Girls’ volleyball: League champs end season in semifinals

After claiming the League Champion title, the Falcons ended their season with a loss to Burlingame in the Division 3 CCS semifinals on Nov. 9.

The girls lost to Burlingame in straight sets. According to junior hitter Riley Carter, the girls’ confidence after winning their first CCS game against Prospect in straight sets 25-12, 25-16 and 25-20 contributed to their downfall.

“[Burlingame] was playing like they wanted [the win] more,” Carter said. “We also weren’t working together on the court, and that was affecting our playing.”

According to Carter, the team was also surprised by Burlingame’s strong middle hitter, a player they could not defend against.

In their first CCS game against Prospect on Nov. 5, the team won in straight sets. Since the girls had played Prospect before, they knew what to expect from the Panthers.

The girls quickly took the lead in the first two sets and finished them 25-12 and 25-21. Although the last set proved more of a challenge, the Falcons held on to win it 26-24. With two crucial kills at the end of the game, sophomore hitter Katie Hulme helped the team to victory.

The success of the girls’ first CCS game could be attributed to their strong defense, maintained by senior libero Julia Vita, who hustled to every ball, and tough offense, in which junior setter Dasha Gousseva worked with hitters such as Hulme and Carter to make strong hits.

The girls’ loss in the semifinals was disappointing because Burlingame had been a much tougher team than the Falcons had anticipated, but overall, Vita believes the team had a “great season” and will miss her time with her teammates.

“I wish we could have went further because this is a really good team and a fun group of girls,” Vita said. “I wish we could have gone into NorCals just to spend more time with them. I’m really hoping they do well next year.”