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The strength of the girls’ varsity volleyball team’s chemistry will determine the fate of its season.
The girls have learned that they need to focus on improving their teamwork and cohesiveness after playing preseason games against competitive teams outside the AAA. “If we want to win championships, we need to have really good communication,” junior setter Tiffany Chan said.
So far, the Cardinals are undefeated 3-0 in the regular season, but they must continue to improve if they went to contend for a 14-consecutive championship.
On Oct. 6, the Cardinals won 3-2 in a narrow victory over the Washington Eagles in an extremely intense game. This win made the team realize that they cannot afford to underestimate their opponents. The Cardinals slipped during the first two sets, but made a comeback and won the last three sets to seal the victory. “We took them too lightly and changed our lineup in the first and second sets,” senior right-side hitter Allison Wasserman said. “It wasn’t until the third set that we had a huge reality check and found the fire within ourselves to step up our game.”
In a packed Lowell gym drowned by the sound of roaring fans on Oct. 2, the Cardinals mauled the Mission Bears in an anti-climactic 3-0 victory, winning the sets 25-6, 25-4, and 25-15. The Cardinals used this chance to practice new plays against the unskilled Bears, according to Chan. “Overall, we played really well,” she said. “Our communication was getting better.”
On Sept. 30, in their final preseason game, the Cardinals were punished 1-3 by the Menlo Knights, who were much more competitive than the AAA teams, according to Chan. The Cardinals’ inconsistency did not stand a chance against Menlo’s outstanding play. “We weren’t in sync and the ball just didn’t go where we wanted,” senior outside hitter Vanessa Kung said. “We realized that we can’t just end the game well, we need to start it well too.” Nonetheless, the Cardinals were resilient and kept the extremely talented Knights at bay enough to avoid a blowout, according to Kung.
Showcasing their superior talent on Sept. 21, the Cardinals swept away the Ygnacio Valley Warriors in three sets with stellar set scores of 25-15, 25-9, and 25-9. However, it took a little while for the Cardinals to find their rhythm, according to junior outside hitter Winnie Tsang. “At first it started off slow, but we started to gain our momentum,” Tsang said.
This win signaled the weakness of the other team rather than the strength of the Cardinals, starting up after the long summer, as the Cardinals played at a lower level of intensity, according to junior defensive specialist Jocelyn Kuswanto. “We could have done better,” Kuswanto said. “Even in practice, we had a lot more energy.”
Come watch the girls brew trouble at 5:10 p.m. today at O’Connell against the Boilermakers. |
