Sometimes everything comes together for a team. During our game against Exeter, this happened. We had 14 players on the court at various times. Each and every player contributed to the game and gave 100%. This level of play and effort led to a 3-1 win over Exeter.
Tess Mannix led off Set #1 with six successful serves. Maddie Lee had five successful serves and was all over the court chasing down balls. Tory Hansen and Caleigh Manguilli contributed with assists that built our lead and we won 25-21.
Set #2 started off strong, but despite key blocks and hits by Aya Takegami and Claire Cummings, Deerfield lost this set 14-25.
Deerfield regained momentum in Set #3 where Julia Ferrante and Juliette Lowe served a combined 13 point-winning serves. These two were especially calm under extreme pressure. Blocks and hits by Tess Mannix created momentum and the players on the court stayed determined and played every point as if it was the game point. Izzy McDonald was instrumental, subbing in where needed and using her leadership and skill to hold this team to the highest level of play that we have seen this season. This set ended with Deerfield winning 29-27.
The fourth set of this game was a battle. Deerfield led the entire set until Exeter took over the lead, at 20-19. This lead change did not stop Deerfield. Cynthia Lugo, Steph Martinez and Claire Quan were everywhere on the court, making sure that they didn’t let any ball drop. Emma Weech, Maddie Lee and Abby Persons served and hit with steadiness that was impressive given the intense pressure. The final score was 25-22, meaning both a set and a game win for our team at home and with a Family Weekend crowd that will surely not forget this game anytime soon.