Entering the Burlingame High School gym on Thursday, Oct. 30, the junior varsity (JV) Lady Scots were confident despite having lost their undefeated title to Menlo-Atherton on Tuesday, Oct. 28.
The Scots hit it off hard in the first set. A combination of strong serves, hits, and agile net-game earned them the lead against the Burlingame Panthers.
With the Scots ahead 11-4, the Panthers coach called a time out. It didn’t seem to help, as they couldn’t manage to hold the ball for more than one play per sideout. They were able to maintain the seven point gap, however, adding to their score at an equal rate of the Scots.
The game seemed to be going in the Scots favor as they maintained their sharp edge. But after three time outs called by Burlingame, the Panthers made a near-impossible comeback to tie the score at 17-17.
Burlingame gave the ball back to the Scots by sending it out of bounds and touching it more than three times. At 21-17, Scots, the Panthers called another time out.
Returning to the basics, both teams used the standard bump-set-spike routine in attempts to come out ahead in the first set.
The teams alternated siding out until they were tied at 24-24. Cheers went up from loyal Scots’ parents as they blocked a tip to take the set forward. A roar of approval swept the gym when the Panthers sided out to once again tie the game at 25-25, and then added another point to the score board.
A time out was called by the Scots. Upon their return to the court, the Panthers served the ball to the far right corner. Carlmont Coach Taylor Chung yelled that the ball was going out of bounds; it was not. Burlingame pocketed the first set.
The JV Lady Scots went into the second set rattled but determined. The two teams were neck and neck on the score board until the Panthers pulled ahead with their strong net-game.
Tides had turned, and now it was the Scots who had difficulty keeping the ball for more than one play. As the Panthers continued scoring off of them, Carlmont’s defense started to waver as their moral lowered and their nerves were visible in their plays.
By the time the scoreboard read 16-9 with the Panthers in the lead, the Scots’ serves, blocks and hits were not what they were in the beginning of the first set. Coach Taylor called a time out, after which Carlmont won a chance at redemption.
After adding two points to their score, the Panthers reclaimed the serve from the Scots. A few sideouts later and Burlingame was nearly at their game point, 23-14.
The Scots did not give up hope, and earned another chance to make up points. Yet after a serve fell out of bounds, the ball was returned to the other side of the court and brought the second set to game point.
Burlingame took the game as the ball fell past Carlmont’s defense near the front of the net.
JV Lady Scots were unsettled after the game.
“I’m really shocked. We came into the game really confident, and I guess we were just cocky about how it would turn out,” said Makenna Twisselman, a sophomore on the JV Scots team.
After they lost the first set, Carlmont’s nerves were rattled as they fell behind in the second set.
“When we look at the scoreboard and see that we’re down by five, we just lose all confidence and we make more and more mistakes,” added Twisselman.
Coach Chung asserted that the first set was a lost cause for the Scots after they let go of their substantial lead.
“[The Panthers] came back from a deficit that almost no one can come back from. Usually that’s our team, and it sucks to be on the receiving end of that for a change,” said Chung.
