In a nearly empty and eerily quiet gym, the girls’ varsity volleyball team procured an easy win against Faith Christian Academy on Oct. 19.
Despite losing the very first point, the Cavs excelled in the first set, racking up 10 points before their opponents called a timeout.
But this didn’t affect their playing, and the Cavs continued to dominate as the game continued.
Faith Christian earned only three more points before the Cavs ended the short set, 25-4.
According to sophomore Jewel Turner, this huge lead was due in part to good serves and long service runs.
With an impressive spike by sophomore Bri Davies, the Cavs took the first point of the second set, setting them up to be just as successful as they were in the first.
Although their opponents got two early points, the Cavs brought the score to 8-2 before losing the ball again.
At 19-9, however, the game stopped due to a mix-up when Faith Christian’s players on the court did not match the players written in the score book.
But according to assistant coach Sarah Song, when the game was finally able to continue, the Cavs’ spirit was not affected.
Faith scored a few more points, but Country Day was ready to end the extended set, finishing 25-12.
The third and final set started strong, with the Cavs gaining seven points before their opponents got two.
But the girls’ missed serves caused a brief Faith rally.
At 6-9, the Cavs finally called a timeout, after which they pulled ahead to 14 points before their opponents won seven.
Sophomore Jewel Turner spikes in the game’s third set.
And Faith Christian was not able to come back, allowing the Cavs to finally win, 25-16.
Song said that good communication and teamwork both factored into the team’s win, as did their knowledge of what to expect.
“Faith Christian has always had a good team, so going in we knew we had to be prepared to play tough,” Song said.
Song said that the girls’ only difficulty was some confusion in their rotations due to changes she made in the lineup.
“I like to play girls in different rotations so that they are familiar with the entire court,” Song said.
“It gets them comfortable and allows them to understand what their teammates are dealing with.”
Song, who was acting as head coach that week while Jason Kreps was in Yosemite chaperoning the seventh grade class trip, thought that this would be a good time to mix up rotations.
“I told the girls to be fully confident in each of these lineups, to do their best and to be tough, and that’s exactly what they did,” Song said.
According to Turner, the team had good serve receive but lacked energy because of the almost non-existent home crowd.
“It is easier to maintain a higher energy level when we have fans cheering us on,” Turner said.
And although a handful of people had joined the crowd towards the middle of the match, a lack of Country Day spirit definitely took a toll.
But Turner said that their superior passing and communication on the court were enough to secure them a quick and easy win.
The Cavs’ next game is Tuesday, Oct. 24, against Sacramento Adventist Academy at Country Day at 6 p.m.
—By Anna Frankel
