Junior Annya Dahmani sets a ball to senior Alexa Mathisen.
Towards the end of the third set, what had once been the varsity girls’ game to lose was tied, 25-25.
In the first two sets, the girls crushed the Cornerstone Christian Crusaders, 25-8 and 25-20, on Sept. 8.
Yet after the girls hit a ball out of bounds, the Crusaders gained the lead.
An easy win was starting to evolve into a close match.
But the girls would not let things go that far. Sophomore Bella Mathisen served the final ball directly in between the knees of a Crusader, ending the game, 29-27.
According to coach Jason Kreps, the girls began to let down their guard as the game went on.
“The opponent wasn’t as strong (as we were),” Kreps said. “But we started to play down to their level.”
Sophomore Heidi Johnson agreed with Kreps.
“Although we won, we didn’t play our best,” Johnson said.
“We lacked energy and enthusiasm at times and had many unforced errors. When we gained a lead, we allowed ourselves to relax, which only let the other team back in the game.”
Freshman Monet Cook agreed.
Sophomore Tori Van Vleck passes a ball up while senior Kaeleigh Valverde and sophomore Heidi Johnson stand by ready to hit.
“We dropped our skill level after an easy first match, and as (coach) Sarah (Song) says, we went into cruise control,” Cook said.
“We were afraid to fully swing and thought too much about what we were doing when we approached.”
Kreps explained that if there was to be a time to make these mistakes, it would be now – in the preseason.
“That’s why there is the preseason,” Kreps said.
“This is the time to work through it, experience it and get court time.”
On Sept. 9, the girls have two firsts: the first season game and the first away game against Cristo Rey High School in the St. Francis High School gym at 6 p.m.
—By Chardonnay Needler
