by
Ryan Eshoff
Although the season has been rocky at times, the members of the varsity girls volleyball team found solid ground as their regular season concluded.
On October 9, the Lady Warriors enjoyed Senior night when they played host to Santa Teresa High School. In an inspired performance for their graduating teammates, the ladies defeated Santa Teresa in a three-game sweep. Seniors Jessica Smith, Ashley Frost, Jenn Elias, Danielle Tarangioli, and Kim Hatcher led the way with their usual sterling and fundamentally sound play. Always seeking more competition, the Lady Warriors entered the Milpitas SpikeFest tournament at Independence High School on October 21. Playing all day against schools from all over the Bay Area, the ladies came away with the top finish in the Bronze Division, their second such tournament victory this season.
While the girls finished winless in WCAL competition, the team was encouraged by the progress of many of its underclasswomen. Sophomore Ally Russo blossomed into a star at the varsity level. Russo finished 5th in the WCAL in kills with 55 and 2nd in service aces with 14, and will likely be a mainstay in the program in the upcoming years. Junior Jill Singletary also had a breakout year for the Lady Warriors, coming in 5th in the league with 0.94 blocks/game. Another promising sophomore, Alyssa Berding fell victim to a torn ACL and underwent surgery late in the season. Her recovery will likely be very crucial to the future success of the program.
Especially at the high school level, team bonding is oftentimes much more important than wins and losses. Many players on this year’s girls volleyball team felt that they achieved the former this year, if not the latter.
“Getting a chance to play with my sister was awesome; she’s terrific,” remarked junior Leah Elias, about her sister and teammate, Jenn, who responded that “in a few years I won’t remember what our record was or where we finished in the standings. What I will remember is all the lasting relationships that were formed during the season.”
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