Seniors Katia Dahmani and Yasmin Gupta celebrate after winning their final homecoming game.
The Cavs crushed Buckingham Charter Magnet High School in just three sets in their homecoming game on Oct. 13.
According to sophomore Bri Davies, the girls’ close victory over Buckingham on Sept. 19 left them with a desire to do particularly well in this game
“At the end of that one, we knew we should have done better,” Davies said.
“Going into this game, we were very prepared.”
As in many of their matches, the score stayed close at the beginning of the first set.
Once it got into the teens, the Cavs got a small lead, just enough to keep them ahead.
The Cavs brought the score to 18-12 before Buckingham took the ball.
But the Knights scored only one point before the Cavs went on a roll, bringing the score to 24-13.
The Cavs ended the set, 25-15, with an impressive block by junior Lia Kaufman.
Davies said the girls’ strong start in this set gave their opponents a bit of a wakeup call.
“They were expecting us to play as poorly as we did last time,” Davies said. “That strong start carried us through.”
However, Davies said that the second set didn’t go quite as well as the first.
“We had a bit of a dip due to our passes,” Davies said.
Buckingham took an almost immediate lead in the beginning of the second set.
Country Day continued to fall further behind before a tip by junior Bella Mathisen brought the ball back into their possession.
And this time the team seemed determined to keep it, tying the score at 10-10.
But then they faltered again.
When the score got to 11-15, Country Day called a timeout, and even though they were able to get a few more points, the Knights continued to jump ahead, bringing the score all the way to 14-20.
Finally, the Cavs had a comeback, gaining three points before Buckingham called a timeout.
But the break didn’t affect their momentum.
They brought the score up to 19-20 before Buckingham got their next point.
Sophomore Bri Davies spikes during the second set.
Soon they had caught up with their opponents, 21-21.
And the Cavs didn’t stop there.
The fans screamed and the bleachers rumbled as everyone in the gym cheered on the team.
And when senior Annya Dahmani hit the final ball, ending the set at 25-21, the crowd went wild with enthusiasm.
But there was still one more set to win.
The third started out neck-and-neck.
Then at 8-8, Country Day went on a 12-point run with server junior Lia Kaufman and closed out the game, 25-12.
According to Davies, this massive lead was due in part to advice and encouragement by their coaches, Jason Kreps and Sarah Song.
“Jason said that everything was just a little off in the second set, and that’s what was messing us up,” Davies said. “In the third set we really took that message to heart.”
Davies also attributed their win to strong passing, few service errors, and high energy.
“The crowd definitely helped our energy level, and when we have high energy, we play well,” Davies said.
Song also commented on the girls’ energy.
“They were excited to play at home and play for homecoming, (which caused them to have) way better energy,” Song said.
She said that along with their high energy, the team communicated and moved well, served aggressively and played good defense.
“I thought it was one of the best games they played this season,” Song said.
—By Anna Frankel
