Bleachers filled.
Walls decorated.
Deafening cheers echoing throughout the gym.
On Oct. 25 the Scots celebrated their senior night with a victory over the Half Moon Bay Cougars.
Despite their slow start, the Lady Scots gained momentum by the middle of the second set and remained resilient throughout their match as they won three out of four sets against the Cougars.
Although Carlmont lost the first set, they did not do so without a fight. They came back from a nine-point deficit by scoring 10 consecutive points, taking the lead 21-19. However, this rally did not prove rewarding as the Cougars took the first set from the Lady Scots.
“There were a lot of mixed emotions on and off of the court. We definitely were shaken up which affected the outcome of the first set. We lost it 25-23, but if we would have come out strong and with a more serious mindset, I know for a fact we could have won in three sets. However, after the first set, we cleared our heads, got back into a serious mode, and pulled out the win in a total of four sets,” said senior Erin Wise.
With the excitement of senior night filling their heads, the Scots continued to struggle at the start of the second set as the Cougars scored the first point and maintained their lead.
Carlmont soon focused in on their opponents, scoring six points consecutively to take the lead 11-9.
Wise said, “The senior night experience for me was so overwhelming but I felt overwhelmed with happiness. Having my family and most of my friends along with my teammates all in one place was really amazing and an experience I’ll never forget. It was such an amazing night.”
Once the Lady Scots took the lead, there was no stopping them for the rest of the match.
Although the two teams remained within one to two points from each other for much of the set, the Scots broke away from the Cougars, increasing their lead 21-15, then securing their dominance of the second set 25-17.
“I think we played pretty well; it wasn’t our best and we had some ups and downs, but we came together as a team to pull out the win,” said junior Maya McClellan.
Carlmont’s momentum carried through to the third set as the Scots led the set right out of the gate. At one point, they held the Cougars to an eight point deficit, and ultimately sealed their victory 25-18.
“After we lost the first set, we were all a bit frustrated; we all knew we could do better and we knew we could beat this team, so we just came together, pumped each other up, and reminded each other that we couldn’t lose tonight,” said McClellan.
The fourth set appeared to be more of a challenge as the Cougars smacked the ball over the net for the first point. However, the Cougars’ initial lead didn’t break the Lady Scots’ motivation.
Neither team controlled the lead as the Scots and Cougars continuously edged over each other by small margins.
The Scots persevered as senior libero Makenna Twisselman dove across the court to save the ball, initiating a rally to put the Scots ahead.
Wise said, “I think one of the highlights was at the very end of the game on match point when one of our freshman Alisha Mitha blocked their outside hitter to win the game 25-23. It was an incredible block and a great end to a great night!”
The Scots walked off the court with their spirits high, filled with the pride of clinching the win for their last home game of the season.
McClellan said, “It being senior night and possibly our last home game just added more pressure and made some people more emotional, but the number one rule on senior night is to not lose, and we accomplished that.”
