v. Galileo on Oct. 13

No matter what they wore, the outfits turned out to be lucky for the girls’ varsity volleyball team. On Oct. 13, they swept Galileo in a mere hour with a 25-7, 25-11 and 25-9 three-set game.

Some of the Cardinals were nervous playing against the Lions, who beat perennial powerhouse Washington earlier this season. “They were undefeated too, but now they’re not!” Junior outside hitter Karrie Liu said.

After winning the first set with more than three times the amount of the Lions’ points, it was obvious who was superior.

Galileo hopped into hugs of encouragement for the next two sets, but these proved to be useless in light of Lowell’s unyielding guard.

The savage Cardinals certainly wore out their knee pads as time after time they dove to save the ball.

v. Marin Academy on Sept. 25

When only 40 percent of one’s body is clothed, vicious floor burns are easy to acquire. However, one can become accustomed to such battle wounds, as the varsity volleyball team has done. The girls dive toward the floor with such intensity that spectators draw sharp breaths and shout with surprise.

The audience realized as the game continued that such risks are all a part of volleyball. The last pre-season game on Sept. 25 against Marin Academy was fierce. After they won a hard-fought first set 26-24, Marin struck back. The opponents were as coordinated as the Cardinals in putting their sets in action, winning the second set 25-22 and always starting the matches with strong leads.

“We weren’t really sure what to expect because we heard that they lost a few seniors,” sophomore setter Katrina Lau said. She did concede, however, that “it wasn’t going to be easy.”

After losing the second set, the girls persevered and captured the third and fourth sets to secure the victory: 25-22 and 25-22.

“We dropped a game but we were able to adjust to what they were doing,” coach Reva Vrana said. “We need to work on keeping the level of play high, no matter which side of the court we’re on and staying focused towards the end of the game, so that even when we’re ahead ten points, we won’t let the other team creep back in (the game).”

Cougar Tournament

It’s a skin disease. It becomes inflamed after you scratch it. It’s red, and worst of all, it’s contagious. Chickenpox. The fear of microscopic skin cells entering into Cardinal bodies was ever-looming. It can be transferred from host to object and contact with the volleyball is unavoidable. “I know some of the people on the team did not have chickenpox yet,” senior middle blocker Stephanie Drumright said. “I would have appreciated knowing beforehand, but I mean, we could all see the spots.” Playing against Encinal High, the girls not only battled a weak team, but also faced the gross fact that three of the Encinal girls had the herpes zoster virus.

Later in the tournament, the Cardinals played Sonoma High in a game that ended in controversy. With the game knotted up at two sets apiece, there was an unclear play. While the Cardinals were making their argument to the referee, Sonoma left their playing positions and began congratulating each other. “The ref hadn’t officially ended the game, but the other team was already trying to shake hands and being unsportsmanlike,” junior opposite hitter Jessica Drumright said. Although Sonoma won the game, the Cardinals will definitely look to make a comeback next time. Their next game is against O’Connell at Lowell on Oct.27.