The girls volleyball team beat the Burlingame Panthers in a five-set nail-biter: 20-25, 25-17, 25-22, 11-25, and 18-16 on Tuesday night.
The first set started off slow for M-A, with the Panthers holding a narrow 5-4 lead. After crisp kills from senior middle blocker Kayla Greenbaum and consistent serves from freshman setter Calista Chou, the score leveled to 9-7 with the Bears trailing slightly behind.
A sneaky hit from junior opposite hitter Louisa King* followed by another sharp spike from Greenbaum sent the Panthers scrambling across the court. As the set continued, M-A consistently matched Burlingame’s energy with long rallies and blocks, but the Bears still found themselves down 22-19.
“We really focused on coming out to a great start. But in this game, we failed miserably to do that,” junior opposite hitter Sophie Marks said.
Despite the Bears’ efforts, the set concluded with an attack from the Panthers, ending with a score of 25-20.
The second set commenced with a powerful serve from Chou and an effective kill from senior outside hitter Jocelyn Chang. Greenbaum’s nonstop attacks, paired with sophomore setter Teagan Forcier-Koranda’s tricky serves, maintained the Bears’ momentum.
After an aggressive spike from Marks, the Panthers felt the heat and called a timeout with M-A leading 11-6.
Greenbaum and senior middle blocker Lily Jacobi shut down Burlingame’s offense with tough blocks, sending cheers through the stands. The Panthers’ hits were no match for senior libero Kylie Winters’s smooth saves, which set M-A up for success.
“We had a lot of ebbing and flowing with our energy, and when our energy was down, we didn’t do our best, but I think we did really well at getting back from those holes,” senior opposite hitter Bee Stone said.
Quick plays allowed the Panthers to sneak up and chip away at the score gap, cutting M-A’s lead to 20-17, and prompting a strategic timeout from the Bears. Reentering the set, hits from Marks helped M-A secure a safe spot, up 23-17. An echoing spike from Greenbaum finalized the win, 25-17.
Kicking off the third set, the stakes were high as both sides fought for the upper hand. The round started rough for the Bears, with net violations, shaky serve receive, and good passes from the Panthers that kept them down 7-1.
Fortunately for M-A, commanding hits from Greenbaum, along with three consecutive aces from sophomore outside hitter Gabriella Lowe, allowed the Bears to narrow the deficit to 9-7.
“I feel like our energy kind of went down a bit, but then we really brought it up at the most important time,” Chou said.
The score continued steadily, leaving Burlingame and M-A neck-and-neck at 12-12, 15-15, and 21-21. Following a strong spike from Marks, M-A successfully bounced back to secure the set 25-22.
Starting the fourth set, despite strong hits from Marks and clean digs by Winters, the Bears still found themselves behind 12-5. The Panthers’ tough spikes kept M-A down 16-7, prompting a timeout call.
Unfortunately, the Panthers’ aggressive and coherent offense left the Bears unable to catch up, and Burlingame ended the set 25-11.
Stakes were high coming into the final fifth set, beginning with back-and-forth blows. Tensions only grew as crowds from both sides competed in a noise battle: stomping, clapping, and cheering. Dives and hustle from Chou and Winters kept the ball in play, but M-A was off to a rocky start, down 4-1.
Following a timeout, two back-to-back blocks from Chang and Greenbaum helped lift M-A’s spirits.
After continued long rallies, the score was even at 14-14. The Bears were determined to break the tie, and a hit from Chang allowed the team to regain its energy.
A powerful spike from Marks sent the crowd roaring with excitement, as M-A concluded the final set 18-16.
“The last set was a really good example of how hard we could fight and our commitment. I think a lot of teams would have given up, and we should be proud of ourselves for fighting to the very last points after a hard up-and-down game,” Stone said.
“I’m really proud of how we ultimately won this game, even though it was really hard for us, and I’m sure we are all ready to put in the practice and get ready for our next game at Woodside,” Marks said.
The Bears will take on the Woodside Wildcats at home on Thursday at 6 p.m.
*Louisa King is a journalist for the M-A Chronicle.
