The girls varsity volleyball team swept the Weymouth Wildcats, winning 3-0, on Thursday, Sept. 19 in the Schluntz Gymnasium.
As warmups came to an end, spirits were high, and cheering from teammates on the sidelines and fans in the bleachers set the tone for the team’s fourth win of the season.
When the first whistle sounded, the Warriors were ready to receive the Wildcats opening serve. Sophomore and right-side hitter Molly Tipton responded immediately, winning the first point for the Warriors and gaining possession.
It was clear from the start that the Warriors dominated the game offensively. Sophomore and outside hitter, Noga Naveh led the team’s scoring with a strong serving streak.
Not only were they thriving offensively, but head coach Caitlin Sobolewski said she saw the team’s defense flourish.
“The girls were passing really well. That’s something we’ve been working on the entire season. Getting the perfect pass up for our setter, which is every volleyball team’s dream,” Sobolewski said.
Despite their efforts, Weymouth was no match for the Warriors teamwork and positive dynamic. Tipton and Naveh shined at the net, each scoring multiple points. The Warriors quickly raced to 25 points, managing to hold the Wildcats to a mere eight.
After switching sides and beginning the second set, the Warriors continued to dominate, winning the first point. However, this set was closer, as the Wildcats only trailed by a couple of points throughout.
The Warriors lacked tenacity in the beginning of the set, but soon regained control and extended their lead to 17-10.The Warriors won the second set 25-14.
For the third set, things seemed promising when the Wildcats missed their opening serve and gave the Warriors the first point. However, the mentality had shifted for the Warriors. Despite having won the first two sets with ease, the Warriors were now struggling to close out the game and win the third set. Once again, there was a long back-and-forth between the two teams, which ended with a point from junior and outside hitter Mia Jones, bringing the Warriors back into the lead at 8-7.
As the set progressed, the Wildcats persisted, leaving the Warriors struggling to win points. The Warriors then found themselves at a 15-9 point deficit. The largest one of the night.
Tipton said it is in the team’s best interest to mentally reset for each new set, regardless of how the previous one went.
“We didn’t change who was on the court during that time where we were down and then up. We just weren’t focused. We won the first two sets pretty easily, and the third set was obviously not as easy, and we went into it with too much confidence,” Tipton said. “So once we realized, we kind of got it together.”
After this realization, Tipton scored 5 aces out of twelve consecutive serves, and brought The Warriors into the lead, 21-19. With a final decisive serve from junior and outside hitter Emilie Ferdinand, the third set came to a close at 25-22. With this, the game ended 3-0, Warriors.
Although this was an important win for the Warriors, Sobolewski said it revealed areas the team can work on.
“Our mental game is where we are struggling the most, we have such a physically talented team. We’re super strong and we know where we’re supposed to go. But whenever another team starts pushing back is when we start to crumble a little bit,” Sobolewski said. “Games like this [one] is what are going to prepare us when we play a higher level physical team and we start to second guess ourselves.”
