Girls Varsity Volleyball is ace-ing the season so far! The team is currently undefeated 6-0 in league with a record of 14-1 overall.

On Sept. 11, the girls defended their home against John Burroughs in an exciting game. To start off the game, the players burst onto the court full of energy and optimism while setting the mood for the rest of the game. Quick to gain the lead in the beginning of the first set, Co-Captain senior Haley Kennedy, who plays outside hitter, scored eight points, giving the Apaches an edge and boosting the team’s momentum. Co-Captain senior Amanda Ung described, “We were working really well, even after we lost a point, and Burroughs seemed kind of rattled so we really used that to our advantage.” Sophomore Lily Gustafsson elaborated, “We came into the game knowing they were a high level team and made sure we were super loud after every play.” However, the team’s enthusiasm wasn’t enough to immediately break Burroughs as Amanda noted, “Towards the end, although we still had the lead, Burroughs started to pick up [its] game and make [its] serves. Our serve-receive wasn’t doing well so they almost caught up.” Despite, the small setback, our Apaches were able to finish the first set strong and take the win.

Carrying over to the second set, the girls continued to struggle with serve-receiving and Amanda pointed out that they “just weren’t communicating as much,” allowing Burroughs’ eagerness for a comeback to overpower the team’s early energy. Not only did Burroughs have newfound motivation, but its outside hitter also had a strong swing. One of her hits managed to surpass AHS’ defense, but, according to Lily, the team’s libero, she dove in “right before [the ball] touched the court” and managed to not only get it over the net but also the point. Although the team lost the second set, the players didn’t give up and rechanneled their energy for the third set.

Learning from its mistakes and mishaps in the second set, Amanda added that the team “started off strong again” and “managed to push through all the way with good communication and clean plays,” allowing them to win the set and take the lead 2-1. In the fourth set, both teams were eager to win and Burroughs put up a tough fight, but AHS was able to pull ahead and finish the game 3-1.

The team still has a little bit to work on, as Amanda pointed out, “We learned that we need to be more consistent with our energy and how we play, because we tend to get too comfortable when we have the lead.” Despite a few struggles, the girls are off to a great start this season. Great job Apaches, keep it up!

Photo by IRIS LIM