“They were so rude,” sophomore defense specialist Samline Santos said. “I don’t think they represented their school very well.” Walking up the stairs to the Washington gym was like walking through a battlefield. As members of the girls’ JV volleyball team tried to find their way, they found a mob firing insults like bombs, one after another, in a continuous attack. Washington students shouted obscenities and followed the players inside, persisting even as the game began.

“They were so rude,” sophomore defense specialist Samline Santos said. “I don’t think they represented their school very well.”

The crowd even began throwing gum wrappers and rubber bands at the referee during the game when he gave a point to Lowell. Washington head coach Lori McLaughlin tried to quiet them down to no avail. “You guys are representing Washington,” she said to a chorus of boos.

If intimidation was what they were after, the rambunctious Washington fans succeeded in the beginning of the Battle of the Birds game on Oct. 12. The Cardinals, used to the normal throng of students doing homework in the bleachers at home games, were shocked by the large and vocal Wash turnout. “We weren’t used to such big crowds,” sophomore libero and outside hitter Crystal Lee said. “It was hard to be louder than the crowd and focus on the game when they were chanting while I was serving.”

Their nervousness showed as the girls fell behind in the first match, 5-14. Again and again, balls dropped because players could not talk to each other. Twice, Lee passed the ball to the center of the court, and after looking around and yelling another player’s name, someone would finally rush to get the ball over in time. Collisions and passes that didn’t go to the setter happened too many times.

Lowell urgently needed a change in momentum when Santos decided to take charge. “She told us to bring it in and pick up our game because we could do much better than that,” Lee said. “After Samline told us to bring it in, we were like, ‘Yeah, we definitely have to change what we’re doing and step it up because we’re down 10 points.’”

With that realization and pep talk, the Cardinals came back with a fire unmatched even by the hooligans in the stands. Lee and freshman setter Sheryl Quock took turns acing the Eagles with their jump serves and sophomore outside hitter Megan Lee made a kill to the empty corner. Taking it point by point, they gradually tied the score and won that match, 25-20. In the next match, they were the ones leading by a crushing 10 points, serving aces that were too hot for the Eagles to handle. When Quock’s tip to the middle of the court sent the Washington players diving in a circle around the ball, it was like watching a beautiful dance that predicted their victory. The girls won that match 25-12 and effectively silenced the crowds. “I really wanted to prove myself, especially because it was (Washington’s) home game with all those people cheering,” said Megan Lee, who was on a roll with her hitting and defense. “We really wanted to win and get (the crowd) to shut up because they were really loud and obnoxious.”

Santos also savored the comeback. “We all wanted to redeem ourselves,” she said. “We really wanted to show what Lowell’s all about.”

With another victory added to its undefeated record, the team hopes to work on communication and trust issues before playing against Balboa, their main challengers, in three weeks. “We need to prepare mentally,” Crystal Lee said.

The next game will next Friday, October 26, at O’ Connell High School.