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After a brief setback against visiting non-league Needham on April 25, 3-0, the Winchester High School boys volleyball team (8-3) bounced right back to edge host St. John’s Prep (6-5), another non-league opponent, on April 28, 3-2. They then shutout Middlesex League rival Belmont the next night, 3-0.
“This was a really good, hard-fought match against a strong St John’s Prep team,” said Coach John Fleming after Monday night’s encounter. “Mass. High School Volleyball had them ranked No. 9 in the state (the Eagles are seeded 19th in the MIAA Division 1 power rankings, while the Red & Black are 14th as of April 29), so it was a good win for us.”
The Winchester boys were seeded 20th, according to those Mass. High School Volleyball rankings that came out on Monday morning, April 28, before their latest two aforementioned wins. At the time, they were 6-3, while St. John’s had a 6-4 record. But that clutch win over the Eagles will change all of that.
“We struggled early on to block, and also had too many unforced errors in the second and third sets,” said Fleming. “But I was impressed with our poise and resiliency in the fourth and fifth sets. This was a well-earned big win on the road against a team that we had lost to in back-to-back seasons.”
Ben Yu was one of the team leaders against St. John’s Prep with three aces.
“Ben came in as a serving specialist, and did an outstanding job,” said Fleming. “He really impacted the game with his tough serves. His three aces were huge for us, but his aggressive serving is also something that we needed to win this match.”
Tuto Sampaio (22 kills) and Julien He (17 kills) were also instrumental in the win.
“Tuto and Julien both delivered big-time kills for us, and along with Ethan Lubomirski were also terrific in receiving serves,” Fleming said. “We needed those to get some first-ball kills since we didn't want long rallies against a few big-time St. John’s Prep hitters.”
Haoran Jiang collected four kills and 21 assists.
“Haoran's four kills were quite timely, which helped change the momentum of the match,” said Fleming. “He’s really starting to get a better feel for the position and the game."
It was then time to turn the page, and concentrate on the Marauders 24 hours later.
“This match was a great opportunity to give more guys a chance to play varsity,” said Fleming.
Bryan Jiang led the way with six kills.
“We are trying to get Bryan even more involved in the offense since he’s a pretty dynamic middle hitter,” said Fleming. “It was nice to see him get going (against Belmont).”
David You led the team in assists with 18, while Sampaio came out on top in kills with 14.
“Once again, both Ethan (Lubomirski) and Ben (Yu) really disrupted the opposition with their serves,” said Fleming.
Bryan Lin, who had five kills, gave the team a solid offensive boost against Belmont, according to Fleming.
“He always brings energy to the court,” the coach added.
The Red & Black will wrap up this week on May 1 against host Alington, starting at 5:15 p.m. They will then take on visiting Woburn at the McCall Middle School Gym (May 6, 5:15 p.m.) and host Burlington (May 8, 5:30 p.m.) next week.
