The Lady Warrior volleyball team suffered a narrow loss.
Unable to trounce the assertive opposition, the Warrior girls’ volleyball team (3-8-0, 3-3-0) submitted to the Sunny Hills Lancers 19-25 Sept. 20.
The team entered the first set head-to-head with the the opposition. Senior Emily Andreano leaped to deflect a spike, sending the ball flying through Lancer defenses. Sophomore Emily Burger’s darting ace caused opponents to lose their balance and control of the ball. As the ball flew between the teams, the gym echoed with animated cheers and motivational chants. To the enthusiastic cheers of the crowd, senior Mackenzie Kjenstad responded swiftly to a shot, striking back with an attack of her own.
The Warriors also emphasized defense with senior Mila Chi nimbly blocking a Lancer’s spike and junior Kayden Chan consistently showcasing dives that rescued the ball multiple times. However, despite the initial clash for points, the Lancers played aggressively, and the Warriors struggled to save enough attacks.
The second set continued with the Lancers’ defensive stance, featuring several sliding saves. However, freshman Kaitlyn Mickle and junior Alicia Domingo exhibited fluid teamwork with a barrage of fierce assists and kills. Andreano also struck a powerful spike that shot past the Lancer defense. Despite their evident aggressive plays, the Warriors hit the ball out of bounds and missed on several occasions.
During the last set, the Warriors struggled with several coordination errors, but their consistent efforts resulted in multiple assertive moves. The last set featured freshman Mia Gamez launching the ball over, causing the Lancers to mishandle the ball and send it soaring out. Mickle and Andreano both racked up kills with their sudden hits that snuck past the Lancers’ blocks. Senior Hailey Vargas’s active saves closely prevented the balls from reaching the floor, each dive prompting cheers from the audience.
According to Domingo, the Warriors struggled to exhibit confidence and teamwork, both of which were factors that contributed to their loss.
“I think that we can have more confidence and work together,” Domingo said. “Volleyball is purely a team sport and you can never think that you are playing alone.”
Along with the other new coaches, coach Megan Tomicic initiated changes for the team. They introduced a new style and urged the players to face the games with a positive attitude.
“For us, [getting new coaches] has given us a fresh start and [we’re] hyped for the season,” Domingo said. “Everyday, they want to do everything they can to [encourage] us to bring out our potential and most importantly to teach us what it means to be strong, confident and fearless.”
Even without a victory, this match contributed valuable experience that reveals areas of weakness and pushes the team to advance and succeed in their next game.
“This match taught us that we can’t afford to be afraid,” Domingo said. “There were definitely skills in both defense and offense that we need to improve on, and every day in practice we hope to focus and work on them in order to be more prepared for upcoming games.”