Carlmont’s JV volleyball team brought their A-game against the Burlingame Panthers as they finished the season with one last victory.
Going into the Scots’ last game, the team held an impressive league record of 10-3. The Scots had previously played Burlingame in a game which resulted in a Carlmont win, despite being a close three-set match.
As the Scots came into the game with a two-game losing streak, head coach Irene Oliveira wanted the team to turn things around.
“I expect them to pull themselves out of this rut. I really want them to start believing in themselves and each other again,” Oliveira said.
Sophomore Bianca Johnson had reason to believe why Carlmont lost two games near the end of the season.
“We felt that no other team could beat us because we were top in the league. We began to underestimate decent teams because their skill level just didn’t match up to ours,” Johnson said.
Sophomore Keani Haake effortlessly passes a ball.
Despite having lost their two previous games, the Scots were eager to finish the season with a win.
Starting the game off strong, Carlmont won first serve and sophomore Nicole Yarovoy followed by acing the Panthers, an action that riled up the Scots’ energy.
After multiple rallies between the two teams, the possession of the ball went back and forth. Amid the first set, the score was very tight being 13-13. The Scots went up 14-13 and the Panthers called a timeout.
The Scots came out of the timeout with a surge of energy, gaining a substantial lead over Burlingame. The Scots finished out the first set strong with a final score of 25-16.
Early on in the second set, the Scots were up 4-2 until they were called being out of rotation. Following the call, the game came to a stop for many minutes while the referees figured out what was wrong with Carlmont’s rotation.
“On the lineups, two of the numbers were switched without anyone realizing the issues, and we were called out of rotation for something that was not in our control,” Johnson said.
Once the game started back up, the score changed to 3-3 and the Panthers had possession of the ball. Carlmont had let their guard down after the long break as Burlingame went up 8-3. The Scots quickly won a point back and looked to make a come back to catch up to the Panthers.
Spectators in the crowd cheer on the teams during the intense match.
After Carlmont’s front row made several kills, the Scots were able to diminish the point difference, making the score 10-9. Following a timeout called by the Panthers, Burlingame won back the ball, tying the game.
Parents and spectators in the crowd were at the edge of their seats as the game went on.
The score continued to go back and forth, all the way up to 25-25.
Putting in every ounce of energy the teams had left, both sides fought ferociously to come out on top.
In a final battle, Scots were up 26-25. Sophomore Keani Haake served the ball, and after a long rally, the ball fell on the Panthers side.
The final score of the game was 27-25, and the Scots won in two sets.
“I think we played a lot better than we have in our last two games. We definitely stepped up our game and played at our level, but I think we can always improve. I’m really glad that we ended our season on a high note,” Haake said.
The Scots finished the season with a record of 11-3. Girls JV volleyball will start back up again in Aug. next year.
