The Carlmont Scots JV girls volleyball team battled fiercely, but were ultimately defeated by the Menlo-Atherton Bears 2-0 during their league game on Tuesday, Oct. 22.
With the Bears having beaten the Scots during their last matchup and the two teams being in first and second place in the league, there was a lot of tension before the start of the game. Beginning strong, the Scots took the lead, holding onto it until halfway through the set, at 15-9. The Bears were able to catch up after several good plays, tying the game at 24-24 before pouncing on errors from the Scots and winning the set 27-25.
After the first set comeback, the Scots were feeling the pressure as the game’s momentum swung toward the Bears. The cheers the Scots had been doing throughout the first set began to die down as the Bears pulled ahead.
“At the beginning of the season, they were very inconsistent because of the mental part of the game. One of the things they did was they created a mechanism to keep going by cheering after each won point. They were able to fix that consistency problem, and that’s what was so disappointing about this match, which was that they didn’t do it,” said coach Mark Patenaude.
The Scots continued to give up points with poor hits and miscommunication, while the Bears maintained a steady lead. The Scots fought hard but were unable to catch them, losing 25-15.
When asked about the game, many players echoed the thoughts of Patenaude.
“It was a hard game; it was the championship game, and we got second. A lot of it is mental, your serves, hits, sets, everything,” said sophomore Arina Bolsakova .
Despite a strong showing at the beginning of the game, the Scots seemed to slow down after giving up a couple of points during the first set.
“We could have more energy on the court. When we got down, our energy also went down, and that wasn’t good. Also, we were just inconsistent. When it comes to thinking about, ‘oh, if I did this, or if I got it over the net,’ sometimes people overthink it, so I feel like it’s just all mental,” said freshman Reagan Simon.
It was a tough game for the Scots, but they will continue to work and improve with two league games remaining.
