Boys Volleyball Drops a Heartbreaker to Longmeadow

Five sets of back-and-forth volleyball ultimately had the Lancers coming out on top by a score of 3-2.

The final score was the same as when the Spartans and Lancers faced off just over a month ago, though there are many differences to take into account.

Their first matchup of the season was a come-from-behind effort by the Spartans after losing the first two sets to force a fifth set.

However, in their most recent meeting the Spartans were the ones who won the first set of the game. They battled back to tie the Lancers both times after they jumped out to 17-14 and 20-17 leads.

Spartans head coach Kyle Andolina also called timeout after the Lancers’ Eli Dignazio had an energy boosting kill to make the score 23-21.

The Spartans scored four straight points to win the first set 25-23 and the Lancers took the second set by the same score.

It was defensive efforts from senior captain Kayden Van, senior Robbie Zemba, and junior Eric Wing that stood out and kept the sets even. Wing led the team in blocks with two.

The third and fourth sets went quite differently than the first two, with the Lancers dominating the third set 25-18 and Spartans dominating the fourth 25-19.

Despite a couple of clutch kills from senior Baohuy Trinh and sophomore Ben Mannheim, the Spartans found themselves in too big of a hole to bounce back from early in the third set.

The fourth set, however, became close at one point. Longmeadow’s Kean Jarvinen sparked his team with a kill and the Lancers proceeded to go on an 8-3 run that nearly tied the set, but halted at 17-16 as Andolina called timeout.

Jarvinen, a sophomore, led his team in kills in the game with 22.

Six straight points by the Spartans, thanks to efforts from Trinh, Wing, senior Frankie Cappacio, and senior Tan Truong, helped to close out the fourth set.

The Lancers looked unstoppable to begin the fifth set, jumping out to a 6-1 lead. Eventually, the Spartans cut the deficit to one point, making the score 10-9 off of a great defensive play by Mannheim, who led the team in digs with 18.

Ultimately, the Lancers stayed on top and took the final set 15-10.

“I think we came out a little better this time,” Andolina said. “Both teams have improved a lot. We saw some really good volleyball today.”

Kayden Van was a key piece as to why this game was so close, and, as the team’s lone captain, has stepped up as a leader throughout the season.

“I discuss with my teammates on how we can improve upon our mistakes on the court,” Van said. “I also keep the energy up and going on every point, even if we’re losing.”

“Kayden has really brought a lot to the table this season,” Andolina said. “I was lucky enough to coach him in the offseason, and he has grown a lot.”

Another senior who shares Van’s same defensive efficiency but differs from him in his leadership style is the team’s libero, Robbie Zemba.

“Robbie is more of the guy that fires people up, gets them amped,” Andolina said. “The person that wears the different color jersey has to be a leader of sorts. He’s really been able to do that with his voice and energy.”

The leadership on the team has led to better production throughout the season.

“When my team and I get along and have good relationships with one another, we learn to trust and support each other,” Van said. “This can lead to better communication and teamwork on the court.”

Following a 3-0 loss in Agawam one day after the Longmeadow loss, the Spartans record sits at 10-6. The team has already clinched a spot in both the Western Mass and state tournaments.

Both Van and Andolina know there are still improvements to be made from now until these tournaments, but carry with them motivational factors that will help guide them to where they need to be.

“I think we just need to keep playing the way we’re playing now and stay mentally sharp in order to prepare for Western Mass and states,” Van said.

“There’s still some areas of improvement,” Andolina said. “Going into the state and Western Mass tournaments, if we’re lucky enough to play these guys, we’ll use it as motivation because we don’t want to lose to Longmeadow a third time.”

The Spartans look to break the two-game losing streak tonight against Minnechaug.