Boys’ Volleyball Sweeps NMH

On April 2, the boys’ varsity volleyball team swept Northfield Mount Hermon (NMH), 3-0. In the opening game of the team’s second season ever, Big Red demolished last year’s second-place team in New England, declaring that despite its youth, its strength and skill were unquestionable.

Last season, Exeter faced NMH in the New England Championship game, during which Big Red barely defeated the “Hoggers.” After the first two sets, Exeter found itself down 2-0. With a surge for a comeback, the team roared back and claimed the championship in a thrilling 3-2 victory. After experiencing the intensity of that match, Exeter came determined to prove its dominance this past Saturday.

This mindset of determination paid off, as each set concluded with large margins.

“The game went very well,” upper Graham Rutledge said. “We passed very well, with three of four passers passing a 2 or greater. [Upper] Ben Swett had a great hitting day along with [senior] Max Kirsch.”

Many members of the team agreed that passing was the key to the success. Because it was the first game of the season, NMH appeared to be shaky in its passes. On the other hand, Exeter had utilized the first couple days of training and practices to hone this skill. In particular, Rutledge commended senior Kyle Xia for his consistency and accuracy of his sets.

In terms of serving, senior Cesar Zamudio performed well. In the second set alone, Zamudio cleared ten straight points, helping Exeter cruise to a 2-0 lead. That, senior Tommy Cefalu said, was one of the most pivotal points of the match.

While passing and serving were dominant, Big Red lacked the height factor. They could, and did, however, use strategies to combat this physical difference.

“We knew NMH had some huge players so we worked on serving the ball to their weaker passers so they couldn’t get in rhythm and get a good set,” upper Ben Swett said. “We also focused on hitting line in order to avoid the angle block when hitting outside.”

Another strategy Exeter utilized to compensate for the height was placement of the returns.

“They had a 6’6” hitter who was nearly unstoppable when they set him so we tried to push the ball to the corners to move their setter,” Cefalu said.

Each of these strategies contributed to a dominating win, but the team will try not be blinded by the large victory; instead, they hoped to continue developing their skills and to stay focused.

“We definitely made mistakes that will be cleaned up as the season goes on,” Swett said. “We have a lot of potential but need to keep working to improve our passing, blocking, and defense.”

In three weeks, Big Red will face NMH again at Exeter. Rutledge believes that the team must be prepared for a tougher match.

“Even though we beat NMH 3-0, I think they will be a competitive team by the end of the year,” he said. “Their biggest weakness was their passing, which can improve drastically over even a few weeks.”

A lot of work is still left for the team, but a victory against last year’s runner up New England champions is a strong sign for success in future games.

“We still have a lot to work on, but this was a big win and bodes well for the rest of the season,” Cefalu said.