Somers volleyball battles to five sets, falls short against Scarsdale

SOMERS, N.Y. - On Tuesday, Sept. 9, the Somers boys volleyball team took the floor at SHS and came within a point of victory on multiple occasions. But despite holding several match points, the Tuskers could not close it out and suffered a tough five-set loss to visiting Scarsdale.

Somers opened the night on fire, racing to a 4-0 lead behind setter Jacob Anderson, who delivered two aces and set up Jaiden Marichal for back-to-back kills. Marc Mundis and Ryan Ball added key points as the Tuskers stormed to a commanding 25-11 win in the opening set.

The Raiders regrouped quickly, however, jumping out to a 12-5 lead in the second set. Somers battled back behind strong play from Marichal and middle hitter Jordan Daniyan, eventually edging ahead 20-14. But Scarsdale clawed back to force extra points and stole the set, 27-25, on the strength of two straight aces.

Unshaken, Somers regained control in the third. Highlighted by diving digs from Mundis and a flurry of kills from Marichal, Daniyan, and Ball, the Tuskers built a 19-12 cushion. Though Scarsdale tied it late, Daniyan came through with a decisive kill-and-block combo to secure the set, 26-24, and put Somers up 2-1.

The fourth set proved pivotal. Somers built a four-point lead at 21-17, but disaster struck when Marichal went down with an injury. Without their top hitter, the Tuskers fought valiantly, even holding multiple match points, but Scarsdale survived and pulled out the 29-27 win to even the match.

Momentum stayed with the Raiders in the fifth and deciding set. Somers briefly led 5-2, but Scarsdale surged back behind Armaan Zaidi’s blocking at the net and closed out the match, 15-10.

Despite the loss, Somers showed grit and flashes of dominance, led by Anderson’s setting, Daniyan’s blocking, and Mundis’ all-around hustle. But without the finishing touch, the Tuskers were left with a hard-fought defeat against a resilient Scarsdale squad.