Girls’ Volleyball shut down by FSHA

By Marion Wood

Staff Writer

The scoreboard didn’t reflect the excellent performance by the South Pasadena High School varsity girls’ volleyball team last Thursday night against Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy. The Tigers lost to the highly ranked Tologs in four hard-fought sets, falling to 3-2.

“I think we could have won,” senior captain Sophia Hathaway said. “But it was still a big improvement over our previous games”

The first set was close throughout, with high energy levels on both sides of the court. South Pas libero Maddy Hirano excelled at serve receive, and proved to be an integral part of the Tiger’s defense. Despite her efforts, FSHA edged the Tigers 25-23 thanks to a last minute push.

In the second set, the Tigers gained momentum and trounced the Tologs for a quick 25-17 win. The South Pas offense played especially well, aided by middle blockers Shanovi Bass and Amelia DeYoung. The game was DeYoung’s first on the varsity squad, and she proved to be an important addition to the team’s dynamic.

However, FSHA’s consistency and discipline overwhelmed the Tigers in the third set, which ended with a score of 25-20. The Tigers had difficulties stopping FSHA’s high-powered offense, especially with blocking. This continued into the fourth game, which swiftly finished at a 25-15 with South Pas on the losing end.

Despite the loss, the Tigers played well against an extremely challenging team; the game was arguably their strongest performance of the pre-season.

“We stepped up and played really well against a team that had an overwhelming amount of advantages against us,” senior Irene Siao said.

The Tigers look to continue their overall success in their first league game of the season on the road against San Marino High School on October 2nd at 3:30 P.M.