RallyNorth.net

TEWKSBURY — With a sea of Chelmsford fans screaming at its back, the Andover volleyball team found itself trailing for much of the second set
Despite having won the first set handily, things could have easily gone either way for the Golden Warriors.
But in the end, Andover’s talent, experience and composure shined through, and the Warriors were able to come back, win the second set and then dominate the rest of the way to clinch the 3-0 win and the program’s fourth straight Division 1 North title.
“I think we kept our composure. We have some players that have been here four years in a row, so I think experience wins over time,” said Andover coach Jane Bergin. “I thought they really chipped away, and they wanted to win it on their home side with their fans in back of them.”
Andover (22-0) took a commanding lead over Chelmsford (18-5) early, pulling ahead 8-2 to start the match before going on to win the first set 25-17. That was on the Andover side of the gym, however, and when the two teams switched sides for the second set, suddenly Chelmsford’s contingent of 200 fans was right in Andover’s ear.
Chelmsford gave them plenty to yell about too, as the Lions gained some separation early and built on their lead from there. Chelmsford eventually took a 17-12 lead, and Andover had to call two timeouts to try and regroup.
After falling behind by five, Andover won six of the next seven points to tie it at 18-18. The two teams went back and forth over the next few points, but then Andover took control and won the last four points to win 25-22. Andover wound up winning the first eight points of the third set, too, and clinched it with a 25-11 third set win.
Senior tri-captain Wyllie Boughton acknowledged that the team got a bit frazzled.
“What was most important was that we had to stay calm and play our game,” Boughton said. “I think we knew it was coming. We played them last year around this time, and it was awesome. Good for them to have a really good fan crowd – but it was important for us to play our game and block that out.”
Boughton had a monster game, finishing with a team-high 13 kills and 6 aces to go along with 7 kills and 2 blocks. Senior tri-captain Mackenzie Kennedy led the team with 31 assists and 14 digs, plus a block. Senior Maddy Reppucci had a team-high 5 blocks, and Julia McBride added 7 kills, 12 digs and an ace.
Andover will now face 19-2 Central/East champion Newton North in the state semifinals in a rematch of last year’s state title game, which Newton North won 3-2. The date and time is still to be announced.

Central Catholic and Chelmsford volleyball went the distance in Tuesday's Division 1 North Semifinal, but Chelmsford came away with the tight 3-2 win. Ashley Dykeman led the Raiders with 18 kills, Katherine Antczak had 51 assists and Elise Flammia had 15 service points and 38 digs.

Andover freshman Alexis Mancha had quite a day, leading the volleyball team with 28 service points and 7 aces in the team's 3-1 comeback win over Chelmsford. Mackenzie Kennedy also led the team in assists (32) and digs (22) as well.