CLAYMONT — Archmere’s boys volleyball team, in its first year as a varsity program, has made five sets almost the standard in its inaugural year. The Auks entered their match April 12 against Saint Mark’s having played three five-setters in their first five contests.
With a 2-0 lead on the Spartans, they looked to complete their first sweep. The Spartans, however, had other ideas, and they roared back to take the third and fourth sets, sending the match to a decisive fifth. The Auks shook off any disappointment that lingered after the Spartans rallied, going on to a 15-9 decision and a 3-2 victory that evened their season record at 3-3.
Set scores were 25-12, 25-18, 22-25, 14-25, and 15-9.
After taking the first two sets, Archmere opened the third with a 5-0 lead, getting a block and a kill from Leo Bergez to start, followed by a Colin Mosley block and finishing with an ace from Aidan Frenck.
Logan Bustard brought the power later in the set, crushing a kill to increase the lead to eight at 11-3. But the Spartans rallied. With the Auks ahead, 18-16, Ruben Rodriguez scored on a service winner, and a violation on Archmere tied the score. Ruben Rodriguez put the Spartans on top with an ace. The Auks tied it twice, but a hitting error brought the set to an end.
Saint Mark’s kept the momentum going throughout the fourth. They took advantage of Auks errors to help build an 8-3 lead. Rodriguez continued with his strong service game as the lead grew. The Spartans finished strong. Tahj Johnson managed a lefthanded kill while heading out of bounds to make it 23-14. Daniel Pagano followed with a kill, and Adam Arora wrapped it up with an ace.
The Auks were not discouraged. They started with a 4-0 lead in the fifth, capped by a service winner from Frenck. The teams traded errors before Joshua Hanson scored for Archmere by stuffing an overpass.
The Spartans stayed close, using a 4-0 run to get to within a single point at 8-7, a run that included an ace for Charles Lord. A net violation on Saint Mark’s, however, helped the Auks on their way. Bustard served up an ace to get it to 11-7. Hanson sent a long lob to the end line to reach match point, and libero Gabriel Candeloro ended the night with a well-placed back-line smash.
Bustard had 10 kills and 11 digs for the Auks, while Frenck had four kills and 15 assists, and Bergez had five kills and eight assists. Archmere is home on April 17 at 4 p.m. against Newark Charter.
Final statistics for the Spartans were not available late Friday night. Saint Mark’s (2-5) hosts William Penn on April 15 at 5:30 p.m.
Photos by Mike Lang.
