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Hands in the air, Ava Hernandez ’29 and Liberty Hargave ’29 high-five to hype each other up during their first set. With morale and team support being crucial to the team’s success, teammates utilized these small displays of encouragement to stay motivated throughout the game.
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Hands outstretched, the JV White Volleyball Team high-fives the Vandegrift Vipers. An encouraging beginning to the game, the teams followed this routine by beginning their warm-ups for the coming set.
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Looking to the net, Audrey Winders ’28 holds up the Westwood symbol as her team concludes their first timeout. Aiming to enhance the team’s communication, the team worked hard to climb up the scoreboard throughout the first set.
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Eyes trained on the ball, Georgia Leuck ’29 confidently serves the ball. Her effective serves helped the Warriors fight the Vipers’ growing lead in the first set.
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Mid-jump, Olivia Navarro ’28 leaps to reach the ball in a forceful serve. Navarro’s serves set the tone for the second set, often beginning a long set of rallies between the teams.
After an intense showdown of skill and mental strength, the JV White Volleyball team fell short to the Vandegrift Vipers on Friday, Sept. 26. With the Warriors struggling to keep up with Vipers’ fast-paced rallies, the game finished with a score of 2-0.
Starting off the first set with an early disadvantage, the Warriors struggled to stay optimistic as Vandegrift accumulated points from consecutive kills, reaching 0-7 before calling the first time out. Coming out of the timeout with clearer goals, the Warriors fought to combat the Vipers’ lead. A solid ace from Kimmie Menendez ‘28 boosted the Warriors confidence, bringing the score to 4-12. With improving communication, rallies began lengthening, highlighted by skilled saves from Ava Hernandez ‘29. As the Warriors climbed up the scoreboard, consistent out balls from Vandegrift began to break their leading streak. Consistent sets by Lucy Aldrete ‘28 and strong serves from Liberty Hargave ‘29 encouraged the Warriors. However, the Vipers soon returned with full power, making it difficult to overcome their large lead, and they quickly took the set with a score of 15-25.
“I swung as hard as I could, and I really enjoyed serving,” Hernandez said. “I was excited to play Vandegrift again – I’m always excited to play.”
Despite the previous loss, the Warriors started the second set determined, marking the beginning with a neck-to-neck battle of stamina. With impressive serves from both sides of the net, the game was quickly tied at 3-3. An effective dig from Georgia Leuck ‘29 aided the Warriors through an extensive rally. Still, growing holes in formation led to the Vipers gaining a slight lead. Aldrete quickly took matters into her own hands, earning a point with a powerful kill, and building back some of the Warriors’ lost confidence. This kill was quickly followed by a kill from Alani Berman ‘29, giving the Warriors the strength they needed to pull ahead at 14-12. Yet, small mistakes led to points earned for both teams., and pushed the Warriors to fight even harder in an attempt to maintain their newly tied score. A break in communication amongst the Warriors soon became evident as Vandegrift began to advance in points. Trying to gain back their momentum following an ace of Sophie Chen ‘29, the Warriors called a timeout with the score at 20-23. Even with their continuous effort, they lost the set shortly after, finishing at 20-25.
“I was really happy when I got a good pass, good set, and then I got a good swing off of that,” Aldrete said. “Next game, I want to beat Hutto again.”
The JV White Volleyball Team will take to the court again at their next home game on Tuesday, Sept. 30 against the Hutto Hippos.
