Freshman Volleyball Takes Nasty Bite From Vipers 2-1
Bending her knees, Natasha Mendoza ’26 prepares to serve the ball towards the other team. The Warriors won this first set 25-15.
Moving into position, Aurelie Giansanti ’26 prepares to set should the ball come her way. The Warriors are trying their best to defeat the Vipers, but for this half of the game, it seems to be an uphill battle.
Huddling, the Freshman volleyball team recollects after winning the first set. The team had high hopes, as this first round was rather painless. “Effort was definitely there, energy was very high,” says Fay Predmore ’26. “[The Vipers] played really well, they hit a lot out. They were hitting hard, so it makes sense.”
Keeping their eyes on the ball, Imy Gao ’26 and Autumn Jacobs ’26 move to defensive positions. The second set just started, but the Vipers have a head start of 4-2.
Throwing her hand forward, Natasha Mendoza ’26 leaps into the air to serve the ball towards the other team. This was one of the major serves that propelled the game forward in the first set.
A group shot of the team playing shows how their teamwork comes together to earn points. Their communication had recently improved. “I feel like, since the first game, we’ve all talked more,” says Payton Vopat ’26. “I feel like we did way better at that game than we did at any of our other ones.”
The Freshman girls suffered a nasty bite from the Vandegrift Vipers in their home game on Friday, Sept. 9. It was a power struggle for the two teams in the last two sets, but the Vipers struck out at the last second and came out on top.
The first half consisted of continuous pursuits, the Warriors coming out on top and securing the initial win with 25-15. There were some rallies between the two teams, with Parmida Jamali ‘26 and Natasha Mendoza ‘26 delivering some incredible serves.
The second set had a couple more hiccups, with the Vipers close on the Warriors’ tail. The final score for the second set was 27-25. As the game progressed, the Warriors started to get weary, but that didn’t stop them from fighting back. In fact, in the final moments, it was neck-and-neck with 24-24, before Vandegrift won the set.
“I think we did really well in the first set, and then we struggled a little bit in the beginning of the second set,” Payton Vopat ‘26 said. “And then, the third set, I feel like we kind of gave up at the end.”
Everyone was on their toes for the third set, despite the Vipers winning the second round. Both teams were on high alert as the score was 11-5, with Vandegrift in the lead. In the end, the opponent won the final set with 25-19.
“I think we as a whole did really well. Our middles did amazing, our hitters did really well, our libero did really well,” Fay Predmore ‘26 said. “Because it’s a really tough team, I’m not necessarily sad that we lost because we went so far. We got so many points on them. So I’m pretty happy about that. Effort was definitely there, energy was very high.”
Ultimately, the amount of effort from both teams was impressive. With this being the first district game this season, there was a lot on the line. Each team brought their all to the important event.
“It was just a fun game, overall,” Predmore said. “[There was] lots of energy. It makes me excited [for the rest of the season]. It makes me excited to play more teams like that, play hard, and have that energy.”
The Warriors fought hard to earn their points, but unfortunately, the Vipers slithered their way to victory. The Freshman girls will have their next game to redeem themselves in the small gym on Tuesday, Sept. 13, at 6:30 P.M.
Class of 2023
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