Boys’ varsity volleyball has had a rocky start to the season after graduating six players last year. Going 1-2 in their first three games, the team was anxious for a win heading into their matchup last Friday against Newington High School.
Newington took the first set 25-20 due in large part to their 6’6” middle blocker, who caused problems for the Choate defense throughout the entire match. The second set was back-and-forth until captain Chanin Kitjatanapan ’17 faked Newington with a set and then spiked the ball into the back right corner. The Wild Boars bounced back to take the second set 25-23 and remained focused going into the rest of the game.
After a strong start from Choate in the third set, Newington managed to set the score to 18-18. With every point crucial in the homestretch of the third set, senior Nazar Chowdhury ’16 made a key play against Newington’s star middle blocker. Chowdhury’s block inspired Choate to pull ahead by 4 points; however, a late comeback allowed Newington to close out the set 25-22.
With three tight sets behind them, Coach Tom Brady encouraged his team to persevere. Unfortunately, Choate got a slow start in the fourth set and couldn’t recover, losing 17-25 and the match 1-3. “There was a spirited effort, but unforced errors cost us the game,” said Nils Lovegren ’18. Despite losing, Choate battled through four tight sets, demonstrating vigor and vast skill improvement since the beginning of the season.
After the game, Kitjatanapan said, “It was a really tight game, and I’m happy with our performance. It’s early in the season, and we have a lot of work to do in practice this week.” Choate will play Phillips Academy, an evenly matched team, on April 23. Looking forward, the New England tournament will culminate the season in under a month, where Choate will look to avenge its three losses.
