By Riley Segal
Staff Writer
Photos by Matt Scholtz
The girls’ volleyball team defeated Monrovia High School at home on Thursday, October 8 for their third league game. The Wildcats were beaten in three sets, with scores of 25-20, 25-17, and 25-12, pushing the Tigers’ league record to 3-0, and 10-1 overall.
The Tigers and Wildcats were evenly matched in the first set before South Pas was able to overtake them. South Pas began to gain momentum after a kill from junior Molly Feldmeth distanced the Tigers from Monrovia. Junior Kate Kutzer and senior Taleen Mitchell both added to the team’s lead with multiple kills. Sophomore Maddie Saito aided the Tigers’ offense with many hard hits as well. However, Monrovia was able to dig many of South Pas’ powerful hits. The Tigers’ lead was also helped by many balls served and hit out from the Wildcats. A kill from Feldmeth ended the set at 25-20.
The Wildcats took the lead in the second set, due to a few defensive and offensive errors from the Tigers. After a Tiger timeout at a score of 6-9, South Pas was able to regain itself and pull ahead on a six-point streak. Mitchell continued to have numerous hits, as well as Feldmeth and Kutzer. Junior Maddy Hirano and senior Katie Sokolow assisted the Tigers with strong defense and serve-receive. Monrovia continued to dig many of South Pas’ hits, but that did not deter the Tigers. A Saito kill ended the set at 25-17.
The third set was arguably the Tigers’ strongest, as they led from the start and did not relinquish their lead. Sophomore Harper Fox and Feldmeth had a tremendous block, one of multiple throughout the game, to gain a point for South Pas, followed by an ace from Mitchell. The Tigers continued to have stellar hitting, backed up by solid defense, which allowed them to remain the stronger team. A kill from Feldmeth, followed by an ace from junior Ariana Woodworth would end the set at 25-12, the lowest score of the Wildcats.
The addition of the new student section in the gym brought in many Tiger supporters, which benefitted the Tigers as the crowd helped rally the team’s spirit.
“The crowd really motivated us, especially towards the end. We played a lot better because of them,” Feldmeth said. “Monrovia had good defense and was able to dig a lot of our hits, but we were able to figure out their holes and capitalize on those opportunities.”
The Tigers felt that this game was much better than their previous one against San Marino. South Pas hopes to carry its high level of play into its next match against La Canada.
“We really stepped up this game, and I think this change will continue into our next one against La Canada,” Fox said. “We have so many individually amazing players, and since we work together extremely well, I think that together we will be unstoppable.”
The Tigers next face La Canada on Tuesday, October 13 on the road for their fourth league matchup, and are confident that they will continue on their undefeated streak. The team is optimistic that they will improve their league record to 4-0, and their overall record to 11-1.
