After six years of battle on the volleyball court against Cathedral Catholic High School (8-1) in the California Interscholastic Federation Championships since before 2019, the girls’ varsity volleyball team (12-1) took its prominent place, defeating the Dons 3-0 on Sept.10 in the Olive Garden.
Having previously defeated the Dons in the Volleypalooza Tournament in Austin, Texas, the Falcons brought back the same energy Wednesday night. By keeping up this streak, the Falcons are shooting their shot at taking the CIF Championships in November.
Loud cheering radiated on and off the court as the Falcons took the first set of the match (25-18). With strong hustle and skillful defense, the volleyball team was able to dive and pick up the majority of balls on the court. Most prominently, Lila Green (11), committed to The University of Kansas and starting libero, led with 12 digs per set, effectively picking up the Cathedral’s attacks.
The Falcons did not leave their hitting power at home. Starting outside hitter Jaycee Mack (11), committed to Baylor University, was a key hitter on the court, swinging an average of 3.8 kills a set, along with outside hitter Finley Krystkowiak (12), committed to Pennsylvania State University, swinging an average of 2.3 kills a set.
The powerful and focused accuracy of the hitters was made possible by the star setter, Emery Gonzales (11). Being the backbone of the team for three consecutive years, Gonzales delivers skillful sets, providing her hitters with great opportunities to score.
Gonzales, committed to Santa Clara University, demonstrates complex communication skills, illustrating the perfect persona of a natural leader on the volleyball court.
“I feel like it’s been a long time coming,” Gonzales said. “These games [against Cathedral], since my freshman year, have always been my favorite. Coming into the game today, we knew that we had to grind. We played with a lot of power and urgency.”
Taking a look back at the Texas tournament, Gonzales reflects on what the team was able to learn and take back to the West, facing the Dons once again.
“In Texas, even though we won, it was pretty close,” Gonzales said. “They had game points on us and we definitely did not play our best. So, over the past few weeks, since Texas, we have been working hard and constantly working in the gym. Some of our biggest strategies we worked on were grinding the defense, trying to get every single ball up, and swinging around the block.”
Finally, Gonzales reminisces on how the team plans to move forward this season.
“It’s a great feeling to win, but we are not expected to win any game in the future,” Gonzales said. “We are coming into every single game to work and keep on staying hungry.”
Carrying on this passion of winning and true hunger for every point, the Falcons took the second set by 25-23, battling the Dons, who did not let this win slip away from their fingers. The Dons fought hard against two starting middles on the team, Danica Nordlicht (12) and Marina Vosloo (12), who both made an impact on the court by blocking and hitting.
Nordelict, committed to Columbia University, is a leader on the court with a dominant average of six blocks per game.
“During the game, I definitely was able to perform micro steps in the middle, leading me to block the middles better than I did in Texas,” Nordelict said. “Training up to this day, we made sure that we were able to make good positive block touches on the middles and overall just maintain a positive energy. We were really able to calibrate ourselves and, by staying calm, we allowed ourselves to win.”
Looking back at the feeling of scoring the final points, Nordelict reflects on the emotions this win gave her.
“Winning my senior year against this big rivalry really cements us as one of those teams that you will remember,” Nordelict said. “These games are always really emotional for everyone due to this intense competition.”
The third and final set sparked anxiety for both the stands and the girls on the court. This set would be history-making and the coach’s reference point for future games and practices.
Coach Brennan Dean, varsity girls volleyball coach and Wave Volleyball Club coach, was amazed by the team’s win; he wants the girls to maintain this energy and not let the win change their perception on the playing field.
Even if this defeat made history, it does not guarantee future success and will “not change what we do, or what’s going to probably happen for the future.”
“It’s just nice to kind of keep the rhythm of us playing at a high level and building confidence as we go through the season,” Dean said.
If anything, he wants this game to keep focused and determined, working towards their success this season.
“We’re not moving backwards, and now we have to rebuild tomorrow,” Dean said. “Tomorrow, we just get to build on top of this.”
Going into the game, Dean recognized that the athletes had a lot riding on their performance after the tournament in Texas.
“We were a little bit more prepared to deal with their middle offense,” Dean said. “[We had to] find ways to create kills on the outside and the right side.”
Yet, training this year was no different from past years.
“[It has] always been kind of consistent, trying to keep a high standard in the gym, trying to keep it positive,” Dean said.
After the constant years of battling on the wooden floor, the Falcons have finally reinstated their status, making them one of the strongest teams that have taken down the Dons. The team looks forward to taking the CIF Championships this year.
