The Carlmont Scots varsity girls volleyball team defeated the Woodside Wildcats with a final score of 3-1 in favor of the Scots during senior night on Tuesday, Oct. 29.
This game marked the last season game for both teams. The Scots kept their momentum after a previous win over Sequoia and now have a record of 9-5 in the league, tied for second with Aragon. The Wildcats are in eighth in the league and have a record of 1-11.
Before the game, the teams celebrated the six Scot and four Wildcat seniors as part of senior night. This game was of sentimental value for the Scots, as it marked the seniors’ last season game playing for Carlmont.
“This has been the strongest bond I’ve had with my teammates throughout my four years here,” said Calico Przybyszewski, the captain for the Scots. “No matter the age, we all see each other as friends and sisters, and it’s a really special thing.”
The Scots opened up the first set on a roll, ahead of the Wildcats by five points. Midway through the first set, the Scots were up 19-10 and forced the Wildcats to call a timeout.
“We were able to play the first two sets with six seniors on the court, which was impressive,” said Sergio Smirnoff, the Scots head coach. “The experience and the knowledge of the game they demonstrated was incredible.”
The Scots took a dominant position by the end of the first set with the help of Carlmont senior Alexandra Bieser, who had two hits, both of which led to points for Carlmont. The first set concluded with a score of 25-13 in favor of the Scots.
The Scots built upon this momentum into the second set and took a 7-5 lead at the start. However, the Wildcats did not budge, and by the middle of the set, both teams were tied at ten points. Then, the Scots prevailed with the help of an ace and multiple saves and won the second set by a score of 25-18.Â
However, the Wildcats refused to give in and found some rhythm at the start of the third set up 4-0. By the middle of the third set, both teams had tied at 14 points each. It then became back and forth between the teams until the Wildcats prevailed and won the set 25-21. Â
“I think our biggest strength was our ability to receive the ball,” said the Wildcats head coach Thomas Feng. “It was a close, emotional match, but we had a pretty slow start that we never recovered from.”
Much help came from the Wildcats’ middle blocker, senior Haley Cardinale, who delivered a crucial block and a spike soon after.
The Scots led with a score of 6-2 at the start of the fourth set. The score remained tight before the Scots pulled away and won the set with a score of 25-18 and won the game with a final score of 3-1 in sets.Â
The Scots season may not be over yet, as Smirnoff and the rest of the team hope to qualify again for the Central Coast Section (CCS) playoffs this year.
“Since I’ve been here, this has been our best-ever results so far, so we should qualify for CCS,” Smirnoff said. “I have high expectations for this team, and we pulled out very important matches against us, so I have great wishes.”
