Peyton Erickson (11) spikes the ball to Del Norte’s side of the court, Sept. 4. She contributed to the team’s offense, with 70% of her hits being kills. (Jennifer Tellers)

Girls volleyball won their first league game 3-0 against Del Norte, extending their win streak to three and bringing their overall season record to 14-4, Sept 4. Peyton Erickson said this match demonstrated the team’s competitive skill and cohesion. 

“We were all super excited to play them again because they’re one of our rivals,” Erickson said. “I felt like we played really well against Del Norte. Our energy was really [high] and we just felt very together as a team.”

Erickson said the Nighthawks are known for being a competitive team with good defense. To counter this, the team tried to avoid hitting towards their libero. 

“Their libero is very good, so we had some tough competition,” she said. “We just made sure not to hit at the libero, and if we were to mess up on anything, we would make sure not to do it again and keep each other in high spirits. If we go down as a team, then it’s hard to get back up.”

One strategy the team tried to implement to overpower the Nighthawks’ defense was for Gabrielle Ngo (11) to hit twos, pulling Del Norte’s front line up to block and leaving only their back row to defend, so she could easily hit around them. 

“Gabrielle ran some twos, and they had three up on her, so it was a good strategy because it brought all of their front line to the center and only had three in the back line,” Erickson said. “She would just destroy them every time, and they couldn’t figure it out.”

This strategy proved effective, and the team won the first set 25-12. Erickson said that the team’s excitement and energy from the early success encouraged them throughout the rest of the game. 

“On and off the court, the bench gets super loud and super hype,” she said. “I feel like that’s very important for us to play well, especially against a good team like Del Norte. That really had an effect on us, and I feel like it really played through.”

In the next set, Del Norte put up a better fight, resulting in long rallies for each point. But the team prevailed, winning 25-22. 

“We felt a little down, but it wasn’t terrible and we weren’t super frustrated,” Erickson said. “Because they went on long runs against us, I think we just needed to fix our mental attitude like ‘next ball’ mentality.”

The Wolverines recovered in the third set, where they won 25-22. Erickson said that the dynamics between her and the setter helped propel the team to victory. 

“During practice, we’ve been working with our set and middle connections,” she said. “I had some really good threes with my setter. We were practicing that a lot, so I’m really glad that that went from practice into the game.”

In the game, 7 out of 10 of Erikson’s hits were kills. 

“I felt very proud of myself and very hyped, especially since it was one of our first games of the season,” she said. “I feel very confident for the rest of the season with my team.”

Erickson said the Wolverines’ strong offense and scrappy defense carried them to win the last set 25-19. After winning against Del Norte, the team went on to win two more games against Bishops and Eastlake, which Erickson said set a high standard for the rest of the season. 

“We definitely have a high bar, especially since last year we were very good, so it definitely adds to that because we obviously want to play very well,” Erickson said. “Winning those games definitely brings up the bar even further than what we thought. I’m looking forward to more wins and just playing with my best friends.”