By Riley Segal
Staff Writer
Photos by Matthew Scholtz
Online Managing Editor
The girls’ varsity volleyball team was defeated by Mayfield Senior School in four sets with scores of 18-25, 23-25, 25-23, and 16-25 at home on Tuesday, August 30. While the Tigers gave a stronger performance than they did against Westridge, it was still not enough to overcome the errors made. South Pas’ overall record now stands at 0-2.
The Cubs gained an early six point lead in the first set, beginning with several aces and South Pas errors. Mayfield’s points continued to climb, though the Tigers were able to capture a few points off of awry hits from the Cubs. Junior Madison Saito had South Pas’ first kill of the match to put the score at 5-10. The set was sparsely littered with rallies, and many balls were hit or served out from both teams. After a kill from junior Harper Fox, Mayfield scored four consecutive points off of kills to win the set at a score of 18-25.
South Pas won the first point of the second set, but the Cubs soon bounced back to gain a lead. Senior Molly Feldmeth dominated the Tigers’ offense with solid sets as well as powerful kills and aces. Defensively, senior Maddy Hirano was South Pas’ core, managing to dig nearly every ball hit at her. The second set yielded more rallies than the first, and the Tigers were able to close a five-point deficit to tie the set at 22-22. However, the Cubs took advantage of South Pas’ mistakes to finish the set in their favor at 23-25.
In the third set, both teams remained fairly even throughout as the Tigers began to find their rhythm. Feldmeth showcased several strong kills and Hirano continued to provide solid defense. Junior Sophia Benzoni made her varsity debut, contributing kills slotted into the corners to put South Pas in front. After South Pas began to pull away, the Cubs began to find their footing and rallied to tie the score at 23-23. A kill from Saito and senior Amelia De Young each earned the Tigers the set at 25-23.
Mayfield came back into the fourth set with renewed vigor and quickly garnered a hefty lead. The Cubs were able to find holes in South Pas’ defense, which they then slotted kills into. Feldmeth responded to the influx of Mayfield points with three consecutive kills, but her effort was not enough to catch the Cubs. As the set continued to move forward, the Tigers attempted to make a comeback though it fell short after a Mayfield tip followed by an ace, ending the set at 16-25.
“It was pretty rough, but we did have some good rallies so we definitely improved from last game,” Feldmeth said. “Although we did better, we still have a long way to go.”
The Tigers next face Alhambra High School on the road on Friday, September 2nd at 3:30 p.m. where South Pas hopes to improve its record to 1-2.
