Fresh out of Isham for a concussion, Co-Captain Alex Becker ’15 led Andover Girls Volleyball to victory with 36 out of the team’s combined 43 kills against St. Paul’s on Wednesday. The 3-1 win avenged an earlier loss on Saturday that ended Andover’s 13-year win streak over Loomis Chaffee.
“Having Becker back was a huge help, because everyone was able to get back into their normal rotation and play next to the people they’re used to playing next to,” said Wincek. “The flow of who has what ball came back.”
On Saturday, the team felt the impact of player injuries with the loss of star players Veronica Hildenbrand ’14 as well as Becker to concussions, and the team struggled against Loomis in a tight five set loss.
“Loomis came out of the starting gate with an energy that Andover could barely catch up to,” said Coach Clyfe Beckwith.
Loomis took the first set 25-12, but Andover made a comeback to win the second set 25-23.
“The biggest thing we did well in the second set was that we rallied when we were down instead of falling apart. We didn’t really get in our heads, which is something we struggle with,” said Erica Shin ’16.
Shin, the team’s starting libero, helped capture the lead in the second set with her precision on the court.
“[Shin] played amazingly,” said Annette Belle ’16. “She passed up everything that Loomis hit near her and helped the team out a lot.”
After losing the third set, Andover regained its momentum by the fourth set, winning 26-24.
However, with the score at 2-2, Loomis found Andover’s weak spots, ultimately winning the fifth set 15-6 for a 3-2 win over Andover.
With Becker back on the court against St. Paul’s on Wednesday, Andover regained its strength, resulting in a 3-1 win and amending many of its past mistakes.
Andover went into its game against St. Paul’s with the aim to eliminate careless blunders, hitting its serves in and forcing the other team to make errors.
Starting off by winning seven straight points, thanks to service points from new teammate Tiffany Bauman ’16, Andover took the first set by a score of 25-12.
“St. Paul’s had two really strong hitters, but they sent over quite a few free balls so we were able to set up a lot of great attacks,” said Eden Livingston ’15.
However, Andover faltered in the second and third sets, barely winning the second set 25-23 and falling in the third 22-25.
After the change, the Andover picked up its energy in the fourth set. The team took the set commandingly 25-19, bringing home the win with a decisive score of 3-1.
Shin played another superb game, returning 48 out of 51 balls for a 94 percent hit rate.
Bauman also proved to be a big asset to the team with 16 assists and three aces.
“The player of the match goes to Bauman who played the best defense yet, and did a great job distributing the ball as the team’s only setter today,” said Beckwith.
“We really stepped up our communication this game which was pivotal…we play our best when we communicate the most,” said Wincek.
With this win under Andover’s belt, the team is optimistic about its progress going forward.
“The plan is to keep having fun on the court and to achieve our goal to be the best we can be at the end of the season. We want to play together, learn to react to each other and in the process, hopefully win some games so we have a decent ranking for end of the season tournament,” said Beckwith.
The team will travel to Northfield Mount Hermon (NMH) on Saturday. NMH has also suffered losses at the hands of Hotchkiss and Loomis, making a win even more important for Andover.
