After battling the Branson Bulls for four tough sets, the girls’ varsity volleyball team was unable to obtain a victory in the MCAL semi-final game. Even though Redwood was eager for a comeback, after having played Branson twice before and losing both times, they were only able to win one set and the Bulls won 3-1.
Redwood went into the game knowing that it would be a tough matchup. Junior Carly Zech explained how they spent additional time studying Branson’s play and practicing strategies that would allow them to succeed.
By doing this, the Giants were able to focus on specific skills during practice that would allow them to accomplish a win according to junior Ella Spaethling.
“We came into the gym working hard every practice and every drill making sure that we were trying to simulate these tough situations in this type of match,” Spaethling said.
Having played Branson in addition to having watched film clips of their games, varsity coach Tahan Minakov knew exactly how to prepare the team for this game as he was familiar with their style of play.
“The girls did exactly what I asked them to do. Branson is a very strong, talented team, and it could’ve gone either way. I’m happy with the way the girls played, but unfortunately it didn’t go in our favor,” Minakov said.
The Giants set the tone by scoring the first point of the game with a strong hit by Zech, who continued to fire off powerful hits from the outside, proving difficult for the Bulls to block. With additional hits from senior captain Alex Lefebure and Spaethling, the Giants won the second set with a score of 25-21.
Going into the last set, the Giants didn’t let up and continued to put points on the scoreboard. Although they were unable to walk away with a win, the Giants left the court having felt as if they had given it their all and are going to use this game to motivate themselves as they head into North Coast Section (NCS).
“It’s really starting to come together for us. We’re just going to keep building on the foundation that we set and hopefully carry this into the rest of our season,” Minakov said.
The Giants aim for success in their first NCS game at Heritage High School at 7 p.m. on Oct. 31.
