The Athol High School boys’ volleyball team has a second consecutive PVIAC East Division title in its sights this spring.
Tuesday night’s league opener set a solid tone for the Red Raiders’ pursuits.
Visiting Athol shook off a slow start, rebounded nicely and closed the deal in convincing fashion late to capture a 14-25, 25-20, 25-20, 25-12 victory over East Longmeadow High School in PVIAC East action in East Longmeadow.
The win was the second straight to start the season for the Raiders (2-0, 1-0), who swept Ware High School on Friday in season-opening independent action. East Longmeadow suffered its first defeat of the year, falling to 1-1 (0-1 in the East).
Justin Blake paced the offense for the second straight match. The senior put down 15 kills, and also aided the cause on the defensive end with 15 digs.
Jordan Carrasquillo added nine kills to go with eight digs and a pair of blocks, while Anthony Potenti (four kills, 13 digs) and Zach Aldrich (three kills, two aces, four digs) also made contributions to the victory. Hudson Carlson recorded a team-high 16 digs, and Matt Willhite added six.
Sophomore setter Colby Soltysik dished out an impressive 34 assists for Athol, adding two aces and two kills.
“Great response from the boys after an abysmal first set,” Athol head coach Sean MacDonald offered. “Sets two and three were battles and (we) cruised in set four when we were feeling good and (East Longmeadow) started to look deflated. Good win on the road and a big league victory.”
Athol stays in league play Thursday night, when it stays on the road for the third straight contest with an away match at Springfield Central High School (5 p.m.).
• In JV action Tuesday night, Athol fell in its opener to East Longmeadow, 3-0. The third set was the closest, with the Spartans holding on for a 15-13 win.