On April 4, Liberty defeated the Northampton boys volleyball team 3-1 inside Liberty High, leaving the Kids with a 2-2 record on the year.

The ’Canes won the first set by a score of 25-12 as NHS fell to an early 7-3 deficit. The Kids couldn’t muster the strength to get back into the fight during the first set, but it served as a wake up call.

The Kids stepped up to win the second set 25-21. Originally down 8-3, Northampton gained steam after keying in on multiple blocks. The team eventually surpassed Liberty to go up 16-15 and the Kids were able to hold on, tying the game up at 1-1.

The third set saw the most back-and-forth action of the night as neither team seemed to have the answer for being able to break away. The scores went from 1-1, to 5-5, to 13-13, to 20-20, as each team continued to rally. In the end, Liberty came out on top by a score of 25-23.

With a 2-1 lead in hand, Liberty came out guns-blazing for the fourth set, jumping to a 13-8 lead. NHS called timeout and it was exactly what the Kids needed as they managed to tie the score at 17-17. A LHS timeout of their own managed to dwell the surging Kids, eventually walking away with a 25-20 set match victory.

“We got to come out ready to play,” said NHS coach David Faust. “This was a rough game, we need to change our attitude and maintain composure. Liberty surprised us in this one. We should have won this game.”

Faust knows the team needs to step up but had high praise for junior libero/setter Kyle Whiteman.

“Kyle has been a great leader thus far for the team and has done a great job setting the ball up for us to have opportunities. He wants to win,” Faust said.

Upcoming opponents for the Kids include Pocono Mountain West, Parkland, Becahi and Dieruff.

“We have some challenges coming up,” said Faust. “Parkland is always a tough matchup and we don’t know a lot about Pocono West, they are a new team so we don’t know exactly what to expect. But we have to get better and we will.”