The Scarlet Knights volleyball squad suffered a tough 3-2 loss against the Reading Memorial High School Rockets on Monday afternoon in North Andover. Reading is ranked #18 in the state by the Boston Globe staff and North Andover could not pull off the upset after leading 2-1 going into the fourth game.

"They were very quick, the fastest offensive team that we've played," said North Andover coach Veronica Schaefer after the game.

The Knights took the Rockets to five games but fell in the final game fell by a score of 15-11. Reading easily took the first game 25-13, winning 16 of the last 20 rallies to send the Scarlet Knights a message.

North Andover responded well by coming back and taking the second game 25-18. Winning 14 of the last 17 rallies, they carried that momentum into the third game which was an even tighter battle.

The Scarlet Knights started by winning 7 of the first 8 rallies and later in the game relied on Kaylee Lambrinos' serving stretch of 6 straight winning rallies to take the third game 25-21.

With a chance to upset the Rockets, North Andover faltered in game four losing 25-14. Reading took 9 rallies in a row at one point and finished the game on a streak of 10 out of 13 rallies won.

The final set was evenly matched with no team winning more than 4 rallies in a row. Reading led the set 13-11 and after a key side out and final kill, won 15-11.

When it came down to it, North Andover was simply outmatched by a superior offensive team who has their eyes on a state championship run.

Coach Schaefer was still pleased with the way her defense performed against a strong Rockets team.

"Jill McVey had a really good defensive game," she said, but the defensive just could not hold on long enough to stop Reading from winning their ninth of out their last ten games.

North Andover fought hard against a team that is among best in the state. Their record falls to 9-6 with the loss and they are 1-3 in their last four contests.

Reading Memorial High School continues their dominance with the win, increasing their winning streak to six games in a row. With Monday's win over North Andover they improve their overall record to a stout 12-4.

The Reading Rockets will return to action on Wednesday afternoon at Belmont. Struggling Belmont is 5-7 and will face a tough task in trying to right the ship against the Rockets.

Meanwhile the competition for the Knights will not get any easier when they travel to Lynnfield on Wednesday afternoon for their next matchup. Lynnfield boasts a 13-2 record and is ranked by the Boston Globe as 16^th in the state. Lynnfield has lost only 9 total games in the 15 contests they have played this season. Eleven of their 13 wins have come in straight sets.

Lynnfield conquered North Andover 3-2 on Sept. 15.

"We've been waiting to get a chance to play them again," said Schaefer, aware of the potency of Lynnfield's front line.

"They have strong middles, tall, and we're ready to come alive with our blocking," she said.

After Lynnfield, North Andover will play Friday at Hamilton Wenham.