CLAYMONT – Archmere overcame a late deficit in the first set and battled Christiana point for point over the next two sets in a 3-0 sweep in boys volleyball on April 7 at Moglia Fieldhouse. Set scores were 26-24, 25-18, and 25-25-20 as the Auks won their sixth straight.
Christiana led by as many as five in the first, taking a 13-8 advantage following an Auks error. Archmere got within two on several occasions, including on a tap to the left sideline by Patrick Ross after a great save that made it 21-19. A few points later, however, the Vikings had a 23-20 lead, but the set was far from over.
Logan Bustard scored on a deep push to cut the Vikings’ lead to 23-22, and Sam Ryan (St. Thomas the Apostle Parish, Glen Mills, Pa.) delivered an ace that tied the score. Archmere scored the first set point on a Joshua Hanson block, but Christiana tied it on a kill by Son Nguyen. A service error led to the Auks’ second set point, and this time, they capitalized when an attack from Bustard was dug out of bounds.
Hanson helped the Auks to a 3-0 second-set lead with a pair of early kills, but the margin remained a point or two for most of the way. Christiana battled back and took an 11-10 lead on an Archmere hitting error, but the Auks made a move. Bustard served up an ace during a 5-0 run, and they were able to hold off the Vikings. Aidan Frenck (Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish) pitched in with a few crossing winners, the second of which made it 21-16, and he followed that with an ace. Christiana saved one set point on a kill before Mason Ganfield ended the second with a smash off the Vikings’ block.
For Christiana, this was the third straight match in which they lost the first two sets. In the others, the Vikings were able to battle back for five-set wins, but the Auks were determined to end that streak.
Christiana got off to a 5-1 start in the third as they took advantage of a few Archmere miscues, but Bustard helped slow their momentum, at least temporarily, with a smash that made it 5-2, followed by an ace, also by Bustard. The Vikings rebounded, and midway through the set, they held a 13-9 lead.
The Auks hung around, pulling to within a point at 18-17 when a serve receive by Gabriel Candeloro (St. John the Beloved Parish) bounced back over the net and found open space. Bustard crushed on off the Christiana wall to tie the score, and he put the Auks on top with an attack that looped over the Vikings’ defense to the far left corner. A hitting error on the Vikings, followed by a Ganfield ace, increased the lead to 21-18. A final Bustard kill pushed the lead to 23-19, but after a Vikings error and a save on match point, the afternoon ended with a service error.
Bustard finished with 15 kills, while Ganfield had eight, along with three aces. Frenck contributed 16 assists, and Leo Bergez added 14. The Auks (6-1) wrap up a five-match home stand on Wednesday at 4 p.m. against MOT Charter before playing six of their final seven matches on the road.
No statistics were available Monday night for the Vikings. Christiana (5-2), which had a four-match winning streak snapped, is home on Thursday at 5 p.m. against Aspira.
Photos by Mike Lang.
