The girls varsity volleyball season got underway yesterday with a 3-1 loss to the Needham Rockets, a team they had defeated one year ago. As they warmed up, the speakers boomed and the fans filed in, eager to watch the ball go over the net for the first time in 2015.

The two teams were evenly matched for the first stages of the game until Needham kicked into gear. They kept the balls alive and set each other up beautifully while Brookline had trouble finding a way to get the ball over the net and onto the floor. The Rockets built a lead as large as five points and never looked back, beating the Warriors 25-21 in the first set.

In the second set, the two teams scored in streaks. After Brookline brought themselves within one early in the set, Needham scored 12 unanswered points to take an 18-5 lead. Brookline coach James Watson called a timeout after his team fell behind, energizing his squad.

Even after Needham ran off 12 straight points, Brookline just would not quit. They responded with nine consecutive points of their own and brought themselves back to within four. But the run would only inject more fuel into Needham as the Rockets quickly answered with five points to take a commanding 24-15 lead before finishing the Warriors off in the second set, four volleys later, to take a 2-0 lead in the match.

The third set was without question the most intriguing for the fans. Needham jumped out to a 3-0 lead at the outset. Then, Brookline climbed back into the set and built a 15-9 lead for themselves behind outstanding spiking and serving from senior and captain Neda Morakabati and a great presence in front of the net from sophomore Olivia Brown. Brookline played with a ton of energy, their returns bouncing off the ceiling while rarely hitting the net.

Unfortunately, with the way they had been playing all game, Needham was not going to lose a set in a complete blowout. They managed to climb out of the hole, taking the lead at 24-23 with just one volley between them and a 3-0 victory. But the Warriors tied the score at 24 and forced the set into sudden death. The two teams battled, but in the end, senior Kaija Barisa finished the job for Brookline with a perfect serve to win the set 28-26.

After the Warriors cut their deficit to 2-1 in the fourth set, the Rockets got back to business, taking a nine point lead late and putting the set away easily to win the match 3-1. It was a great effort by the Brookline Warriors, who were up against a team that simply performed better.