Today, the Deerfield Girls JV volleyball team faced off for a second time this season against a competitive NMH team (25-23, 25-18, 25-13). In the first set, the teams started out neck and neck. Devon ‘25 went on a brief service run, but the team wasn’t able to sustain that momentum. The team briefly started to swing, with Alice ‘25 hitting decisively from outside and Olivia ‘25 taking brave swings from the middle. But DA’s lead wasn’t secure yet, and NMH was able to tie things up again and inch into the lead. Maisy ‘26 made a surprising athletic play to keep the ball in play at a pivotal moment. Olivia ‘25 and Allie ‘25 then went on service runs to bring DA back into the set, plus Ariana ‘26 strategically placed some balls to open areas of the court, and together the team was able to eke out a win. Going into the second set, Deerfield needed to avoid giving up points by making errors. But the team started out the set unable return the serve and get a side out. The squad was able to tie it up but not keep the momentum going—until Alice ‘25 stunned with back to back kills and Gracie ‘25 hit a kill from the back row. Now the team was feeling good and hitting their rhythm. Alice ‘25 closed out the set with three killer aces. In the third set, the team was feeling more energized, and they found themselves with an early lead but not feeling comfortable. Suddenly, the team started playing more aggressively and were able to set their hitters effectively to score, ultimately securing the win. The team looks forward to playing St Paul’s on Wednesday at home.