Far away from home, Carlmont’s girls varsity volleyball team pulled off a quick three-set win against Terra Nova.
On Oct. 17, the Scots traveled to Pacifica, California, to face off against the Tigers.
The first set was close. Terra Nova stayed right behind the Scots for the entire set. Still, Carlmont managed to stay ahead by a narrow margin, winning the first set 25-22.
“It should have never been that close … We need to take it more seriously and make fewer errors. We need to stop missing our serves and get better passes and just play the game we all know how to play,” said Morgan McClellan, captain for the girls varsity volleyball team.
After shedding their pregame nerves, the Scots made fewer mistakes and started to communicate more, winning the second set 25-11.
For this game, varsity head coach Mike Lapuz decided to prepare for the future of his team. Knowing that a lot of seniors are graduating this year, he wanted to give other players a chance to get playing time this season, and this was the perfect opportunity to do so.
“Going into this game, I knew that the team we were playing against wasn’t going to be as strong. So I tried different lineups with different people in different positions, especially for the underclassmen on the team,” Lapuz said.
The Terra Nova crowd watches closely during the second set.
Although Lapuz and Morgan both believe that it’s essential to have fun, they also agreed that the team needed to focus on communication and finish the set strong.
Eventually, the Scots were able to calm down and finish off the third set 25-17.
Terra Nova has not won any games this season, making their record 0-9. Because of this, Andrew Serrano, varsity head coach for Terra Nova, treats these games as a chance to improve as a team.
“We’re not really a strong team, so anything we’re doing to improve is important,” Serrano said.
The Scots only have three games left, and if they win all three, they may qualify for the Central Coastal Section [CCS] playoffs. For the coach and players, making CCS playoffs has been a goal throughout the season.
“Getting closer to CCS, we have to keep our record up high, and we have to stay positive and keep working hard,” Lapuz said.
Carlmont’s next game is on Oct. 22 against San Mateo High School.
Diane • Oct 26, 2019 at 4:00 pm
Are you certain this is only your first year as a sports writer? You write like a well seasoned, experienced commentator!
Well done!