Blazers defeat Jaguars in straight games

NELSON H. KOBREN GYMNASIUM, April 21 –

The Blair (4-2) coed volleyball team beat the Northwest Jaguars in straight games, 25-13, 25-20 and 25-18. Boys' volleyball head coach Chris Liang filled in for head coach Greg Franklin who was unable to attend the game. While the Jaguars kept it close with great serving, the Blazers responded well to Jaguar scoring runs.

The Blazers started strong and built an early 5-1 lead in the first game. Junior Ignacio "Nacho" Gaete had one kill in the run and made some great passes. But the Jaguars quickly responded with seven unanswered points to take an 8-5 lead. The Blazers made some poor shots and did not communicate well on the court during the stretch.

But the Blazers responded immediately. Key kills by Gaete and sophomore Devin Peck helped propel the Blazers to take a 14-11 lead. From there, Gaete kept strong and an ace by senior Julie Brice helped the Blazers to finished the game 25-13.

The beginning of the second game belonged solely to the Jaguars. They started off with six quick unanswered points before a short serve gave Blair their first point. Despite great plays from Gaete, the Jaguars managed to build a 11-5 lead. But the Blazers responded with four unanswered points and eventually tied it at 12 each after a monstrous block by Peck.

The two teams continued to exchange points until the score was 19-18 in favor of the Blazers. From there though, Blair came alive and won the game 25-20 after two aces and a kill by Gaete. Gaete finished with a team-high 11 kills and three aces.

The beginning of the third game was once again dominated the Jaguars, who jumped out to an early 4-1 lead. But the Blazers took over with a 14-4 run off of great kills and blocks by Gaete. The Blazers continued to mount their lead with great passing and communication on the court. They eventually won the game 25-18 to end the match.

Afterwards, Liang was pleased with the way the team played, but saw room for improvement. "It was a good game," said Liang. "We were very aggressive, but we need to work on serving and receiving serves."

The Blazers' next home game is Monday, April 28 against Wootton at 5:15 p.m.