BRANDYWINE HUNDRED – T.J. McConnell and Zach Strickland each recorded 13 kills as Concord earned a four set win over St. Mark’s in boys volleyball on April 27. Set scores were 25-19, 16-25, 25-23, and 25-17.
The Spartans took a 16-10 lead in the opening set on a smash by John Mouser, and the lead was four points, 18-14, after a Mouser push that touched the end line. But the Raiders fought back, finally catching St. Mark’s at 19 when McConnell found the doughnut hole in the Spartans’ defense. Concord kept the pressure on, and by the time the hosts took the set on a cross by McConnell, they had scored the final eight points of the set.
The teams were even for part of the second set, but Mouser’s stuff of a Raiders overpass extended St. Mark’s lead to 14-10. William Sonchen sent a kill of the Raiders’ block, and with Concord struggling with the service return, the lead grew to 18-12. Mouser ended the set by killing another overpass, and the match was tied.
The Raiders were very good when they stayed in system, setting the ball for McConnell, Strickland and Matthew Lindenhoffen. A 7-1 run turned a five-point deficit into a 14-12 Concord advantage, but later in the set, the Spartans erased that and tied the score at 21 on an ace by Ayden Worsh and consecutive unforced errors. A tip kill by Sonchen lifted the Spartans to a 23-21 lead, but after a timeout, the Raiders took advantage of some St. Mark’s errors to capture the set and a 2-1 match lead.
Concord closed it out with a strong fourth set. Strickland finished with a team-leading 11 digs to go along with his kills. The Raiders (3-3), playing their first varsity campaign, are at A.I. duPont at 3:30 p.m. Monday.
For St. Mark’s, Mouser led the way with 14 kills and five blocks. John Zdziech had 11 digs. The Spartans (3-4) travel to Dickinson on Wednesday for a 3:30 p.m. start.
