The girls’ varsity volleyball team swept Novato for the second time this month during their home match on Friday, Oct. 6. The lady Giants defeated the Hornets in a quick game, winning all three sets.
Although it was mostly parents that came to support, the lack of fans did not deter the team from triumph, winning each set by at least eight points.
The team started and finished strong in the first set, thanks to numerous aced serves, winning 25-17. Senior libero Raya Corren, a varsity player for 2 years, felt confident going into the game.
“I felt pretty prepared, I think we all did as a team. We were excited to get everyone out on the court instead of just our starters, which we had the chance to do,” Corren said.
In the second set, the Hornets bounced back and scored six points right off the bat. The Giants quickly rebounded, putting eight points in a row to the score board.
“Getting that first serve receive ball is really key. So once we could get that first ball back we were able to close it out,” Corren said.
Junior Taylor Leslie said that the team climbed their way back in the score through consistent serving and having the girls get back to their bases quickly. These changes allowed the girls to seize the second set 25-14.
According to sophomore Lucy Walsh, in the third set, the Hornets began experiencing communication issues. From dropped balls due to teammates calling a ball but then not going for it, to the girls getting in disputes, Novato began to fall apart.
“We took advantage of the lack of communication [by the Hornets] by purposely placing balls in problem areas,” Walsh said.
The team pushed forward and closed out the third and final set, winning 25-11.
According to Leslie, the girls’ varsity team hopes to continue to improve by communicating better on the court and maintaining consistent effort throughout the whole game.
The next game is an away game on Wednesday, Oct. 11 against San Marin.