After a bittersweet season of wins, losses, injuries and recoveries, the girls’ volleyball team stands ready to see how far they can go in the CCS playoffs.
The team faced difficulties when senior libero Lauren Hansen and sophomore defensive specialist Jordyn Sin suffered back and hamstring injuries, respectively, which contributed to the Falcons falling 3-0 to Wilcox on Oct. 10 and 3-0 to Lynbrook on Oct. 15.
With the help of their coach, Steve Chiou, and senior star players Franchesca Whiting, Risa Carter, Lauren Hansen, and Gabby Jandu, the team was able to rally and beat Santa Clara 2-0 on Oct. 17. While the players haven’t completely recovered, their teammates filled in the positions as needed.
“Seeing that we missed three of our starters for the league, we worked well through it by playing different positions that we weren’t used to,” Sin said.
On Oct. 24, the team beat Cupertino 3-2 for the first time in two years, giving the team an overall record of 6-5 and earning them a CCS bid.
“I think that we’ve definitely developed quite a lot since the beginning of the season,” junior outside hitter and opposite Danielle Moon said. “I think we’re definitely prepared in our technique for CCS, but of course a majority of it is leaning on the team’s overall mentality.”
Senior outside hitter Risa Carter explained that the team’s technique has improved greatly throughout the season.
“We’ve worked hard this year, especially on our defense, and it really shows during our games,” Carter said.
Looking back at the beginning of the season, the girls think they’ve met many of the goals they set for themselves. The team wanted to have fun and develop strong relationships with each other both on and off-court.
“We became really close with each other and we all know our strengths and weaknesses,” Carter said. “We’re all really compatible on the court.”
The team’s connection allowed the girls to perform well during games, and the team is thrilled to be able to play in CCS, division 3.
“We’re really looking forward to CCS to see how far we can get based on how we have improved through the season,” Sin said.
Due to printing deadlines, the Falcon was unable to cover the match against Fremont High School on Oct. 29.