A thrilling comeback by the girls’ varsity volleyball team came up short on Saturday, as the Giants lost in five sets to Los Altos in the NorCal semifinals.
The loss knocked Redwood out of the state playoffs, ending the team’s season with a defeat on its home court.
Third-seeded Los Altos took the first two sets by close margins, placing Redwood in a deep hole. But the Giants clawed back to win the third and fourth set, forcing the deciding fifth set.
“Starting game three, you can’t let what happened in game one and two dictate the way that you’re going to go in,” said head coach Katie Pease. “You want a fresh mindset like you’re going to start the game over.”
After committing a slew of unforced errors in the first two sets, including a handful of uncharacteristic missed serves, the Giants refocused before the third set.
“We took a second, forgot about the last 2 games, pretended it was 0-0, and completely shook it off,” said senior Hannah Gerson. “If you think about what happened in the past, it does no good.”
Osborn attributed the comeback to a sense of determination
“I think it hit a lot of us that this could potentially be our last game ever. And for the nine seniors on our team it was like ‘it’s go time, it’s now or never,’” Osborn said. “We’re down two, but we’ve got a lot of game left.”
With their backs up against the wall, Giants rebounded to play impressively through the third and four sets, with hitters Sophie DiGrazia, Hannah Gerson, and Bailey Osborn showcasing the powerful spiking ability that makes up much of Redwood’s offense.
“We made a few blocking adjustments, subbed a little bit better, and played great defense,” Pease said.
Redwood won the third set 25-21 and the fourth set 25-18.
“What’s really special about our team is that we always believe,” Gerson said. “So we didn’t give in, and I think that showed on the court. We wanted to win with every ounce of our bodies, fight back, and take it to five games.”
However, Los Altos overcame Redwood’s momentum, finishing the match with a 15-11 win in the final set, earning the Eagles a trip to the NorCal finals this Tuesday at Archbishop Mitty.
“We had an even playing field in game five. A few serves, good passes, and a kill here or there and it could have gone either way,” Pease said.
Despite the loss, the game was highlighted by Osborn’s team-high 14 kills, to go along with 13 kills by Gerson, and 12 from DiGrazia. Sierra Dawson also contributed with 50 assists and 19 digs. For Los Altos, junior Carmen Annevelink dominated the match with 19 kills, 23 digs, and four aces.
Redwood finished the season with a 42-6 overall record, including an NCS championship. Pease attributed the successful season to a high level of experience and leadership.
This year’s squad advanced further in NorCal playoffs than any Redwood team since 2006, almost matching the 2003 team that lost in the NorCal finals.
“Those teams are talked about,” Pease said. “The tradition will be carried on and these girls will be a team that’s talked about in the future as well.”
The program looks to have a bright future, as Osborn will return, along with sophomores Lily Barber, Elly Lundberg, and Marguerite Spaethling, as well as freshman Mari Molina, all of whom were key contributors to this year’s team.
But for the nine seniors graduating, Saturday marked the end of their high school careers.
“Heartbreaker. I wish we could have gone further, but in the end, that’s all you can hope for,” said Osborn.
