The Lady Warrior varsity volleyball team put up a strong front against the Westlake Chaparrals on Friday, Sept 1. Ending the night with a final score of 1-3, the Warriors worked their vigorous offense to the max in efforts to take back a lead in the second game of the season.

“We came out strong and took them to four sets. Overall we fought really hard which makes me proud,” Cassie Jackson ‘18 said.

At the very beginning of the first set, Audrey Quesnel ‘20 received a high, inline set from Emmalyne Patterson ‘20 and struck the ball achieving the first kill of the game. A powerful hit from the other team threw the Warriors’ back row out of balance and they lost control of the ball. With only seconds to spare, Maggie Stout ‘19 sprinted into the middle of the court and hit a hard down ball. The Warriors remained in the lead even though the Chaparrals’ offense stepped up their game. Zoe Menendez ‘20 and Emily Low ‘18 successfully set up a double block to stop an attack from the other team’s outside hitter. With Lauren Gregorczyk ‘18 as Defense Specialist, and Stout hitting kill after kill, the Warriors took the win in the first set, 25-22.

“We played really well as a team in the first set. We had energy and hustle, and that’s why we won. But unfortunately, they made adjustments and it was hard for us to overcome that,” Gregorczyk said.

The second set brought a lot more fire and energy from the opposing team. The Warriors struggled through the set but were never too far behind. The stands cheered louder and louder to encourage the Warriors as they executed their plays with style. The set came to an end with a score of 18-25, and the team talked strategy with head volleyball coach Tara Nelson to make the third set a win.

“In the end, it didn’t matter about the score, the most important thing was that we all fought hard. Giving effort during every play, and walking away knowing that we gave it our all makes us stronger,” Low said.

Both the third and fourth sets were not wins for the Warriors, but the team still amazed the crowd. Maddi Kriz ‘19 and Low had multiple kills, while Gregorczyk hustled to save various balls from hitting the ground. The whole team had many aced serves throughout the game, which made the crowd go wild every time.

Cheer the team on at their third home game of the season against Lake Travis High School on Tuesday, Sept. 5 at 6:30 p.m..