WEST SPRINGFIELD—The West Springfield boys’ volleyball team suffered its second loss of the season on Monday, being swept by Agawam.
On Wednesday, though, the Terriers (6-2) had their sights set on Ludlow and headed onto the court to avenge the outcome of their last game.
West Springfield succeeded, winning all three sets in a dominant fashion against the Lions (0-7) to get back in the win column.
Ludlow did not score more than 15 points in each of the three sets. The Terriers’ strong presence at the net helped keep the Lions’ attempts from crossing over, and Ludlow’s self-inflicted mistakes influenced its lack of points.
While the Lions hunted for offensive momentum, it came easy for West Springfield. Although early on in some sets, the score was tied, the Terriers quickly found their rhythm and started to expand their lead.
“That’s been something that we’re trying to focus on, starting up hot and playing through. (Against) Agawam, we started a little slower; today, I think we did a better job of starting off hot,” head coach David Nemchinsky said.
West Springfield showcased its strength by relying on its powerful serves throughout the contest. Many different Terrier players had the skill to do so, which often resulted in quick points. Ludlow players couldn’t get their hands on the ball in time, often grazing it or hitting it at awkward angles.
Against the Lions, the Terriers also had a chance to cycle through their roster, sending out many players who saw less playing time than others. Despite the more consistent substitutions, West Springfield remained focused, allowing its versatile and strong offensive abilities to lead the way.
“I think we played well. It was a little quieter game, but we tried to get some kids involved that don’t normally see playing time,” Nemchinsky said.
Five different players for the Terriers had five or more kills in the game, with Daniel Gargun leading the team with eight. Murad Mukhtasimov and Michael Zubik each tallied six, while Prasanta Bhandari and Aleksandr Bak recorded five.
Bhandari, the current team leader in assists, had 270 total and chalked up 27 assists, three aces, and one block.
West Springfield’s top blocker, Ruvim Derevyanchuk, had 1.5 blocks, tying with Bak to lead the Terriers, while Derevyanchuk also notched five aces.
In the first set, West Springfield made some mistakes at the beginning that Ludlow capitalized on, keeping the score close.
However, the Terriers found their offensive flow, and with the intimidating presences of Zubik, Bhandari, and Bak at the net, West Springfield had the momentum on its side to secure the 25-13 outcome.
Following the second set, the Terriers got an early lead and continued to build on it. The Lions had no answers, and West Springfield’s offensive efficiency was on full display to win that set 25-10.
Differing from the previous two sets, the third set featured the most competitive gameplay of the match. With an evenly matched start, the score was tied at 4-4
Then, the Terriers began to pull away, scoring five unanswered points. Yet, Ludlow had a response, and following a brief timeout, they stacked up some points and grabbed a 10-9 lead over West Springfield.
As momentum had swung in favor of the Lions, West Springfield was forced to make some mid-game adjustments.
“We were struggling with our serve receive,” Nemchinsky said. “We got a little lazy there, and then we kind of picked it up towards the end and tried to get our middles involved more… I feel like that’s somewhere we can exploit them, so we tried to go to them a lot more today.”
Even though Ludlow kept it close until the halfway point of the set, the Terriers found their footing again, outscoring the Lions 15-6 on their way to completing the sweep with a 25-15 third-set victory.
This matchup is the second and last time the two teams will face each other in the regular season. West Springfield has come out on top, sweeping Ludlow in both games.
Looking ahead, the Terriers have a quick turnaround and will host Longmeadow on Thursday, April 16, at 6 p.m. This will be a rematch against the Lancers (6-2), a team the Terriers defeated in their season opener.
The Lions are still searching for their first win of the season. On Monday, April 21, at 5 p.m., they will travel to Springfield International Charter in hopes of breaking their current seven-game losing streak.
