Lara Craciun

Freshman Curly Raddavero spikes the ball over the net to San Mateo.

After an intense back and forth match, Carlmont girls JV volleyball fell short against San Mateo in two close sets.

After losing 25-13 in the first set and 30-28 in the second, the Scots walked off the court with anger and frustration. They had beaten San Mateo the previous game at home, a win which gave the Scots even more confidence going into the match on Oct. 22.

Last week, the Scots earned themselves a monumental victory against the undefeated Menlo-Atherton Bears. However, tension filled the air after they followed last week’s win with an upsetting loss.

“Our team came in arrogant. We thought it would be easy from now on after beating Menlo-Atherton, and the way we played reflected that,” freshman Curly Raddavero said. 

After the game, a team discussion was held to talk about what went wrong with the game. The girls came out of the locker room reflecting on what they could improve on. It was apparent the loss was upsetting for the entire team. 

However, this behavior is not typical among the Scots. This season was very successful for the team, as prior to this loss, the team was on a seven-game winning streak. After their victory against Menlo-Atherton, the Scots moved up to first place in their league. This change in attitude took a visible toll on the entire team. 

Coach Irene Oliveira believes the team’s practices were the reason behind Tuesday’s stumble.

“We had a poor practice yesterday. We’ve had kids missing on and off all week. It’s not a team sport when kids don’t show up to practice [or] have other things going on. It hurts. It affects everyone on the team,” Oliveira said. 

Though this lack of focus is not typical among the Scots, skipping practice is.

“We never have a full team of practice. This was a culture that was created before I got here,” Oliveira said. 

Carlmont’s energy was another critical component that was absent during the game. The Scots usually cheer and encourage their teammates. However, this game was unusually quiet.

“Our overall energy just wasn’t there. The court was dead, and on the bench, nobody was helping to bring the court up. That just contributed to us not playing the way we usually do,” sophomore Bianca Johnson said. 

The Scots are not ones to give up. The team’s attitude showed a desire to improve and learn from their mistakes. The time to do this is at practice.

“[I’ll] drill them harder,” Oliveira said. 

The team used this loss as a wakeup call.

“Next game, we can be more consistent. We can stop making those silly mistakes and be more focused and supportive,” Raddavero said.

For more information on girls JV volleyball stats and schedules or other Carlmont sports information, visit Carlmont’s athletic website.