The girls volleyball team beat the Hillsdale Knights in three sets: 25-11, 25-12, and 25-18 on Tuesday afternoon.
The Bears started off strong with senior outside hitter Jocelyn Chang scoring the first kill of the game. A point by the Knights briefly evened out the score, but the Bears powered ahead, and with great defense quickly built a 7-1 lead.
The Bears’ energy was electric as they continued to extend their lead even further. The score eventually reached 11-3 after an impressive shot from junior outside hitter Sophie Marks. “I really enjoyed hitting this game, because they were weak where I like to hit,” Marks said.
As the first set progressed, M-A’s defense held strong, with an incredible block from senior middle blocker Kayla Greenbaum.
In an attempt to ramp up their play and slow down M-A, the Knights called a timeout. Unfazed, the Bears came out hot with a forceful spike from junior opposite hitter Louisa King* that left the Hillsdale defense stunned.
The first set ended with alternating points until the Bears secured the win with a final score of 25-11.
The second set began with the Bears establishing dominance with freshman setter Calista Chou serving and quickly racking up points, bringing the score to 4-1.
Despite this, Hillsdale started to push back with points of their own. The set’s outcome was anyone’s guess as the scoreline was nearly even at 10-9.
Chang finally scored a point, giving the Bears a slight lead. M-A took this opportunity and ran with it, accelerating further with powerful shots, sending the ball flying past their opponents and landing it in their court.
The set finished up strong with impressive serves from senior libero Kylie Winters and more successful spikes from Chang, furthering the Bears’ lead. After a close beginning, M-A came back to win the set 25-12, annihilating the Knights yet again.
The Bears kicked off the third set with a point, but the score evened itself out quickly with a spike from Hillsdale. Greenbaum followed up by breaking through Hillsdale’s defense with a commanding spike, helping to give the Bears a steady lead.
The Bears worked together to win a wild rally due to their defense refusing to let the ball touch the floor, setting the score at 13-6.
As the set continued, Hillsdale managed to gain a few points, closing some of the distance the Bears had gotten with their impressive lead, and bringing the score to 16-12. Greenbaum went up for a spike, distracting the Hillsdale defense so that setter Teagan Forcier-Koranda could give Chang a wide open kill.
Hillsdale called for a timeout as the Bears furthered the scoreline to 23-17. While the Knights attempted to fight back by winning a point after an intense rally, Chang killed any hopes of a comeback with a final hit. The match ended with a score of 25-18.
“I think what was unique was the dynamic that we had on the team. I think everyone was so positive, so it was easy to relax and play well,” Chang said.
“I think we passed really well, and we were able to run different plays for our offense, and that worked really well,” Marks said.
Next, the Bears will visit Carlmont High School to battle the Scotts on Thursday at 6 p.m.
*Louisa King is a journalist for the M-A Chronicle.
