New Trier Boys Volleyball won against Stevenson with 27-­25 and 25­-19, setting the tone for the rest of the season.

Stevenson missed eleven serves, allowing New Trier to slide ahead. Kieran Hutchinson, junior and outside hitter for the team, attributes the missed serves to a lack of focus. “Serves are the one part of the match a player has 100% control over. The only real excuse for missing a serve is because you were going for an ace. The team must have been thinking too hard about the serve or have not been focused enough,” Hutchinson said.

Yet, the big winner for the first set was a kill­pull from junior, Billy Fauntleroy. “It was my first time in that position, so the swing was new to me. I made an error, but my teammates kept me positive. Thanks to great sets from Niko Gjaja and Alec Chang, I was spiking the ball for days,” Fauntleroy said.

Stevenson held on to a strong start at beginning of the game, leading 18­-13, nearly unheard of for a team with so many players injured. However, they couldn’t hold out for long. “We were down for a while, but we rallied together and won which really showed our dedication,” Fauntleroy said.

With the missed serves, Stevenson didn’t gain any aces. One of the few times they made a point was the result of an error from New Trier. While the error allowed Stevenson to gain the lead momentarily, Hutchinson believes that an error can’t hold the team back collectively.

“Having a next point mentality is crucial. A bad hit should never dictate the rest of your game,” Hutchinson said
With the final win of the first set landing New Trier at 27-­25, the second set began. The two teams battled for the majority of the set. It was due to serving errors on Stevenson’s part that New Trier was able to gain the lead with a 25-­19 win.

“Our whole team contributed a lot. In the second game, we won by six points,” Fauntleroy said.

Even with the win, Hutchinson was able to recognize some of the weaknesses they had. “We managed an ugly win with many unforced errors. The lineup was diverse, allowing many people to get in and play. Unfortunately, we never really found a groove,” Hutchinson said.

While one of New Trier’s greatest strengths is the variety of positions that each player can play, it can also negatively affect the team.

“We have difficulties assigning a player to one position. When game time comes around, we are focused on many positions rather than just one,” Fauntleroy said.
With the lack of concrete positions, New Trier makes up for it in height. This year, the team is one of the tallest it’s ever been. Height not only contributes to an intimidation factor, but impacts the team’s playing as a whole. “Other teams immediately panic when they see us warm up. Our height enables us to block and get kills easier which is extremely important when trying to win a match,” Fauntleroy said.

With the added height and versatility, Boys Volleyball was able to beat Stevenson, an infamously good team. “The fact that we beat them shows our future,” Fauntleroy said.