Senior team captains Trina Ohms and Megan Coleman, in addition to juniors Caroline Martin, Melanie Wade and Jackie Koenig scored the first few points. The tension grew as the rivals battled back and forth, but it ended as a one-sided affair as the Vikings clutched a strong lead in the middle and powered through victory. Paly won the first game, 25-10.
In the second game, Gunn came out determined and made the first few kills. Adjusting to the new intensity of the game, Paly rallied back and took an 11-point lead.
“I think we did a really good job,” Coleman said. “We stayed composed and we didn’t slack off at all when things weren’t going our way.”
Ultimately, the Vikings’ strong defense led to a 25-10 victory in the second game. Nevertheless, head coach Dave Winn saw room for improvement.
“Our defense can always be better,” head coach Dave Winn said. “When we get into leagues, we will be playing Los Gatos or Mountain View; [the ones] with the bigger hitters. We’re going to have to pick up more balls. We got a few drops we shouldn’t have had, both on defense and on serve receive.”
Both teams started the final game with several serving and hitting errors. The Vikings had the advantage; however, Gunn refused to go down without a fight. The Vikings stayed focused and won the final game in a commanding fashion, 25-12.
“We tried not to make as many errors as we usually do,” Martin said. “We were working together and playing simple and doing what we do best.”
Even though Ohms saw the match as an easy victory, she said the team can still improve on communicating in difficult situations.
“We can improve on our communication like when we are in tricky situations,” Ohms said. “Sometimes we aren’t as good at deciding and making the best outcome out of those tricky situations. So definitely communication would be the key in that situation.”
Overall, Winn was satisfied with the girls’ performance and hopes that they continue to keep up the intensity throughout the rest of the season.
“I think we did what we needed to do,” Winn said. “Obviously we didn’t get tested as much as we maybe will when we get into leagues. But we were passing really well; we were serving really well and whether if they dunk a ball, that’s not really in our control.”
This year, the team is striving for more than just a successful season. Winn said that with a great deal of team chemistry and hard work, the team hopes to win the Four Banners: leagues, Central Coast Section, Nor-Cal and state.
“We have a lot of good teams in our leagues and they tried to stop us before,” Winn said. “In years past, we have been able to sneak up and take it. This year there is a big target on us. Everyone is sick of us. So each league match is going to be tough. So winning those four banners would be a big accomplishment.”
The Vikings’ next game is against San Benito tonight at 6:30 p.m. in the Paly’s main gym.