Blue Wave Boys Claw Past Tigers to Remain Undefeated

The Darien Blue Wave Boys Volleyball team kept their regular season win streak alive with their 34th consecutive victory as they defeated The Ridgefield Tigers in three sets Saturday morning.

Video Highlights Ridgefield at Darien, May 15, 2021

The Tigers had some fight in them in the first set, but narrowly lost 25-21. The Wave dominated the next two games; winning 25-15 and 25-14.

The Tigers won a five set match on Thursday night against Trumbull and another five set match Friday night against New Canaan. The Tigers appeared to have finally run out of gas after the first set against Darien Saturday morning. Ridgefield’s fatigue notwithstanding, Darien’s physical conditioning, high level of skill, and disciplined execution were probably the main factors in getting the win.

Darien moves to 15-0 on the season and continue to be ranked #1 in Class L. They also rank inside the top 75 in the nation and are likely to move up in the national standings if they can beat tough Norwalk and Staples teams this week.

Not only does Darien rank #1 in Class L as a team, but they also have a few players who rank as tops in the state and nationally.

Senior Captain Zarek Swetye is the top ranked Setter in the state with 32 more Assists and four fewer sets played than the second ranked Setter. He ranks fourth in the state in Aces Served and is tied for #21 nationally in Aces Per Set. Swetye has the great fortune to set the ball for some of the state’s top ranked Hitters. Outside Hitter, Trevor Herget (So.) is ranked number one in the state in Hitting Percentage and second in Kills. He is also ranked 16th in the nation in Hitting Percentage and is also tied for #21 nationally in Aces Per Set. Junior Captain and Outside Hitter, Luke Bradbury is ranked fourth in the state in Kills and 19th in Hitting Percentage. Bradbury ranks #13 in the country in Aces Per Set. Senior Captain and Middle Hitter, Frank Pirone is ranked 10th in Hitting Percentage and 75th in Kills. Middle Hitter, Trey Davenport (So.) and Right Hitter, Griffith Crouse (Fr.) are also capable hitters. With that kind of firepower, it is understandable why Swetye has the most assists in the state and is also ranked 22nd in the nation with 9.2 Assists Per Set.

However, Darien excels not only on offense, but also on defense. Isaac McMullin (So.), Bradbury, and Herget are all ranked inside the state’s top 25 in Digs.

Since their inception in 2006, the Darien Boys Volleyball team has won three state championships, has been a four time state runner-up, five FCIAC titles including the past four. The program's success is due in large part to the contributions of the JV players. Head Coach Laurie LaRusso puts together strong JV teams that can compete against the varsity in practice. Most, if not all, of the Darien JV players would be starters on other FCIAC varsity teams. Michael Dolcetti, Will Olson, and Colin Rebello bring skill, leadership, athleticism, experience, and maturity to the JV and Varsity teams.

Coach LaRusso also always has capable assistant coaches and the past couple of years have been no exception. Catherine Schara was an outstanding college player and has done an excellent job coaching the JV team to a 10-2 record this season.