It was too late. The final whistle was blown, filling the ears of fans in the Carlmont Gym. Notre Dame’s crowd stayed screaming, as the Scots’ chants slowly faded away.
Frustration filled the court on Sept. 1 as the Scots lost their first home game of the season against the Tigers. Though they fought hard at first, the Scots struggled to hold their heads high and come back from their loss.
The lady Scots started the first set on a high note. Senior Makenna Twisselman dove to save the ball as her teammate Junior Maya McCllean hit the ball with force over the net.
Though the Scots kept the lead through the majority of the game, the Tigers came back with a 27-25 win.
Junior Tai Mei Chang said, “I thought, in the beginning, we had a lot of energy and dug a lot of balls, but later we began to doubt ourselves.”
The lady Scots continued to stay strong in the beginning of the second set but began to lose confidence once the Tigers began to give Carlmont a challenge on the court.
Senior Hannah Wright said, “I think the first game showed how we are as  a team. After the first game, we got in our own heads. We need to keep up our mentality and not focus on the past but what we can do in the future.”
The crowd sat at the edge of their seats as the Scots worked together to come back in the second set. Yet the team’s efforts was not enough and the Scots lost 25-15.
As the final set came around the Tigers continued to control the game, sending hard serves over the net and giving the Scots little chance for a comeback.
Alisha Mitha said, “We need to stay positive and work on our energy and communication during the game.”
Both schools kept their teams motivated throughout the course of the final set as the cheers got louder.
Notre Dame took their final 25-9 win and the Battle of Belmont.
