Fressex, Dream Team Take Home Indoor Volleyball Championships

The semifinal and final games for the Co-ed and Women’s Indoor volleyball leagues took place this week with several teams in action.  On the co-ed side, the semi-finals saw ACES take on Hit Faced while Fressex competed against Notorious DIG.  In the first semi-final, ACES got off to a great start, leading their opponents 11-5 after some strong serving from Jocelyn Schumacher.  On the other side of the net, Eric Bird and Laura Quaranto tallied seven kills to bring Hit Faced within four points.  However, a late run by ACES saw them rattle off six consecutive points to put the game out of reach, winning game one by a score of 25-15.  The second game was much closer, and saw both teams trade the lead.  At 7-7, Hit Faced when on a 4-0 run, with two aces from Deirdre Horan.  Unfortunately, Hit Faced could not hold on and squandered the lead in the last points of the game, losing 25-18 to ACES.
                The second Co-ed semifinal pitted Fressex against Notorious DIG.  This fixture was highlighted by long rallies from both teams and great communication.  As such, the scores were very close throughout.  The first game was tied at 21-21, until Fressex’s Maggie Carmona served her team to victory with two aces to win game one by a score of 25-22.  In the second game, Notorious DIG started with the lead, but lost six straight points in a row and never recovered.  The final game score was 25-17.
                The final for the Co-ed teams was set between ACES and Fressex.  With both teams featuring mostly senior lineups, it was a final chance to gain glory for each team.  The first game was largely dominated by ACES, who took control with well-placed serves and tactical placement of shots.  Melissa McNelis and Jocelyn Schumacher combined for six aces in the first game.  Despite a late comeback from Fressex, ACES won the first game comfortably by a score of 25-18. 
                The second game was much closer, and saw the lead go back and forth between the sides.  Long rallies and great blocks at the net kept Fressex in the game, who were ahead by as much as nine points.  However, with the score at 21-15, ACES had narrowed the gap.  In the end, great serving from Maggie Carmona sealed the game for Fressex and sent the Championship to a pivotal game three.
                The third game was possibly the best game of indoor volleyball played all season.  With a total of 16 lead changes and 12 ties, both teams fought until the very end for the victory.  With the score at 23-22, Fressex forced an error from ACES and completed their comeback win in what was an amazing final.

                In the Women’s bracket, the lone semi-final game was between Super-Star Sophomores and the Stonethrillers.  This game featured back and forth scoring runs from both teams.  The Super-Star Sophomores took an early 6-1 lead after great serves from Amanda Smith.  The Stonethrillers took the lead at 10-9 after spotting some great shots to the back of the court.  The Super-Star Sophomores would go on another big run to close out the game, finding their best game when it mattered most, to win game one, 25-18.  
                In the second game, Super-Star Sophomores continued their great play from the end of the first game.  Blocks from Catie Grasso and Melissa Baron kept the team ahead, while costly errors in defense kept the Stonethrillers from making the game close.  The final second game score was 25-14.
                The Super-Star Sophomores took on Dream Team (who received a bye) in the final.  The Dream Team were always the stronger of the two, and recorded straight sets victories of 25-20 and 25-23.