The girls varsity volleyball team faced off against the Newton South Lions on Thursday, Sept. 14 in the Schluntz Gymnasium. After a very competitive game, the Lions beat the Warriors 3 sets to 2.
The first set was a close back and forth fight filled with intensity. The Warriors and the Lions traded points until the Warriors pulled two points ahead and won the first set 26-24.
According to head coach Caitlin Sobolewski, the team went into the game knowing that it would be a close fight.
“Because we have played them before, we knew what to expect. Going into the game, we knew we were evenly matched, so we were just trying to play to our best ability and be more proactive in tonight’s game,” Sobolewski said.
The Warriors scored the first two points of the second set with a shot far to the right, clear of all receivers, and a Lions return that buried itself in the net. The score evened up after the Lions gained momentum, touching the ball over the net to steal a point. The set remained close until the score reached 19-19, at which point the Lions hit a series of well placed shots that won the second set 19-25.
Despite the loss in the second set, the Warriors were able to persevere and begin the third set strongly, gaining a four point lead. After the Lions won two points, the Warriors widened their lead with a sequence of successful points. The Warriors streak bought them an 11 point lead at which point the Lions scored 6 points of their own before the Warriors finally won the third set 25-20.
The crowd was electric going into the fourth set with the Warriors up two sets to one but they got off to a rocky start allowing the Lions to run the score up to 3-7 before a timeout was called. The Warriors could not recover and lost the set 12-25 .
With the score tied at two sets apiece, the stakes were high to perform well in the final 5th set. With fans at the edges of their seats, the Warriors were able to win the first three points with two aces and a shot far and to the left. Similar to the fourth set, after a small Warriors lead, the Lions pulled ahead and won the set 5-15, winning the game three sets to two.
Senior Charlotte Holland said as the game progressed, communication between the players broke down.
“Our energy in the first and third set was really good. We had a lot of communication and then it dipped in the fourth and the fifth set which is why I think we ended up losing,” Charlotte said. “I think it’s really important overall for us to keep our energy and communication up no matter the score.”
According to senior Annika Epstein, the night was all about showing what the Warriors could do.
“I think in this game and the last few, we have been playing at a really high level and proving ourselves as Brookline Volleyball,” Epstein said.
