G1: 25-23 Suffield, G2: 25-20 DA, G3: 26-24 Suffield, G4: 27-25 Suffield
In their first game of the season, Deerfield fell to Suffield’s JV Volleyball team in a tightly contested four games. With the exception of a comfortable Deerfield win in game two (25-20), each other contest was decided by two points, the smallest possible margin of victory, with two of those matches going into extra points. Neck to neck against Suffield, our players showed confidence and poise that belied the fact that they had less than 3 full practices as a team to this point. Sydney Dinkins ’22 embodied this spirit, serving three consecutive times to lead Deerfield from a 24-22 hole, backs against the wall, to a 25-24 lead. Additionally, Oliva Konar ’22 played aggressively and fearlessly around the net, using her height and instinct to bat down the only block of the game. Alex Kelsey ’23 also showed remarkable ingenuity for a player new to the sport, returning a line drive smash from a Suffield player with a slingshot swing of her right arm, earning Deerfield a critical point in the third game.
The players were cheered on by their peers and parents ~ the Deerfield bleachers were nearly full for the contest, while the students lead the section to spirited Deerfield chants throughout the games. Afterwards, the referee of the game sought out the Deerfield coaches to commend Stella Derrick ’23 on her remarkable diligence and dexterity manning the scoreboard and scoresheet, who took the task upon herself after injuring her ankle in the first practice. Overall, the girls showed incredible sportsmanship and support for one another throughout the highs and lows of the game. Though we lost a close contest, we couldn’t be more proud of our players auspicious beginning to a long volleyball season.