The House of D (OD) volleyball team faced the NAs two weeks ago and emerged victorious, with a 2-0 (15-11, 15-8) win. The D team now holds a 2-0 record in pool play.
With a couple of D players unable to attend the match, and D Cyrus Hadidi opting to read exciting HBS cases over playing Intramural volleyball, the ODs were only able to field a team of five players against the NA team.
In addition to being outnumbered by the NA team of seven, the prospects for the Ds suddenly looked grimmer when an eighth player, NA partner and former college middle blocker Kerry Bryan, strode into the gym. “Uh oh, Kerry’s here… This is gonna be a tough one!” whispered one D player.
Despite playing one player short, the Ds were able to jump ahead early in the first game. With a well-placed freeball into a gap in the NA defense, Bilge Bahar helped the Ds push the lead to 3-0.
Both teams played well during the game, trading off points and sideouts, but the Ds were able to maintain a marginal lead, with the score at 9-5, in favor of the House of D. The D volleyball team then scored a string of four unanswered points to put them close to a game point at 13-5.
Although the Ds were just two points from capturing the opening game, the D players struggled to close out Game 1. NA couple Kerry and Lee Bryan towered over the D frontline, leading the NA team in a six-point scoring run to narrow the D lead to just two points, with the score at 13-11.
With the NA team on the verge of a potential game one comeback, the D players raised their game a notch, securing the two game winning points to capture the opening game, 15-11.
Game two opened much like the first, with the Ds off to an early 3-1 lead over the NAs.
During the second game, Cecily Kovatch displayed her amazing ability to find the back line with her deep underhand serve. With several tough serves to the deep court and a service ace, Cecily helped the Ds establish a commanding 10-3 lead, before sending a serve soaring several feet past the base line. “Lotta muscle, lotta muscle,” murmured teammate Mike Ward.
The NA team rallied and took control, with Kerry Bryan serving tough and Lee Bryan in the front row as a middle hitter and blocker. Once again, the Ds lost focus and struggled with unforced passing and hitting errors, allowing the NA team to narrow the gap to 10-8.
Again, with the NAs making a mid-game comeback, the Ds fought back to regain the momentum. With Marcus Lo on the service line and Mike Ward hitting and blocking aggressively at the net, the Ds were able to outscore the NAs 5-0 to win game two, 15-8, and the match 2-0.
The D volleyball team is currently scheduled to face the NI team tomorrow night at 5:00 pm.
