Girls Volleyball lost to Los Gatos High School 3-0 on Sept. 12 in the first league game. Both teams kept the score tight in the first set, but LGHS forced an MVHS timeout at 22-18 and won 25-21.
During the second set, LGHS held a lead of 7-3 and continued to apply pressure, forcing another MVHS timeout at 15-10. LGHS took the second set with a score of 25-19 and the third at 25-14.
Head Coach Nadia Lan acknowledges the team is missing “key pieces” from the previous season. Lan says the team is filling players who can best fit the roles of those who graduated since half the team members are from last year’s junior varsity team. Coming into the match against LGHS, Lan had expectations for the team to keep the score close.
“In the first league game, we knew we were going to play big hitters,” Lan said. “We wanted to see how well our team could stand mentally. I actually don’t expect them to win, but I expect to keep the game close.”
Lan says the game exposed weaknesses, such as service receive, and that the team would work on patching it up. Junior and libero Victoria Woo affirms Lan’s opinion, saying that the team fell short on service receive and could also improve the placement of the ball, both on offense and defense.
“I think my defense was OK, but I definitely could have moved faster,” Woo said. “I think I could still improve on my reaction time.”
Senior and outside hitter Kiana Mark emphasizes that the team’s performance will improve with experience. She stresses the importance of being flexible and playing with more confidence.
“Especially in the beginning, we came in with a lot of energy,” Mark said. “Personally, I let their physicality get to me, so I have to be able to mentally get over that hurdle for future games.”
Recognizing that the younger players on the team may struggle, Mark plans to step up to improve their confidence. Lan agrees and looks forward to the rest of the upcoming season.
“Our team has a lot more room to improve, and we have a high ceiling too,” Lan said. “I feel like right now we’re just starting, so I do expect as the season goes on, they’re going to be tougher on the core, mentally, and also a lot of the execution is going to get better.”
