EXETER
T
hree years ago, Exeter volleyball broke a six-year E/A losing streak. That game was a turning point in Exeter volleyball; for the first time in our history, we had a chance at a New England Championship. We didn’t win it that year, but the following two years we added our second and third championships in Exeter volleyball’s history. For us though, it’s not just any game. At E/A we have the support of our school behind us. For the past two years, we’ve had dedicated, incredible fans and for that we say thank you. We also have our traditions. Every year we do a “Secret Santa” style psyche within the team. To this day, the best psyche was a poster from one of the girls to her teammate: she had photoshopped every member of the team into superheros cheering on that teammate. Every year, we see the Andover girls several times throughout the season. When we look across the net, we see our opponents, but we also see the same people we’ve grown alongside. So many of our favorite memories of Exeter are thanks to volleyball: Running around campus with the girls, asking strangers to take silly photos of us. Tracing the Exeter rampart onto a pumpkin during our carving contest. The pride we first felt when we saw our 2014 championship appear on our banner in the gym. Volleyball was where we made our first Exeter friends, it was where we learned that you have to give it your all and that in the end, as long as you do that, you’re OK. The girls have been a source of endless laughter and continual support, and Exeter wouldn’t have been the same without them. For a few of us, this season will be our last. All the sweat, tears, and hours are coming to an end. So for the last time, we are E-X-E-T-E-R! —Rachel Luo ’17 & Kat Dumoulin ’17
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ANDOVER Volleyball
Volleyball
ROSTER 1
Sophie Faliero
2019
Charleston, SC
* 2
Rachel Luo
2017
Houston, TX
3
Chloe Scocimara
2018
Menlo Park, CA
6
Grace Gasper
2018
West Berlin, WI
8
Carly Kirsch
2020
Atkinson, NH
10
Molly O’Day
2018
Exeter, NH
11
Jenny Yang
2019
Saratoga, CA
12
Tara Weil
2019
Cary, IL
13
Margaret Kraus
2018
Norwalk, CT
15
Meagan Leyne
2017
Melrose, MA
17
Nora Epler
2017
Portsmouth, NH
18
Kylah Williams
2017
Sacramento, CA
19
Charlotte Polk
31/5 Elizabeth MacBride
2018
St. Louis, MO
2019
Dover, NH
* 32 /4 Kat Dumoulin
2017
Biddeford, ME
33/9 Bridgette Han
2018
Palo Alto, CA
34 /14 Sara Hosman
2017
Peabody, MA
* Captain Head Coach: Bruce Shang Assistant Coach: Sue Rowe Managers: Kelvin Green III ’17, Grace Williams ’17, Emilio Karakey ’18
P
hillips Academy’s volleyball team is easily the most supportive, loving, and determined group of girls I have been lucky enough to be a part of at Andover. In volleyball, it is impossible to succeed alone; instead, the sport demands that each player trust those around them to cover, block, and pass effectively. The trust developed among girls on the court definitely contributes to our off-court dynamic. I take pride in the support we all have learned to provide one another— support in becoming better athletes, students, and friends. I have played volleyball for the past three seasons and can attest that this year’s team is nothing like those of years past. This fall, eight of the 14 varsity players are new to the roster. And with each new athlete comes new talent, new strengths, and new strategy. In addition to our new players, so much of our strength this season comes from the diversity of our team’s athletic backgrounds—whether it is as captain of Andover’s tennis team or throwing or running track in the spring, all of our seniors are competitive multisport athletes. One of our right-side hitters, Sidney, is also the captain of Andover girls’ winter track and can sprint ladders twice as fast as the next girl. This speed allows her to reach every ball headed her way and approach each hit quickly and decisively. Our PG, Margot, throws javelin each spring. As our outside hitter, she uses that same upper body strength to crush every hit. This diversity of talent and athletic backgrounds will be key in our success this season! Because we had so many new players, many early fall practices were devoted to developing and perfecting the team’s chemistry on the court. Now, as we near the end of our regular season, that chemistry will help us play cohesively in tournament play. I can’t wait to see what this team does with the rest of our season! Go Big Blue! —Evelyn Mesler ’17
ROSTER 2
Anezka Kuncova
2017
Bzenec, CZ
4
Brooke Fleming
2020
Andover, MA
5
Katelyn Wang
2018
Arcadia, CA
8
Margot Forti
2017
Daleville, AL
9
Chioma Ugwonali
2020
Arlington, TX
* 10
Evelyn Mesler
2017
Andover, MA
12
Sewon Park
2017
Hong Kong
15
Roberta Yun
2018
New York, NY
16
Adaeze Izuegbunam
2020
Belleville, MI
18
Sidney Holder
2017
Vienna, VA
20
Serena Liu
2019
Duluth, GA
23
Janneke Evans
2018
New York, NY
26
Anna Faliero
2018
Charleston, SC
42
Claudia Leopold
2018
New York, NY
* Captain Head Coach: Clyfe Beckwith Assistant Coaches: Victor Svec, Sheena Hilton Managers: Jakob Beckwith ’17, Isaac Blackburn-Johnson ’18, Chloe Brown ’19
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