After three close sets, Carlmont’s girls JV volleyball team upset Burlingame on Thursday night, Oct. 18.
After suffering a disheartening loss to Woodside on Tuesday, Oct. 16, the Scots rallied to defeat a higher ranked Burlingame Panthers team in three nail-biting sets.
Earlier in the season, the Scots had lost to Burlingame at home but felt that they played well and could have done even better.
“We match up pretty well against Burlingame,” JV head coach Bobby Walton said. “This years’ team, they’re very energetic.”
The Scots used their energy throughout the match, consistently proving to Burlingame they would not be put away easily.
In the first set, Burlingame quickly took the lead 10-2 with a few quick hits and help from some errors made by Carlmont. A kill by freshman Sasha Belov allowed the Scots to make a small run with good defense and strong hits. Burlingame took notice and pushed back with a run of their own, giving the Panthers a comfortable 17-6 lead and forcing the Scots to take a timeout.
“Bobby yelled at us and told us to keep pushing,” said Jordan Yee, a freshman.
The Scots listened to their coach and pushed through a string of long rallies, putting points together for the first time all match.
Belov said of the rallies, “Winning a long rally definitely brings spirit and makes the team more confident in the game.”
Moral was high for Carlmont despite the score of 18-11. A back and forth between the teams saw the Panthers at game point, 24-16. At game point, though, Burlingame relaxed and Carlmont took advantage.
“This year’s team is different because we have a lot of freshmen. It gives us more flexibility in terms of how we play,” said Nicole Olazar, a sophomore.
The freshman stepped up when it counted. With their back against the wall, freshman Keani Haake brought a series of aces and Belov made some critical hits. The score became tied at 24-24, prompting Burlingame to take a timeout.
“It definitely feels amazing when you come back in a set,” Belov said. “It brought a lot of confidence for the next set.”
After the timeout, Haake served a short float-serve for an ace. At game point, Natache Adan, a freshman, spiked it to the back corner as everyone’s eyes turned to the line judge. After an intense comeback, Carlmont claimed the first set victory 26-24.
“It was really impressive that we got our stuff together and rallied to win that first set,” Adan said.
The Scots looked confident to start the second set, but the Panthers came out determined to win. The second set began much like the first and Burlingame took a comfortable 12-4 lead midway through.
The defense noticeably dropped from the first set, in part because of Burlingame’s adjustments.
“In the second set they started mixing up their shots and we weren’t ready,” sophomore Jenny Xu said. “Our defense in the first set was definitely better; we had a lot of energy.”
A trading of points was enough for Burlingame to end the second set with a 25-14 win.
By the time the whistle blew for the third set to start, the crowd, mood, intensity, and anticipation had all noticeably grown.
After a questionable call early in the set, Burlingame began to self-implode, and Carlmont wasted no time in taking advantage. The Scots quickly raised the score to 7-2, but Burlingame soon relaxed themselves and fought back, trading off points with Carlmont until the score was 13-11 Scots.
“It was nerve-wracking because we both wanted it and they were tipping it, and we didn’t know if we were going to crack or push through,” freshman Izzy Wilson said.
On game point, a quickset from sophomore Audrey Luey was hit by Olazar and bounced on the floor as the tension exploded into cheers for the Scots, winning the set 15-12.
“It felt really good to win because Burlingame is one of the better teams in our league,” Wilson said.
The Scots left the game with a conference record of 7-6; the Panthers took their fourth loss and are now sitting at 9-4.
With only one game remaining this season, it is important to end on a good note. For now, at least, the Scots are going to let the feeling of their win sink in.
After the win, Wilson said, “It feels like we haven’t won yet, I’m just so surprised.”
