Girls’ volleyball crushes Campbell Hall in preseason opener

By Riley Segal

Photos by Matt Scholtz

The girls’ volleyball team triumphed over Campbell Hall School in a three-set win, with scores of 25-16, 25-19, and 25-21. The Tigers have been practicing relentlessly throughout the summer and beginning of the school year, and their hard work was evident in their victory.

The team was in a 6-2 formation (two setters on court), which was a new formation they had not previously used in past years. However, despite the challenge, the Tigers put away the Vikings with little trouble.

In the first set, the Vikings took the lead until South Pasadena called a time-out, where the score was 5-2. The Tigers bounded back afterwards, taking the lead after Campbell Hall made errors on miscommunications and hitting balls out-of-bounds, and remaining there until the set was over. Strong hits from outside Taleen Mitchell and setters Molly Feldmeth and Kate Kutzer fueled the Tigers’ increasing lead until the set finished at 25-16.

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The second set provided a bit more of a challenge, but that did not deter the Tigers. Consistent defense from Mitchell, senior Katie Sokolow, and junior Madison Hirano saved the team from giving up more points, and key hits, as well as blocks from Kutzer and Feldmeth, distanced the score. Most of the Vikings’ points were scored off of balls hit out from South Pasadena, rather than actual defensive errors. Although the Vikings pressured the Tigers to make a comeback, they were able to pull away and come out victorious with a score of 25-19.

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The third and final set saw the strongest performance so far from the Vikings, though it was not enough to hand them a win. The score was neck and neck for most of the set, as Campbell Hall was able to capitalize on the points given up from the Tigers on offensive errors. There was also more miscommunication between players in the third set, which added to the fairly even score. There were few defensive errors, however, with Hirano making key saves for the Tigers. Feldmeth, Kutzer, and Mitchell each continued to make crucial kills throughout, and the set ended with a score of 25-21.

Despite their deft win, improvements still need to be made on the offensive side. Kutzer is new to setting, and feels that she needs to continue to develop in that aspect.

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“We did really well on defense, but we definitely need to improve on setting, and putting the ball away when we have the chance,” Kutzer said. “If we control the game on our side, then we can control the game overall.”

The girls are confident that they will continue to perform strongly, and are positive that each player can contribute to the game. The Tigers commanded most of the game, and hope to continue to do so in the games to come. Their performance has left them hopeful for a long winning streak.

“Those people who came in for a few points did really well, and it’s really hard to do that. As a result, the game was on our side the whole time,” Kutzer said. “We’re growing rapidly and  we have a great chance in CIF from how we’re projecting from day one.”

The Tigers look to capitalize on their winning streak and improve their record to 2-0 on Thursday, September 3.