Levesque, Methuen make statement in sweep of Andover

Source: Eagle-Tribune

Andover captains Noah Chanthaboun (52) and Marco Gomez Cabo double team to keep the ball in play against Methuen on Friday.

METHUEN -- James Levesque knew how big Friday night's showdown would be, even if it was only the third game of the spring for Methuen.

Each time that the Rangers play rival Andover, in any sport, it's always going to be a battle. and this season, the two boys volleyball squads are fighting for the top of the MVC.

"Having these big tests early on in the season versus teams like Andover and North Andover, it gives us more confidence," said Levesque. "We know how good we can be, and we know we can make a statement on any given night."

The high-intensity atmosphere proved to be suffocating for the Golden Warriors, as Methuen came out on top over Andover with a 3-0 sweep, improving to 3-0 on the season.

"We had so many guys come back this season, we only lost two players from last year, and you can see that guys have been filling in just fine," said Methuen coach Matt Twomey. "Our big plan tonight was to kill them with our size and our power, and we want to make sure that we do that every single game."

Twomey couldn't have been more correct, as the Rangers used their height to their advantage, as Levesque was incredible in the first set with four kills, making a loud impact early on.

"It felt pretty good getting out there, just getting some kills down early, and I was reading their blocks really well," said Levesque. "My passers were setting me up great, and I just had to put them away."

Forcing Andover to call two timeouts, Methuen was able to come out on top in the first set, 25-12, as Drew Eason joined in with multiple kills.

The Rangers continued their reign in the second set, pulling away from Andover with a 10-6 run, to end the second with a 25-16 win.

However, despite the 2-0 deficit, the Warriors weren't going anywhere.

Marco Gomez Cabo opened the third set strong for Andover with two blocks on booming kill attempts from Levesque early on.

Andover only trailed 13-10 later on in the third, before the Rangers pulled away with a big run, as Levesque continued to dominate, and Matt Kovacev was setting Methuen up nicely.

In the end, it was a 25-19 Rangers win in the final set, as Methuen asserted itself as a top dog in the MVC going forward.

"This win shows us that we can pretty much play with anybody in the state this year, but we can't get too high, or too low, after this one," said Twomey. "We have to try to stay even-keeled."

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