Paly’s varsity volleyball team remains undefeated in the De Anza league after sweeping Saratoga, 3-0, on Thursday night at Paly.
“We have definitely established ourselves as the team to beat,” senior Eliza Stevens said.
The team came into the game knowing that Saratoga’s outside hitter, junior Nicole Gragnola, and opposites, sophomore Hanna Nielson and junior Chelsea Sabella, were the main players to guard.
“We did our best to stop them,” head coach Dave Winn said. “We wanted to play our game, no matter what Saratoga was going to do.”
The Lady Vikes quickly recovered after trailing in the beginning of the first and third sets. They had a total of 41 kills and six errors, according to head coach Dave Winn.
“We can always change the focus and intensity of the game if we try hard enough,” Stevens said. “It was also a testament to our ability to come back after a rough start and dominate.”
The Vikings started off slow and trailed by a few points in the beginning of the first set. But the Vikings quickly got their game together and matched Saratoga point for point. Paly gained the lead by eventually winning a series of rallies and won the set, 25-15.
“The Saratoga hitters were able to tool the Paly block,” Paly’s assistant coach Mike Huang said. “But as the match progressed, Paly was putting up a [more] effective block.”
Paly started off with a 7-0 lead in the second set and only allowed the Saratoga Falcons to score a few points. The Vikings overpowered their adversaries with kills and blocks and won, 25-9.
“Paly was able to side out immediately at every Saratoga serve and thus won the game very efficiently,” Huang said.
But the Falcons were not intimidated, for they worked cohesively to create a gap between themselves and Paly in the third set, gaining an early 3-0 lead. Paly, supported by an energetic audience, turned the three-point deficit into a 13-point lead. In response, Saratoga also stepped up its game and countered Paly’s attacks.
“We kind of lost focus a bit,” senior Ally Whitson said. “However, we quickly got back into the game by making a few good plays. We played like a team, supporting others if they made a mistake.”
A series of long rallies occurred at the end of set three. Cheers from the audience became louder in support of the home team, and Paly won the set, 25-14.
“Each game that we win gives us more confidence for the next game,” freshman Melanie Wade said.
The team will play Los Gatos, the other undefeated team in the De Anza league, at 6:45 p.m. on Oct. 14 at Los Gatos. Paly will play cross-town rival Gunn at 6:45 p.m. on Oct. 22 at Paly.