After beating Cupertino, the first-ranked team, in straight sets at home on Oct. 15, the girls’ volleyball team now holds a 7-4 record, placing them fourth out of eight teams in the El Camino League.
The Falcons have found their rhythm recently against Fremont on Oct. 8, MacDonald on Oct. 6 and Santa Clara on Oct. 2. They won 3-1, 3-0 and 3-2, respectively.
Earlier in the season, losses stemmed from struggles with receiving serves and communication on the court. Head coach Lori Gragnola adjusted practices in response to these struggles, focusing mainly on serve-receive drills. One drill the team focused on involved three players on the court receiving serves from the rest of the team, earning points for quality passes and having to run a lap for those who failed to make a solid pass.
These adjustments in practice paid off in matches — the team quickly gained momentum, going on to win four in a row. Junior middle and captain Aanya Hotha also attributed the team’s recent improvements to these drills.
Hoping to carry their newfound momentum, the team is looking ahead for their Oct. 20 rematch against Gunn, which holds a record of 7-4. In preparation for these matches, the team will continue to focus on serve receive, as it was a major challenge in their last matchups. To beat Gunn, players say they must make quality passes to be more aggressive and successfully attack their opponents.
Said Gragnola, “We have worked really hard to improve our game. Our hitting is off the hook and passing is getting better. We need to work on talking more on the court and staying positive throughout the match. If we show up and lock in, we will win.”
After their recent victories, the team remains hopeful that they will qualify for CCS and aim to advance past the second round, where they finished last year.
“I’m really looking forward to the rest of the season with the team,” Hotha said. “We are still in a position to make CCS and if we keep on working hard during practice, we will be in an even better spot.”
