Girls stick together, conquer competition (11/08)

By Ashley Wu

Dec. 19, 2008

The JV girls have come together and swept up outstanding wins throughout their undefeated season.
One of these amazing wins includes the match against Balboa High School on Nov. 4. Early on in the season, Coach Wesley and returning sophomores felt that their biggest competitor would be Balboa. The match started out in Balboa’s favor as the powerful Bucs won the first set. However, in the second set, the tide turned at the last minute due to the girls’ wonderful teamwork. “After the first set, coach reminded us that we wanted to keep our record clean,” sophomore libero and defensive specialist Tiffany Chan said. “We talked it up and our energy picked up in the second set.”
The score was close at 21-22, when both sophomore outside hitter Winnie Tsang and libero and defensive specialist Jocelyn Kuswanto dived for the ball and saved it, leading to a tie at 22-22 and allowing the girls to steal the win 25-22.
The Bucs started off the third set with two points, but an ace by freshman setter Vivian Lei started the Cardinals’ points going. With five consecutive points on hits made by Tsang, sophomore Captain Ruby Wong, and freshman outside hitter Chelan McGinty, the Cardinals won the match, 15-7.
Shortly after their win against Balboa, the Cardinals played their final match before championships against Lincoln on Nov. 6. The bleachers were packed with fellow Lowell supporters shouting encouragements to the team. The start of the match against the Mustangs was similar to the Cardinals’ match against the Bucs as the Cardinals lost the first set. But the team powered up, winning the second set 25-16 after a tug-of-war.The girls hustled for their final set in the match. After three aces made by freshman middle blocker Danielle Menikheim, freshman opposite hitter and setter Isabela Haeger ended the match with a score of 15-9.
On Oct. 30 the girls beat O’Connell after letting them score five early points, but then coasted their way up to a 25-7 win. During the set, Menikheim did a noteworthy tricky tip instead of a spike, surprising the opponent and winning the tenth point of the first set. The set ended with an incredible ace served by Lei. The Cardinals started their second set with five consecutive aces. Tsang shone by doubling the score 20-10 by serving three slamming aces.
On Oct. 17 the team faced off against the Galileo lions at home. In the second set, the girls kept up their strong 4-0 start, destroying the Lions with a score of 25-27. Only once in the first set did the Lions manage to gain a one point lead over the Cardinals, but sophomore opposite hitter Chanel Piper quickly brought the game back to a 12-12 tie.
Nearing the end of their season, the Cardinal girls have learned to communicate and play even better together. “We bonded and became an even greater team,” Menikheim said. The bonding that Coach Wesley encouraged throughout the season really paid off for the girls. “We learned to trust one another on and off the court, allowing us to play better together,” freshman libero and defensive specialist Jasmine De Castro said.
Winning all of their games throughout the whole season and destroying their biggest competition, the girls are looking forward. “I am excited for next year,” Wong said. “We will be playing with the people we played with in 2007.”
On top of reuniting as a team with the players they played with in their freshman year, sophomore opposite hitter and setter Sheryl Quock knows that varsity will be a lot tougher. “The attitudes on varsity are different from JV,” Quock said. “You have to prepare mentally, and work constantly. Varsity is a whole different level of play.”
While most of the sophomores will return as varsity players their junior year, the freshmen will return as sophomores playing with the new freshmen. “I am definitely looking forward to another undefeated season,” McGinty said.
Most Valuable Player
This year’s pick for MVP is sophomore libero and defensive specialist Jocelyn Kuswanto. Kusawanto is known for her hustle and heart. Not only did she play multiple positions on the team, she was a very reliable teammate. “Jocelyn held the whole team up,” freshman Reilly Fitzpatrick said.“She pushes herself hard and doesn’t realize what a good player she really is.” Wong agrees with Fitzpatrick, commenting that, “Jocelyn is a persistent player. She is the main contributor, and when the balls come over the net, she’s the one to set it up for the team to play.”