V-ball fades in finale

NOV. 3, NELSON H. KOBREN MEMORIAL GYMNASIUM—

Spirits were high this afternoon as the Blair girls' volleyball team kicked off their last game of the season against the Paint Branch Panthers. Blair opened strong in its first game but fizzled as the match went on. The tired Blazers put their season to rest this afternoon, losing their final game to the Panthers 20-25, 9-25 and 16-25.

An all-senior line-up consisting of Yicong Liu, Agathe Nyake, Kate Selby, Thaissa Souza, AJ Willis and Kristina Yang played through all three games. The line-up switch energized the Blazers early on, but as the game progressed, Blair's lack of substitution took a toll on the Blazers' play and spirit.

Paint Branch's lack of communication gave Blair a few early points. At 4-5, Willis served two straight aces and then another serve that the Panthers misplayed, prompting a Paint Branch timeout with the score at 7-5. The teams stayed even for the next five points, and though Paint Branch put a couple of points in edgewise, Yang and Willis served the Blazers to a commanding 20-14 position. Paint Branch, unfortunately, regained the serve on a shot that barely arced over the net onto the Blair side, and the Panthers never looked back. Eleven straight points later, Blair had lost the first game 20-25.

Demoralized by the early loss, the Blazers regressed to the style of play that had left them 1-11 heading into the afternoon's game. Blair kept it competitive early, but the Panthers quickly created an insurmountable 5-22 lead. Blair scored three more points on frenzies that went their way, but Paint Branch pulled out an easy 9-25 win.

Lack of execution doomed the Blazers in the last match of the night. Willis scored several early points on sharp blocks and kills, and the Blazers were on somewhat even ground at 9-11, but the Panthers showed more consistency as the night went on and swept the match.

The Blazers finished their season with a first-round playoff loss to Springbrook on Nov. 5.