latin’s strong hitters and talented back row players worked well together earning them the win.
Family and friends of WA players filled the stands supporting seniors Dillon Power, Ryan Sun, Tristan Caldwell, Noah Brown, and Jack Dealy. The five graduating seniors were acknowledged prior to the game with each senior receiving a rose and a crown from their teammates.
WA began the game with high energy, exchanging three points with Boston Latin. A kill by Brown was able to break the tie and put WA in the lead.
Boston Latin racked up four points in a row, but a missed serve allowed the Ghosts to have possession of the ball again. Sun kept the score tight, having a number of strong hits followed by an ace making the score 7-6.
Boston Latin, being a very strong defensive team, made it difficult for the Ghosts to score, as they took a 23-18 lead. This five point differential caused WA to call their first timeout of the game.
WA tried to crawl back, scoring two more points closing the gap to 23-20, but a Boston Latin kill followed by a dump ended the first set with a score of 25-20.
The second set started much like the first, with both teams going back and forth earning four points each. However, Power took control of the game by going on his own serving run which Boston Latin was unable to adjust to, followed by a kill that gave WA a significant lead of 14-8.
Boston Latin was forced to call a timeout but once they went back out onto the court they adapted to WA’s gameplay and went on a scoring spree, allowing them to trail the Ghosts by only two points.
A serve by Caldwell kept WA up 19-17, but several points were scored by Boston Latin due to a lack of communication by the Ghosts. WA called their last timeout of the set but Boston Latin scored back to back points winning the second set 25-23 leading 2 sets to 0.
Knowing the third set was do or die, the Ghosts locked in, never letting Boston Latin lead more than two points for the entirety of the set.
“We realized that our defense had been pretty slow and was our biggest weakness against Boston Latin, so we cleaned that up and brought the energy to win,” Caldwell said.
Their successful third set was possible due to Sophomore libero, Pranav Katragadda and his accurate passes to sophomore Aditya Anand who assisted front row hitters Caldwell, Power, and Sun.
Early on, WA led 7-9 then held their lead, winning 13-12 midway through the third set. Boston Latin tied up the game with 16 points a piece, but WA remained persistent and was able to slightly pulled away with more kills by Power and Sun, making the score 24-19.
Boston Latin tried to come back, but a strong swing by Power slammed the ball to the other half of the court earning their 25th point, winning the third set 25-22.
The fourth set was evenly matched, and consistent serves by both teams maintained a close score throughout the entire set. WA went up 6-4 in the opening volleys, then another ace by Sun resulted in a 10-7 lead.
Boston Latin turned up their intensity after they called a timeout and tied WA at 19 points each. The two teams again shared points, and Power served an ace making the score 22-22.
The game came to an end with Boston Latin scoring two consecutive points, the final point being a kill by their outside hitter.
Throughout the season, WA was able to connect more as a team both on and off the court. They learned the importance of trusting their teammates and playing as a whole instead of individually.
“[A takeaway I’ve had from this season is that] individuals skills does not win games it is about team morale and being able to effectively work together to perform at your best,” Power said.
WA Boys’ Volleyball concluded their season with a record of 4-12.
