The JV Women’s Volleyball team fought head-to-head with the Miramonte Matadors on Wednesday night, May 26, with each team winning one set (25-14, 18-25). The Dons claimed victory by scoring four more points overall, beating the Mats on their home turf in Orinda. The Dons remain tied with Campolindo for first place in the league with one match remaining in the season.

The Dons exuded confidence in the first set, maintaining their lead from the start, while the Mats struggled to keep up. Apple Walton, who had her best night of the season, opened the game with a kill and followed up with a barrage of attacks and three more kills in the first set. Although the Mats came within three points of the Dons at 15-12, the Dons showed no mercy and started to grow their lead, riding a wave of momentum that was unstoppable. Hanna Hageboeck was unrelentless with multiple attacks resulting in five kills, Ryann Jones logged three kills and an ace, and Sofie Foster showed off a diversity of skills with several aces, attacks, and tips for kills. Mara Korzeniowska was critical with her strong serves and assists and Lyanne Wang anchored the back row, which handled serve-receives and attacks consistently throughout the game. Sofie Foster closed the first set at 25-14 with a blistering ace that left the Mats speechless.

In the second set, the Mats found their mojo, maintaining a lead the entire set, while the Dons’ scoring runs were much more sporadic and they were only able to deliver a little over half of the kills they made in the first set. The Dons momentum was also shaken numerous times as the official called a handful of points in favor of the Mats due to net and rotation errors. Nonetheless, the Dons fans were treated to some fantastic rallies. The set opener included a one-handed bump by Lyanne Wang followed by several attacks from Sofie Foster, including a kill for the point. The Dons enjoyed several kills by Hanna Hageboeck, Ryann Jones, Marissa Hill, and Sofie Foster, while Elsa Simas served up an ace and a nice assist to Maddie Bacon that led to a kill. While the Mats kept attacking, Georgia Winkles and Kylie Choi had some nice digs to keep the Dons in the game. Yet even with two back-to-back kills from Apple Walton and an ace from Elsa Simas, the Dons weren’t able to get any closer than a three-point deficit at 16-19. With parents and the Varsity Women’s team cheering them on, the Dons kept fighting but the Mats charged on to win the set at 18-25.

The last match of the season will be on Thursday against Las Lomas at Acalanes.

The game can be viewed here:

https://sporfie.app.link/aVz1Th8tAgb