Girls Volleyball PASPOA v. EABH: History Repeats itself. But, better.

Right after a nice warm lunch, the Lady Hawks embarked on a mission. Winning their first volleyball game of the season. Currently holding a winning streak, at this season and form past seasons, the girls stepped onto the court in full confidence. The crowd had the same amount of confidence in them as well. The first point was an immediate manifestation of their amazing talent. Julia Ribeiro (3), co captain, hit an ace with her serve along with an additional point being brought by Summer Lusear (14). However, riding with such confidence brought them to misjudging a call on a ball which ended up hitting the line. It could have easily been an honest mistake, which happens and is most definitely excused since the girls didn’t let a single things slide in this set. Julia Jorge (10) went diving after the ball which was a sacrifice that didn’t go to waste. Summer and Julia R. ran around the court to make sure they made that point, and they most definitely did. Summer’s performance was as bright as her name as she went flying after balls on and off court and levitated so seamlessly to block attempts at spikes by the opposing team. However, such happiness didn’t last long as the Huskies began trotting closer and closer towards the Hawks. Through point gains from the ladies missing their aim at receives, the gap nearly closed at 6-5. However, it soon opened with a streak of points which opened it back to a three-point difference. Fluctuating back to a tense catch-up points-wise, the game slowly began resembling the same volleyball game with the men’s teams. Julia J. accidentally slipped onto the opposing team’s side of the court which caused a loss of a point, but undoubtedly, the girls protected the score with their soul. Julia recovered insanely quick and thrusted herself above the net to spike straight down onto the Huskies’ side of the court. The crowd began cheering non-stop which encouraged the team to block, spike, dive, and most importantly, make points which slowly but surely accumulated. 

Brunna Gontijo (16), the team’s captain, spiked so hard, the player receiving the force broke loose and gave into her power. Intimidation at its finest. Despite Manuella Ferolla (19) missing a serve, her performance was shining throughout the match and every little mistake as a rookie was brushed off. It’s safe to say that the girls have created a beautiful community amongst each other of encouragement and pride. The score was so close to reaching a tie when the Huskies got to 10-9, but Julia R. made countless aces that prevented them from flipping the game. At 14-9 PASPOA began attempting to pick up their spirits but eventually gave into their fate following a time out. Their score froze twice. Once at 9, and another at 11. Brunna’s spikes were so brutal and fierce, they froze with jaws on the floor–completely shocked. Nina Monteiro (4) was another crucial player in freezing the Huskies’ score with her impeccable serves which allowed for kick-starting the perfect sets for the Hawks. At 19-11, the Hawks immediately knew the score was on their side. Spike after spike and the opposing team loosing motivation allowed for a match point at 21-12. 

Every slip up and every boost in adrenaline allowed for the Hawks to push harder and gape the gap wider every time, especially in the second set. The second half also started strong with 2-0 which gave other players opportunities to be subbed in. Bianca Birman (11) subbed in and immediately set the perfect parabolic ball to Brunna who in return, made a point for the Hawks after the Huskies ducked in fear. Even though they ended up tying, the girls quickly got back onto their feet flipping the game around. With aces and seamless teamwork, the Huskies got frozen in time once again. 6-4, 8-4, 9-4, up until 12-4. Right at the peak of confidence and assurance of not having to dispute a third set, the Julia Jorge began spiking so hard every block was pierced immediately and Summer was stuck at serves, clearly indicating  a good winning streak. There was a timeout called by the Huskies in attempt to uplift their spirits which definitely gave them a boost. Bianca scored points with dips as the crowd began chanting her name and a huge smile lit up her face. The Huskies began increasing their scores slowly but surely climbing up from four to nine. All while the Hawks flew higher to maintain their distance with a better altitude. Even with a huge improvement on the Huskies’ side, the sub-ins by Bianca, Manu, and Carol Bonato (20) were much appreciated by the audience. Through disencouraging slipups by the Huskies, and opportunities to rest by the Hawks, points began getting sloppy towards the end. but sooner than later, Carol and Manu made beautiful points with aces and spikes straight to the floor winning the team 21-9. 

History may have repeated itself in the beginning of this game, but we can assure that it was far better. Distance was kept between points and all players had their moment in the spotlight. To make matters better, the two teams agreed to hosting a third set as a friendly match which further reinforced the girls’ confidence with getting to play around with strategies, rotations and etc. Cheers to exemplary teamwork, beautiful skills, and steady confidence. Go Hawks!