Volleyball - Girls' Varsity
The Marianapolis varsity volleyball team dropped the fifth set vs. Suffield Academy to fall on the road, 3-2.
Set one saw poised serves from captain J. Golden '20 and aces from captain C. Gardiner '20, A. Boria '21, and C. King '21. While the Knights did well to keep the game close, Suffield continued to tip the lead in its favor, a few points at a time; set one ended 25-20.
Gardiner was the anchor of set two, posting a seven-point serving run that gave Marianapolis an early lead. Aided by a few digs from M. Walsh '20 and consistent setting from captain M. Wall '20, the contest stayed tight until SA was able to string together two tough serving runs and pull away 25-19.
Set three saw some improvisation in light of an injury, and a surge of team chemistry thereafter. Boria and J. Calkins '21 set the tone from the service line, while B. Rett '21 ran the 5:1 from the setter's slot so Wall could help the offense. With only 5 hits from the MPrep offense, the Knights were still able to string together epic play (including a rocket line-to-line back row ace from King) to win 25-20.
Set four saw more adrenaline from the squad, with Golden on fire from the line and Wall and Calkins putting down aces up front. Of note for Marianapolis was the resilient play under SA fire, cutting off a late-set rally to cinch the 25-23 W.
In its first 5-set match of the year, Marianapolis came out anxious, and let 5 points go up on the board too quickly. Although they pushed back hard via Wall and King's serves, the Knights couldn't sure up their defense in time to post a loud offense. 15-7 was the final score.
The team will look to rebound on Saturday with a home game versus Portsmouth Abbey at 2pm. Go Knights!