The girls’ varsity volleyball team had an exciting win over Lincoln in the first round of CCS Playoffs on Wednesday night. The Lady Vikes dominated in a three game match, winning 25-18, 25-17, and 25-12.

The team displayed excellent blocking and tough serving.

“We did a great job of executing what we focus on during practice,” Head coach Dave Winn said. “We kept them [Lincoln] out of their system.”

While the Vikes did control most of the match, they found themselves behind in the beginning of the second game.

“We started out slow,” junior Hillary Ford said, “but we ended the game well.”

Senior Ariel Ajagu added that the “level of intensity was pretty good” and that they played consistently.

Next up for the team is a match against thirteenth seeded Los Gatos (Paly is seeded fifth). Los Gatos defeated the fourth seeded Aptos earlier in the week. The Vikes have faced off against Los Gatos twice this season. In their first match up, Paly fell short in a four game match. However, in the second match, Paly came out victorious with a five game win.

“That was the first time Paly had ever beaten Gatos in volleyball, as far as anyone could tell me,” Winn said.

Winn noted the importance of “out-defending” for the next match.

“They are very scrappy on defense” he said.

Ajagu added that the team will need a little more “defensive discipline.”

“We’ll need to use smart blocking and hitting,” she said.

The Vikes will take on Los Gatos this Saturday at 5 p.m. at Valley Christian High School.

“We’re hoping to bring along as many fans as possible,” Winn said.