A quick poke over the net from Lucy Tellers (10) left the Carlsbad players scrambling to recover the ball. The return from the opponents sent the volleyball bouncing out of bounds, securing the match for Tellers and her partner Gabrielle Ngo (11), 3-0. This match would go down as the team’s only win in the CIF Division I  semifinals, May 9.

The Wolverines ultimately fell to Carlsbad, 4-1, at Warm Waters Jetty Beach. 

After a league championship win and making it through the first two rounds of CIFs, Ngo said that the team felt optimistic going into the semifinals. 

“We were really hopeful,” Ngo said. “We have a lot of underclassmen on varsity right now, and I think they were all really excited because they’ve never experienced [CIFs] before. So it was a fresh new perspective from their eyes, which was really nice.”

According to Isla Reyes-Castelloe (11), the players focused on stronger attacks against tall blockers before going into the game. 

“For us, we worked a lot on our shots over bigger players, because we knew Carlsbad was more likely to block or do something different at the net than the players we’ve played in league,” Reyes-Castelloe said. “We had one of our coaches practice blocking and we just worked on moving offensively around that.”

The team also had to adjust to unfamiliar terrain. Westview faced uneven sand, changing winds, and a cloudy atmosphere, which Ngo said affected her playing.

“Being in an unfamiliar area definitely contributed to [our performance],” Ngo said. “When we were warming up, we were constantly switching on both sides, getting used to the wind changes because wind plays a huge role in volleyball.”

Despite the environment, Reyes-Castelloe said that the positive outlook between her and her partner, Reese Monk (11), allowed them to hold their own against Carlsbad. 

“I think movement-wise, we were pretty good,” Reyes-Castelloe said. “We adapted as well as we could to the other team in the conditions. Energy-wise, we kept a good attitude the whole time and we pushed ourselves to stay positive.”

Ngo also credited her duo’s determined mindset for their match win. 

“We just knew that their attitudes going into the game were definitely way different than ours,” Ngo said. “The energy was a lot higher on our side, we were definitely cheering way more than they were. For example, if one of us made a mistake, I was like, ‘It’s okay. I trust you. We got it and I believe in us,’ and I just feel like having that mentality really pushed us ahead and allowed us to win our match.”

Ngo said that her friendship with Tellers both on and off the court creates an atmosphere of trust during their games. 

“Whenever I think about Lucy, I just smile, because she is such a great partner,” Ngo said. “She’s just a great person outside of volleyball too. I can rely on her to get it. She’s always there, she’s always loud, she’s always talkative, and she’s always there if anyone needs a pick-me-up.”

Although Ngo and Tellers secured a win, a combination of unfamiliar terrain and Carlsbad’s strong defense resulted in losses from the other four pairs. Ngo said that the game’s results will only push them to work harder for a win next season.

“I think it’s a little bittersweet now that it’s over, but I think going into next season,  we’re gonna be fighting a lot harder,” Ngo said. “We definitely want to win, and we know we can win. Going in with that mentality will carry us a lot further, and I believe in all of us.”

Reyes-Castelloe said that despite ending with a loss, the season has provided the team a chance to grow in preparation for next year. 

“This is the farthest we’ve gone in CIFs, so I feel like each year we’re getting closer, and I think with a good lineup and a little bit of luck, we could definitely win [next year],” Reyes-Castelloe said. “We’re also a young team, so I feel like we have a lot of room for development next year. I love CIFs every year because we get a chance to play more competitive teams, given that we usually dominate our league. So, I think even though it ended on a rough note for us, it’s still really fun to challenge ourselves every year.”