The Carlmont JV volleyball team defeated the Terra Nova Tigers after just two sets, giving the Scots a 3-1 winning record despite not having their regular coach.
Heading into the game, the Scots knew that their regular coach, Vern Leslie, would be unable to be present. As a replacement, the team had coach Michael Lapuz. Coach Lapuz also coaches for the girls varsity volleyball team.
Prior to their matchup on Sept. 25 against the Tigers, the team attended the Notre Dame Belmont Tournament. After a long 12-hour tournament, the team won just two out of five games.
“They kind of had a bad weekend, for a tournament. So coming to practice yesterday, they were a little more focused in terms of what their goals were. They said to be more encouraging as opposed to just being more frustrated,” Lapuz said.
Coach Lapuz encouraged the goals to be implemented throughout the game.
“We got more input on what we should be working on, so I think they have different types of strategy as to how they approach a game,” said Nadia Fedotova, a sophomore.
In the first set, it was prominent that their defense guided the team to victory. As a team, they communicated and worked to cover the court defensively. Their teamwork resulted in a 25-17 win.
During the second set, the Scots’ offense led them to defeat the Tigers. The Scots consistently slammed the ball down to open places on the court that no one was covering, resulting in the Tigers not being able to pass the ball back up. The kills led the Scots to victory in the second set, resulting in a 25-8 win.
Despite not having their regular coach, the Scots still defeated the Terra Nova Tigers in less than 40 minutes.
“We struggle with defensive coverage and I think we really picked that up this game after we worked on it during practice,” Fedotova said.
The Scots will play their next game against San Mateo High School on Sept. 26.
