CLAYMONT – Archmere is moving on in the DIAA boys volleyball state tournament thanks to a hard-earned 3-0 sweep of Odyssey Charter in first-round action on May 13 at Moglia Fieldhouse. Set scores were 25-16, 26-24, and 25-22.
Archmere, the sixth seed, will visit No. 3 Caesar Rodney on Friday night at 6 p.m.
The Auks reached the state tournament for the first time after their second season as a varsity program. Odyssey, the 11th seed, brought an athletic squad to Claymont that pushed the Auks to the brink in both the second and third sets, both of which could have gone either way.
The first set did not follow the same pattern as the others, although it had the same result. Archmere opened up a 10-5 lead on a smash by Logan Bustard, but the Owls got back to within a point at 11-10 on consecutive Archmere errors. Joshua Hanson helped the Auks right the ship with a pair of blocks, and his knockdown of an Odyssey overpass extended the advantage to 16-12. A block by Mason Ganfield moments later pushed the lead to five at 18-13. Aidan Frenck (Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish) sent it to set point with a kill, and Ganfield closed out the first with a blast.
The Owls got off to a strong start in the second, which would remain close throughout. Yael Feliciano Cosme put them ahead, 2-1, with a huge kill, and two straight kills from Ayden Moody, including one incredible off-balance attack, made it 5-2. The Auks cut the deficit to a point on more than one occasion, but Odyssey maintained a three-point advantage, taking a 20-17 lead on a kill from Moody.
Archmere responded with a run that saw them take a 21-20 lead, with a hitting error providing the final point of that 4-0 streak. The Owls, however, answered. Cosme gave Odyssey set point on a bomb down the right side, much to the delight of the team’s fans who made the trip. Patrick Ross threw up a block to tie the set, and a hitting error resulted in set point for the Auks. An Owls attack off the antenna ended the set and put Archmere ahead by two sets.
The Owls took a 4-3 lead in the third on a tape ace from Franz Wong, but neither team could create any space as the set moved on. Ross scored down the middle late in the third to tie the score, 17-17, before the Owls added the next three – the final point coming on a Joseph McLane block – as they attempted the improbable comeback.
An Archmere timeout did not slow the Owls. Odyssey scored the first two points after play resumed to open up a 22-17 advantage. Ganfield cut the lead to 22-19 with a pretty back-line blast. A hitting error on the Owls followed, then a block by Bustard and a Ganfield ace, knotting the score. The Auks closed out the match by taking the next three points on Odyssey miscues, finishing the night with an 8-0 run.
Ganfield led the Auks with 17 kills, while Bustard had nine kills and three aces. Hanson had four blocks. The Auks improved to 14-2.
Final statistics were not available early Wednesday for the Owls, who finished the season 10-6.
In other boys volleyball tournament play, No. 2 Salesianum swept No. 15 Indian River, 3-0, on Tuesday night. The Sals will host the 10th seed, Cape Henlopen, on Friday at 6 p.m.
Photos by Mike Lang.
