Girl’s Volleyball Crush Mats and Dons in Home Games

Varsity girl’s volleyball swept both the Dons and the Mats in home games on September 30 and 23 respectively. The team ascribes their wins to all of the hard work they have been putting in during practice .

Senior Gracie Doane said, “I think part of the reason [we won] is I feel like we are coming together as a team and we are practicing constantly and for a while we didn’t have games… So we just have been working really really hard and being diligent and I think that kind of showed in the games.”

Freshman Emma Knutson added, “We practice every day for like 2 and a half hours… Which is essential… And we work really hard in practice and I think that really helps a lot.”

Just like the players, Head Coach John Vuong also attributes the team’s wins to the fact that, “Our players have been working hard physically and mentally in practice.”

Since Acalanes and Miramonte are familiar schools, the players also had an overall plan going into both of the games. In reference to the Miramonte game, junior Samantha Brouhard said, “I also think we won because we watched some of their film before and we knew their tendencies and we knew some of the players… While we played them and during our timeouts we knew which players would hit certain spots.”

The friendly rivalry between Campo and Acalanes, and especially between the Cougars and the Mats, also impacted the overall atmosphere of the games. Students brought exceptional school spirit and loud cheering to both of the games, which improved the overall energy, and helped the team’s performance.

Sophomore Charlotta Bell said, “It’s exciting to play rival schools… The gym is always super fun to be in with all of the fans. The football team, basketball team, and waterpolo team are always supporting us.”

“Our fans and students were fantastic. They were loud and some of their cheers were pretty funny [for example] ‘canoeing,’” said Vuong.

“The fans definitely contributed to the overall mood… They generate energy… They just are so fun to be around.” added Knutson.

The players also felt slight pressure to beat both Miramonte and Acalanes because of the ongoing rivalries. Ultimately, they beat both schools in just 3 sets, winning every 1.

Doane, in reference to the Miramonte game, said, “I felt the pressure especially because there was also a big crowd for Miramonte too and I know that all of our rivals want to win against us because we are usually a good competitor… I think that we were determined to win since they are our rival and also since our crowd was really passionate and wanted us to win.”

The team is super excited going into the rest of the season. “I think that there was a small confidence boost after [the games]… But I know that we have to stay diligent and humble going through the league and going through the playoffs,” said Doane.

“For the future we are working towards going undefeated in League,” said Bell.