Varsity Girls Volleyball won 3-1 against Gunn High School on Wednesday, Sept. 20. In the first two sets, the Matadors were able to maintain a lead, with scores of 25-20 and 25-16 respectively. Although the momentum swung towards GHS in the third set, resulting in a loss of 25-22, the Matadors recovered in the last half of the fourth and final set with a close score of 25-22.
The first set consisted of the teams scoring similarly, with consistent spiking and blocking from both ends. Halfway through the set, MVHS managed to get the upper hand through powerful and persistent spikes by senior Evelyn Xie. GHS’ attacks were also strategically combatted by strong blocking, with junior and outside hitter Kiana Mark and junior and middle blocker Samantha Tong banding together to achieve successful blocks.
MVHS held the lead in the second set, ending strong with a score of 25-16. The set involved sustained, tense rallies which MVHS ultimately won the majority of, with consistent spikes executed by senior Evelyn Yang. The long rallies continued into the third set which MVHS initially led until a series of failed blocks and outs on MVHS’s end, which allowed GHS to climb back, ending the set 22-25.
Junior and middle blocker Lisa Smith says the team intends to improve by sustaining energy throughout games, attributing the loss in the third set to inconsistent momentum from the team.
“We kind of slowed down the pace a little and let them get too close to us,” Smith said. “We [became] too cocky and thought we could beat them [so] we stopped trying to play to our caliber.”
The energy of the loss in the third set carried over to the fourth, with MVHS falling behind GHS for the majority of the set; however, a few well-coordinated plays allowed MVHS to get back in the game. Junior and outside hitter Kiana Mark secured the win with the last few kills.
Freshman and setter Kylee Mark attributed the team’s recovery in the fourth set to the fact that their coach, Nicki Ezatagha, was yellow-carded for talking back to the referee. She believes that the incident united the team emotionally, propelling their win.
“After that, we all got fired up inside and every point mattered to us,” Kylee said. “[We need] to maintain a good record and always work together. Sometimes we can fall but we help each other and move on to the next play faster.”
Alongside the importance of unity and a collectively positive mood, Smith says she hopes the team can redirect its focus to long-term successes in order to stay consistent on the court for the rest of the season.
“[My goal is to not] get in our heads too much and stay focused on what we love to play,” Smith said. “[We] just play volleyball because we like it and not because we’re competitive about it and care so much about winning. It’s about doing it because we have a passion for it.”
