Girls Volleyball wins 3-2 in a thrilling comeback against Notre Dame
Lady Mats continue their undefeated streak after winning their fifth game of the season
With two blockers in front of her, senior Marissa Jensen prepares to spike the ball across the court. Photo by Irene Tang
September 4, 2021
Yells echoed throughout the gymnasium as the Varsity Girls Volleyball team expressed their excitement, huddling together and soaking up their fifth victory of the season.
The team triumphed in a close victory against Notre Dame on Sept 3., bringing their record to 5-0-0 — the first time the girls volleyball team has consecutively gone undefeated in the past few years.
The first set started off strong for both teams until NDHS pulled ahead, cementing the first set with a 18-25 victory for NDHS. Continuing their strong offense, NDHS stayed in front of MVHS during the second period and ended the set with a 20-25 win.
Sophomore Mithila Chaudhari, the main libero of the game, attributes their lagging start to the absence of senior and captain Lia Vorthmann, who she believes is a crucial component of the team’s communication.
“She’s the senior [that’s always] leading us, [so in the] first two [to] three sets we didn’t have [her] there, it was kind of odd,” Chaudhari said. “Without a leader, we were kind of like, ‘Oh, you get it, I get it,’ and then we [were] just letting the ball drop.”
Given NDHS’s early lead and losing 0-2 at the end of the second set, Chaudhari was doubtful about victory. She states that because NDHS had already won two sets in a row, they had “momentum” and were in a good state of mind for the third. It would be hard for MVHS to create their own momentum if they wished to make up for the previous losses.
However, freshman Kiana Mark shares that the team didn’t let the 0-2 setback deter them; rather, it motivated them to “push themselves harder” and go into the third round “very gritty.”
“I [didn’t] want to go,” Mark said. “I [didn’t] want to lose this 3-0; if we’re gonna lose this, we [wanted] to fight back.”
MVHS finished the third set 25-19 and proceeded to a narrow win in the fourth set 25-23, leading them to the final set.
During the tiebreaker game, MVHS and NDHS were neck to neck the entire round, never allowing a lead greater than one point separate them. It wasn’t until 8-8 when MVHS started picking up the pace.
The pressure seemed to be setting in as NDHS slowly tried closing the gap, catching up 13-14; but with one final spike by Mark, the match ended, with MVHS winning 15-13. The players on the court jumped excitedly as the other team members joined them, huddling together and soaking up their victory. Mark believes that the MVHS team’s hard work and ability to adapt in difficult situations sets them aside from others.
“We’re definitely very gritty and we kept pushing,” Mark said. “Even though we were down 0-2, we came up with a win. Sometimes it’s harder [when we] start out, but we [definitely will] get it done.”
Elated by the undefeated streak, Chaudhari says that she is “hyped” for the future games this season and looks forward to continuing to play with her team.
“We play really well together [which] some teams don’t … match well,” Chaudari said. “We’re all friends and [understand each other], so I’m excited [for our upcoming games this season].”
