Girls volleyball secured a victory over Poway in three straight sets, 25-17, 25-13, 27-25, Oct 3. The team had to keep consistently high energy so as to not give up a set.
After falling behind 7-2 in the first set, the Wolverines picked up their energy level and eventually tied the score at 12. Peyton Erickson (10) said that the team’s low morale was the main factor in their slow start.
“In the beginning, I felt like we were really flat, and the energy was low,” Erickson said. “We were making some mistakes, but as we played, we stepped up and with that, our energy to play better. That improved our game even more and helped us gain the lead.”
The Wolverines finally took the lead on Ainsley Asch’s (12) kill from the right side, making the score 15-14. Asch’s enthusiasm helped the team turn the first set around.
“I think that I had really good energy, which helped me be able to support the team,” Asch said.
To close out the first set, Erickson ran behind the setter, hitting a slide from the right side to bring Westview to set point. The set ended with a score of 25-17.
Westview was able to sideout Poway’s first serve of the second set, taking the first point. Angeline Nguyen (11) aced Poway’s defense off of her first serve. Using this momentum, she went on a service run, serving nine consecutive balls in a row, forcing Poway into a timeout.
“I have a specific routine for every time I serve,” Nguyen said. “If I’m told to serve to a specific zone, I always try my hardest to make it in that spot because to me, serving at the libero and getting a good pass for the other team is just as bad as serving into the net.”
After leading 12-3, Nguyen said that the team became less tense, knowing that they had some room for error.
“The run set a good tone for the rest of the game because it gave us comfort in knowing that we could make a couple of mistakes,” Nguyen said.
Although Poway fought back and gained 13 points, the second set went to Westview.
In the third set, Poway began to pick up on the offensive and took an early 4-3 lead. Poway pressured Westview’s defense to stay prepared for any play, but backrow players Nguyen and Lucy Tellers (9) both kept the ball alive with one-handed passes. Nguyen said that the backrow must make good passes to the setter in order for the front row to better execute offensive plays.
“We’re working on running some new plays, like some new free ball or down ball plays,” Nguyen said.
To match Poway’s shift in offense, Asch said the team has been practicing a variety of offensive plays including tips and roll shots to confuse their opponent’s defense.
“We’re working on mixing up our shots, making sure that we can run different plays,” Asch said.
Near the end of the third set, Gabrielle Ngo (10) executed a new shot with a tip to the sideline. Poway didn’t let up with two kills in a row, tying the score at 20-20.
Coming out of a Westview timeout, Asch got a swing and kill from the right side, tying the score at 24-24.
Fighting for a chance to keep playing, Poway forced a long rally where Westview got the point, but their next hit went into the net, leaving the score at 25-25. According to Erickson, a change in Westview’s lineup was the main cause for the close score.
“We were throwing people in where they normally aren’t, so that messed up the dynamic of how we normally play,” Erickson said.
Once Westview got the ball back, only one point was necessary for a Wolverine victory.
Westview’s front row pushed the ball down onto the other side right as it passed over the top of the net, securing the win with a final score of 27-25.
Asch said she was satisfied with the team’s effort and is hopeful for the rest of the season.
“Overall, we have high hopes for this season,” Asch said. “We have a really good team with talented players.”
