Story by Zoe Chen
Staff Writer
Photo by Rachel (Shin-Hye) Choi
Staff Photographer
Girls volleyball faced the San Marino Titans in a home game on Sept. 14. The Tigers started out shaky, but finished strong to win the match 3-0. “I think we played really good,” freshman setter Evan Taylor said. “Sometimes we had our ups and downs, but overall we played really good.”
The Tigers began the first set strong, with a serve from senior outside hitter Jenna Garner bringing the score to 5-0. However, the Tigers were unable to dig several Titan kills and the score was tied at 6-6. The score remained close, but a kill from senior outside hitter Helena Foord brought the score up to 11-9, and two serves by senior libero Mia Ramos gave the Tigers a two-point advantage, bringing the score to 13-9. A kill from Garner, assisted by senior setter Kendall Taylor, gave the Tigers a five-point advantage, bringing the score up to 16-11. From there, South Pas kept a steady lead over San Marino. The Titans’ defense stumbled, and with the Titans unable to keep their bumps in bounds, the score rose to 22-12. Sensing a win, the Tigers channeled their energy into kills. A kill from Foord, assisted by K. Taylor, gained the Tigers the last point they needed, winning them the set 25-15.
The Titans upped their defense in the second set. Many Tiger kills, while strong, were blocked by the Titans and went down into the Tigers’ court. This put the Tigers slightly behind at 4-7. However, the Tigers soon began latching onto the Titans’ blocking strategy. When San Marino players got ready to block a South Pas kill, Garner instead tipped the ball into the middle of San Marino’s court. After a long rally, an excellent save from the Tigers brought the ball back over the net and down into Titan territory, tying the score at 13-13. From there the Tigers maintained a lead over the Titans, and a kill from Foord brought the score to 20-15.
Players returned to the court after San Marino called a time out. The Titans’ offense had slightly improved, but the red lights of the scoreboard still shone in the Tigers’ favor. When a hit from Foord was bumped out by the Titans, the Tigers won the set 25-19.
The Tigers began their third and final set strong. A block by senior middle blocker Maggie Hunter brought the score up to 5-1, and a kill by E. Taylor flew over Titan blockers and down into the middle of their open court. From there, San Marino’s defense fell again, and the score rose to 10-5 after multiple Titan digs hit the ball out-of-bounds. At 15-9, a serve by K. Taylor went down on Titan grounds and San Marino called a time out.
A tip from Garner gained the Tigers another point, and a Titan stumble brought the score to 19-9. The Tigers soon neared a victory 24-13, and with a final block by the Tigers, the ball fell on the Titans. This won the Tigers the set 25-15 and the match 3-0.
“I think the team did well,” Head Coach Ivy Chew said. “I think they could have executed the game a little bit more, but at the end of the day they still handled their business…they had a good day today.”
Girls volleyball will next face the Woodrow Wilson Bruins in an away game on Sept. 16 at 4 p.m.
