Tucker Paquette
@tpaquette17
SPRINGFIELD, Mass.— The Springfield College men’s volleyball team notched its seventh win in a row on Saturday afternoon at Blake Arena, defeating the Endicott Gulls in straight sets 25-16, 25-18 and 25-15.
With the win, the Pride improved to 17-2 on the year, while the Gulls dropped to 2-6.
The first set was consistently paced by the Pride, as they responded swiftly each time the Gulls started to gain momentum.
A notable part of Springfield’s success in the opening set was senior right-side hitter Jarrett Anderson. With seven kills in the first set alone, coupled with a service ace to clinch the game point, Anderson’s ball-striking prowess was an asset for the Pride.
In the eyes of Springfield head coach Charlie Sullivan and everyone else around Anderson, his stellar play is nothing new.
“[Anderson] has been playing at a high level all season,” Sullivan said. “He’s done a brilliant job.”
Anderson tallied 12 kills over the duration of the match, bringing his total so far this year to a team-leading 243.
A pair of 5-0 runs by the Pride were instrumental in them being able to win the second set. But Sullivan was looking for more out of his team, even when they were seemingly in a strong position to close out the Gulls.
“We were sputtering a little bit,” Sullivan said.
Well, it’s safe to say that the Pride ended the match on a high note, with the crescendo being a 10-0 run in the middle portion of the third set.
Sullivan is pleased with how his team performed down the stretch.
“We figured out what we [can] do better, how we can improve,” Sullivan said. “I was proud of how [the players] were able to regroup and get to another level.”
For his part, Anderson appreciates the togetherness that was apparent over the course of the match.
“We played as a unit,” Anderson said. “We worked really hard today and practiced really hard [leading up to the match], so I was happy to see that translate today. [We were] a cohesive, good unit today.”
In addition to Anderson’s performance and the team’s unified playstyle, sophomore outside hitter Noah Weislo stepped up for the Pride in their victory over the Gulls.
Weislo added two kills in both the second and third sets. Specifically, both of his kills in the second set extended runs by Springfield and gave the Pride more momentum in the process.
With his four kills against Endicott, Weislo brings his season total to 127. That places him behind only the aforementioned Anderson on the Pride’s roster in that department.
The Pride, in addition to boosting their strong overall record, also keep an unbeaten 11-0 mark at home alive with Saturday’s result.
Even though the team is racking up wins, Sullivan wants to ensure his team stays focused on improving.
“[Just from] today’s match, looking for things we can do better,” Sullivan said of Springfield’s next steps. “We see some things that are trending downward that we have to correct, even though we’re winning.”
Sullivan is not the only person who feels this way, either. Anderson is in complete agreement with his coach on the team’s need to further raise their level of play.
“We have a growth mindset,” Anderson said. “We definitely have a lot to improve on, so we’re trying to get better at those aspects.”
The Pride will look to show off those improvements in their next match, a road contest slated for 6 p.m. on Thursday against New Paltz State.
Photo Courtesy Springfield College Athletics