Carlmont’s JV girls volleyball team pinned the Sequoia Ravens in a decisive 2-0 match, thanks to several impressive aces and unwavering serving pressure.
Starting strong in the first set, the Scots scored the first point of the game and used it to dominate the Ravens with an ever-growing lead. By the time the Ravens had scraped together 6 points, the Scots had amassed double that and were on their way to victory. However, the set was not over.
The Ravens fought back hard to close the point gap. They scored point after point, shortening the Scots’ lead until the score was almost even. Sensing their assured triumph slipping away, the Scots had to beat the mental game to recover.
“That part of the game was the toughest. Everyone was a little frustrated, and that did make a slight impact on us, but we pulled through and got past it,” said Petra Kishi Chow, a sophomore defensive specialist for the Scots.Â
With three service aces in a row from sophomore Lillian Fox, the Scots finally pulled ahead and snatched the first set 25-13.
“I think that we still played really well in the first set. Even though we didn’t get all of them, we were able to defend a lot of their serves, and Carlmont is a tough serving team,” said Katie Wilcox, the head coach of the Ravens.
Carlmont’s tough serves would spell doom for the Ravens in the second set, however, and brought pressure that Sequoia couldn’t keep up with.
“Our defense kind of crumbled a little bit, and I guess we fell to the pressure of their offense and their serves,” Wilcox said.
The beginning of the second set played out similarly to the first set. The Scots determinedly widened the initial lead until they doubled the Ravens’ point count. In the last half of the second set, junior Kiana Domingo’s serving streak was the decisive moment that set the Scots’ victory in stone.
With seven service aces in a row, Domingo’s serves were what sealed the win for Carlmont. The Scots ended the match with a final score of 25-7 in the second set, tripling and nearly quadrupling the Raven’s score.Â
“I think this was a game that we weren’t at all nervous to play, and that definitely factored into the outcome. Sequoia also just wasn’t a very tough opponent,” said Michelle Spence, the head coach of the Scots.Â
This sentiment was reflected in the match, but the Scots still acknowledged the Ravens as worthy opponents.
“We didn’t really have high expectations for them, but I think what sets them apart from other teams is that, even though it was clear that they weren’t always going to get the ball, they were always trying their hardest,” Chow said.
Both teams have plans for how they’re going to move forward. Wilcox’s plan for the Ravens is to have them improve with the feedback from this match and work with more experienced players.
“We’re definitely going to work a lot on our serve receives. We actually just recently started having JV and varsity do combined practices so that the team can rise to the caliber of varsity play,” Wilcox said.Â
Carlmont, on the other hand, is focusing on team coordination to maintain and improve their skills.
“We’re continuing to have focused practices where we’re working on specific techniques, as well as just making sure that we continuously play as a team and not as individuals,” Spence said.
