The Paly girls’ varsity volleyball team defeated Leland Wednesday with a series of five close matches in the Lady Vikes’ first CCS competition of the playoffs. The girls will now advance to play Mitty this Saturday.

The Lady Vikes came into the game full of excitement, eager to perform better than in their disappointing 2003 season. Because of their poor standings last season, the girls moved from the De Anza league down to the less competitive El Camino League. After CCS, however, they hope to return to the higher level of play. Sophomore Ariel Ajagu was the only frosh/ soph team member pulled up to play with the varsity girls for CCS. “I’m really excited,” Ajagu said before the game.

In the first game, the Lady Vikings came out strong, taking Leland by surprise. They were off to a promising start, with a lead of 6-0. With good communication, the girls blocked numerous spikes, leaving the Leland girls with no scoring opportunities. When the score reached18-5 in Paly’s favor, the Leland coach called a timeout, hoping to put a stop to Paly’s strong lead. However, Leland’s efforts showed little return and Paly ended won the first game, 25-9.

The second game Leland claimed dominant. The Chargers seemed to have learned from the first game, and were able to capitalize on their scoring opportunities. Leland took the second game, winning 25-20.

“We made almost no errors in the first game, and ten errors in the second game,” Paly Coach Theresa Carey said.

Disappointed by their play, but motivated by the importance of winning the next game, the girls came back in the third game and won 25-23.

The fourth game Leland came out strong. Recovering from their last game, Leland was able to win 25-14.

As the teams headed in to the fifth game, adrenaline was running high. The last game would determine the winner of the match, who would continue with CCS postseason play. The lady Vikings knew they had to win to stay in CCS and they started out with a strong 8 – 2 lead. Under the leadership of their senior captain, outside hitter Katrina Zawojski, the Vikings were able mount a strong offense while shutting down the Charger’s defense. Zawojski made 20 kills and 16 assists, proving essential to Lady Vike’s game. Paly held a strong lead throughout the game and was able to stop Leland’s offense, allowing them only five points in the entire match. Senior setter Shaina Epstein had 32 assists, adding significantly to the girls’ offense. The Vikings pulled off a strong win, 15-5.

The Lady Vikes were happy with their win, and look forward to their game Saturday. “It was a close game. It was up and down, like a roller coaster.” Zawojski said. “Losing [two of the matches] only made us stronger, and want it more.”

Winning the game was truly a team effort for the Vikings, and many players had outstanding games. Lindsey Harris had 16 kills, Erica Gage had 8 blocks, and Murray Koch had 24 digs. “These are just huge numbers,” Coach Carey said.

The Vikings will now proceed to their second round of CCS against Mitty this Saturday. To watch the girls game on televison, tune in to High School Sports Focus which will be airing their coverage at 11 p.m. Friday on Channel 36, or Cable Channel 6.