The girls varsity volleyball team secured their spot in the state tournament on Tuesday, Oct. 17 after their 3-0 victory against the Milton Wildcats. This win is a continuation of their streak after their hard fought victory against Weston the night before.

The Warriors dominated from the start, getting the first few points of the game. Their success was rooted in a mixture of hits and serves. The Warriors won the set 25-15.

Senior and captain Annika Epstein said that the team had lots of energy and came out strong during the first set.

“I think our serving was really good, and our hitters also found open court a lot, which was really fun to watch,” Epstein said.

The Warriors’ players had many great attacks and kills. Coach Caitlyn Sobolewski said she played all three setters and that it was important that they got to work in the game with the hitters.

Brookline’s momentum continued into the second set, with strong serve receives from Bella Bacon. The players began to look more confident as they continued to a 25-9 second set victory.

Sobolewski said there has been a major focus on team bonding throughout the year and it has been showing in-game.

“We’re seeing impacts from all six players on the court and team chemistry has been strong,” Sobolewski said.

In the third set, the Wildcats began to crawl back and scored several points but the Warriors persevered and continued to defend.

According to sophomore Alexa Vu, while the team’s energy went down, they picked it back up to finish the set. Sobelewski said that it’s hard to maintain mental toughness.

“I think the difficulty for us is staying mentally focused in games where we can’t anticipate what’s coming back to us, and making sure that we stay playing Brookline volleyball,” Sobolewski said. “In the third set, we were struggling staying completely locked in and ready to pass everything and hit everything.”

The Warriors won the third set 25-21, sealing the win. This victory, which was the Warriors’ 10th, locked their spot to the state tournament.

According to Sobolewski, the girls’ positive in-game mindsets were one of the largest factors that led to their win.

“Right away in the first set, I could tell they were locked in. They were ready to take this win home,” Sobolewski said.

Vu said their communication was a crucial factor that led to their victory.

“Volleyball is such a team sport, so it was really important that we worked together,” Vu said.