The girls volleyball team defeated the Los Gatos Wildcats in three intense sets: 25-18, 27-25, and 25-23 on Thursday night to secure their spot in the CCS finals.
The Bears kicked off the first set with early back-and-forth plays as both teams fought to find some momentum. Kills from junior outside hitter Sophie Marks and senior opposite hitter Ruby Stone kept the score close at 4-4.
M-A started to pull ahead thanks to a block set up by junior opposite hitter Louisa King* and sophomore middle blocker Emerson Edwards*. Directly after, an ace by sophomore setter Teagan Forcier-Koranda pushed the score to 6-4. The Bears’ communication was strong, and their energy grew as senior middle blocker Kayla Greenbaum got a powerful kill.
Marks went on a streak, getting three consecutive kills before the Wildcats called a timeout with the Bears having a slight 16-13 lead. With every rally, the student section got louder, giving the Bears more confidence to keep going. Marks delivered a commanding hit to make it 17-13, and a short serving streak from senior defense specialist Tamara Rubinsky helped push the score further. With a kill and an ace from Marks, the Bears’ lead extended to 22-16.
M-A’s offense went on a roll, with additional spikes from senior outside hitter Jocelyn Chang and Greenbaum that brought them to set point, 24-18. Refusing to let up, a kill from Chang gave the Bears the first set, 25-18.
The Bears hit the ground running in the second set, racing to a 6-1 lead after impressive blocks and kills from Greenbaum and Stone.
After a timeout by Los Gatos, M-A continued to extend their advantage, executing tips, blocks, and precise kills. The Bears looked dominant, but the Wildcats slowly started to chip away at the gap with a streak of aces and kills that M-A’s defense was unable to fight against.
As the set continued, the score was eventually tied at 17-17, and the stands started getting louder in anticipation. M-A lost some speed, letting the Wildcats go up by three points. An ace from Winters and a kill from Greenbaum cut the Bears’ deficit to 21-19.
A tactical setter dump from Chou brought the Bears even closer to the Wildcats, and crumbling under the immense pressure, Los Gatos was forced to call a timeout. Mistakes from the Wildcats, along with a tip from sophomore outside hitter Gabriella Lowe, tied the teams at 23-23. Lowe took matters into her own hands and got another tip and a jaw-dropping kill, snatching the lead back for M-A, 26-25.
“My favorite part of the game was how consistently hype we were the whole time. I think that helped a lot in the second set,” Greenbaum said.
Lowe came in fired up and got another impressive tip, giving M-A the lead and winning the second set 27-25. “I definitely think we let go a little bit and took our foot off the gas pedal. But we came together and talked it through, and then we just used our communication and figured out some plays to come back,” Chou said.
The third set started with kills from Greenbaum and Marks, keeping the score even at 4-4. After a long rally, M-A got a kill, putting them barely ahead with a one point lead. The Wildcats fought against M-A’s powerful defense, managing to gain a few points.
King put the Bears ahead with a block, and a quick kill from Greenbaum pushed the tally to 11-9. The Bears’ teamwork fought back against Los Gatos as they tried to regain momentum, and the teams alternated points until M-A found themselves in a three point deficit, 17-14. With a kill and an ace from Marks and a rally that ended in favor of the Bears, the game was tied up again at 17-17.
“When our energy’s down, we don’t play very well. But this game, our energy was really high, and I think that pushed us through to winning it,” Lowe said.
A timeout from the Wildcats gave the Bears a chance to regroup and plan their strategy, causing them to come back aggressively with a sharp kill from Chang, putting them up 19-18.
After a timeout from the Bears, an ace from Lowe set them in front by one point, 23-22, and forced the Wildcats to call a timeout. With two kills from Marks, the Bears won 25-23, completing their final home game of the season and progressing to CCS finals.
“I think the past two years, especially, we’ve not really ever had student sections come, but this year we’ve had the biggest ever. I think having a student section has been really helpful in keeping us energized, so I’m gonna miss that and having such a big crowd to support us,” Greenbaum said.
“I feel like everybody’s been so supportive of us. So our season’s gone by so fast, and so it’s just insane that our season’s over and I’m gonna really miss everybody,” Chou added.
For the CCS finals, the Bears faced the Milpitas Trojans at Gunn High School on Saturday at 1 p.m.
*Louisa King and Emerson Edwards are journalists for the M-A Chronicle.
