Blazers charge past Knights

APRIL 21, NELSON H. KOBREN MEMORIAL GYMNASIUM--

Despite the tremendous hitting strength, solid defense, and close team chemistry that has propelled Blair's varsity boys' volleyball team to an undefeated 2005 season, the team still suffers from occasional inconstancies, especially during games against weaker opponents. Despite being much stronger than Wheaton, the Blazers played an indifferent and often sloppy game against the Knights. They finally dragged out a 25-18, 25-15 and 25-17 victory over Wheaton, boosting their season record to 8-0.

The Blazers went energetically into the first match of the game, scoring seven of the first nine points thanks to a combination of Blair kills and Wheaton errors. As the score climbed into the double digits, however, the Blazers' discipline began to falter; they missed four serves and sent six hits into the net, handing an easy ten points to the Knights. And although the Blazers scored eight kills during the first match, they relied far less on killing power and more on Wheaton's own slipups to earn most of their points. With the score at 20-18 after a series of unnecessarily drawn-out rallies, the match was clinched not by Blair's own strength, but by three Wheaton mishaps, ending the match on a rather ironic note.

The Blazers pulled together much better for the second match, allowing Wheaton just one point before senior co-captain James Lee led the Blazers on a seven-point run that included two aces. The Blazers went on to rack up two more aces and eight kills, and sophomore setter Tim Lee added another six-point streak to the scoreboard to further Blair's lead. Though the Blazers still fumbled seven plays, Wheaton gave up six points of their own with missed hits and serves, and Blair was able to come out of the match with a second victory after senior Randy Li slammed a kill into the Knights' court from the right side.

The Blazers further polished their offense in the third match, scoring a game-high three aces and twelve kills while missing only three serves and no hits at all. However, Blair's defense seemed to weaken as its offense strengthened; while Wheaton had scored three kills in the first match and four in the second, it was able to score five kills and three aces in the third match. In addition, two easy balls fell straight to the court because of poor communication, and several sets were sent to strategically impractical areas -- such as straight into a pole or the middle of the net. Despite these problems, the Blazers' hitting strength coupled with the inexperience of the Wheaton team were enough to give Blair an obvious edge as the match went on, and an unreturned tip by freshman Eddie Tang gave the Blazers the final point they needed to win the match and the game.

The Blazers' next game will occur at 3:30 p.m. on Monday, April 25, when they host the Churchill Bulldogs.