After a tense back-and-forth throughout the five sets between the Carlmont Scots (9-5) and the Burlingame Panthers (6-8), the Scots were able to pull away with a win.
“Coming into this game we knew that Burlingame had a strong defense and that we’d have to play around that by practicing our tipping and situational awareness,” said Alisha Mitha, a junior.
The first match got off to a good start with an ace by sophomore Leah McMillen, but the Panthers immediately tied it back up and took a strong lead against the Scots.
The Panthers went on a six-point streak after a kill from Clara Vltavsky, a senior, and forced a timeout from Carlmont with the score at 8-2.
The timeout somewhat helped the Scots as they were able to tack off a few points against the Panthers but they were eventually forced to call another timeout trailing Burlingame 13-5.
A kill from Mitha directly after this timeout set off the Carlmont offense, allowing them to go on a six-point run themselves, led by the serving hand of freshman Grace Xu. This caused the Panthers to call a timeout themselves with Carlmont close behind at 13-12.
“It all starts with one person, in our case it was Alisha. She got us all pumped up and brought us back into the game,” Katrina Wong, a senior and one of the setters for Carlmont.
Directly after the Scots tied the game and then took their first lead of the game. After some back and forth, back-to-back kills by Elizabeth Prozell, a senior, and Morgan McClellan, a junior, allowed the Scots to push ahead 18-16.
Prozell began serving and went on a six-point run of her own, and the Scots were able to take the first match with a final score of 25-17.
The second match started out well for the Scots as well, taking a 2-0 lead with the help of an ace from Prozell.
A back and forth ensued that lasted until the end of the match. At no point was the score between the two teams more than two points.
Kills by McClellan, Vltavsky, and McMillen, as well as saves by Xu and Larkin Chock, a freshman, were unable to get Carlmont the second match, and they fell to Burlingame 25-23.
The Panthers took the first lead of the third match but were quickly met by Vltavsky as she blocked a spike to tie the score. Burlingame fired back, however, and went on a four-point run.
Aces from both Xu and Wong as well as kills from Mitha and McClellan allowed the Scots to tie it up at 8-8.
“I try to look at the blockers and see if there are any gaps or spaces where I can possibly put the ball away. As a spiker you have to stay focused and keep your eyes open so you see the whole court,” Mitha said.
The Panthers quickly fought back and went on a run of their own. After they scored six straight, Carlmont was forced to call a timeout.
This timeout seemed to work for the Scots as they tied it up at 16-16 off of an ace from McClellan. They continued what would be a six-point run, which forced a timeout from Burlingame with the score at 20-16.
This timeout helped, but it didn’t do enough for the Panthers, as the Scots eventually took the third match with the final point coming from a kill from Vltavsky.
A missed serve from Burlingame allowed the Scots to take the first lead of the fourth match. After many back-and-forth points, the Panthers pulled away and brought their lead to five points. The score was 16-11 when Carlmont called their first timeout of the set.
After the timeout, the Scots were able to tighten the Burlingame lead, as a call from Mitha brought the score to 17-15, Carlmont still trailing.
Burlingame’s blockers proved to be a hassle for Carlmont, blocking multiple spikes throughout the set and preventing the Scots from taking the fourth set.
The end of the fourth match resulted in a Burlingame win with the final score being 25-20.
“When we get tense we take deep breaths and remind ourselves to stick to the basics, such as making sure to get your feet to the ball or using wide hands to set. These little things help me realign how I’m thinking and focus on the next play,” Wong said.
A push by McClellan, kill by Vltavsky, and smart play by Wong allowed the Scots to get out to a 3-1 lead in the final set.
After a Burlingame timeout, the Scots came back strong, with Wong instantly getting an ace. As the match progressed, however, the Panthers would close the gap between the scores.
Miscommunication for the Scots, as well as strong plays from Burlingame, allowed them to bring the score to 9-6, but Carlmont was still leading.
The Scots would go on a 6-3 run with kills from both Vltavsky and McClellan and ended up getting the win over Burlingame, the final score being 15-9.
The Scots are set to play Hillsdale in their senior celebration game on Oct. 23.
“Today was a big day for both teams. JV was able to come out here and get a win and so did we,” said Chris Crader, varsity head coach.
