MVHS Lady Mariner’s Volleyball Plays Bonita Vista

Publication Info: Imperial Beach Eagle & Times

Publication Date: September 28, 2018

This past Tuesday, the Lady Mariners Volleyball team had a home match against Bonita Vista High School. Coming into the game, the Mariners had a record of 5-8, and they were hoping to make it 6-8. To win a volleyball match, one team must win three out of five sets. The first team to get to twenty five points wins a set. They began the game with high hopes and high energy, ready for whatever was about to come their way.

Bonita started off the first set, serving first and scoring the first two points. However, the Mariner’s answered back with a kill, an unreturnable attack resulting in an immediate point, from senior Emily Leslie and a few back-row hits from junior Genevieve Hara; the Mariners were back in the running. Towards the end of the first set tension was high, with the score at 18-21, both teams pining to be the first one to twenty five points.

The Mariners fought hard, Hara and freshman Shaunessy Cardwell landed a few more kills on Bonita, bringing the score to 23-23. They each needed to score two more points to take the first set. With the crowd on the edges of their seats, Hara brought it up to 24-24 with another excellent back-row hit. The Mariner’s made it to 25-24, but volleyball requires that the winning team be up by two points, so the set continued. It was a cat and mouse game, each team hungry to win. Finally, Mar Vista triumphed with a final score of 27-25. The first set was theirs.

The Mariner’s found it difficult to carry their energy from the first set through the rest of the match. The second set started off again with Bonita scoring the first point. Highlights from the second set include kills from Hara and sophomore Kyla Clark, and blocks by Cardwell. Despite their best efforts, the Mariners lost the second set 16-25. In the third set, the Mariners switched their Libero from senior Shaylin Weygandt to junior Darlene Duenas. They scored the first point, and they hoped to keep that momentum up. Lauren Wold provided some amazing sets for the Mariners, and Cardwell blocked every ball she could get her hands on. But Bonita played well, and the Lady Mariners lost the third set 17-25.

After losing two sets, the Mariners were desperate for another victory. They regrouped, and prepared themselves for the fourth set. Bonita only needed one more victory to win the match, and the Lady Mariners were determined to stop them from getting it. Their passing was good, and kills were coming from all around the court from Hara, making multiple in a row on several different occasions. A smooth serve from senior Nia Hammond landed them another point. And Cardwell kept the defense up, blocking everything she could. Toward the end of the set, the score was 23-24, and the Mariners were fighting for their victory. They tried their hardest to prevent Bonita from scoring, but it wasn’t quite enough. Bonita won the final set, 23-25.

Despite the loss, the Mariner’s effort was obvious, and every loss comes with an opportunity for improvement. Weygandt said, “We learned how to effectively talk to each other. It was really emphasized in the first and second sets. You could tell just how much of an impact communication has on the players, on and off the court.”

Hammond added, “We can’t let out our frustration or anger on our teammates, it causes our energy as a team to go down.”

The Mariners had great focus during the first set, but lost it throughout the rest of the match. Hara commented, “We learned that we have to keep fighting through the whole game, we didn’t focus enough in the last sets.”

The mistakes made by the Mariners will be worked on during practice. Leslie emphasized the importance of working as a team, saying, “Teamwork means everything when it comes to sports. If you don’t support and encourage your teammates, you’ll never reach your full potential.”

The Lady Mariners plan to treat every practice like a game, giving every play their all. Weygandt said, “A team that shows 110% in practice will show 110% in a game!”

The Lady Mariners’ next game is Tuesday, Sept. 25 against Montgomery High School. It will be held at Montgomery at 4 p.m.