After three months of hard work in the league, the Girls’ Volleyball team earned their spot in the CIF playoffs. In front of an energetic home crowd on Oct. 24, Sage Hill took on Linfield Christian School. Students shook green and pink pom poms to cheer the girls on and celebrate breast cancer awareness. Deafening cheers rang out in the gym as the team practiced their serves.
“Playoffs are win or go home, so we’ve been putting all our energy into it and doing whatever we can to bring home the win,” Assistant Coach Justin Johnson said.
Three freshmen players were in Big Bear during freshman retreat earlier that week, which limited the team’s ability to practice with its full roster. Still, overall team spirit was high going into the game.
“We are all very excited but also nervous about this opportunity because this is our first CIF game, and none of us had this opportunity before,” junior and team captain Amber Wang said.
The first set started slowly as the Linfield Lions scored a few quick early points. Sage quickly picked up the pace, and a perfect connection between Amber Wang and Eve Fowler was able to bring Sage back on level. The lightning stayed strong until the end, securing the first set 25-20. The girls carried their momentum into the second set, finishing 25-9. In this set, the key aspect was teamwork.
“Instead of focusing on my stats and how well I’m doing, I wanted to play my role in helping the team play their best game,” sophomore and middle blocker Joanna Chen reflected.
Backs against the wall, Linfield fought hard, narrowly taking the third set 25-21. Going into the fourth set, Sage Hill was unfazed and kept their morale high to finish the set 25-18. With that win, Sage Hill reached an impressive 18-5 record.
The Lightning went on to lose its next game against El Dorado High School on Oct. 26, marking the end of the season.
“We really fostered a strong connection with each other during the league games, and I am hoping that everyone, especially our freshmen, comes back next year,” Sophomore Joanna Chen said.
The team is now continuing to build their team chemistry for beach volleyball this spring.
