The Frosh Dons volleyball team pulled off two big league wins on a busy Hoco week. Facing a much improved Las Lomas team at home, the girls seemed rusty from the long weekend in the first set. The game was neck and neck until Caitlyn McAulliffe went on an impressive 5-serve run. With some good hits by Harper Fox, the girls fought to bring the score to 24-21. Unfortunately, Las Lomas answered back and took the set 25-27.

Set two was an equally challenging battle. Sahar Noroozi’s serving kept the game close, and Eloise Greeson came off injured reserve to make a strong contribution. Harper Fox and Lexi Chaput delivered key hits from outside, and Ella Greenfield continued her massive impact on the team with her serves and defensive play. The team communicated well, and their teamwork plus a strong hit by Lily Cervenka kept the score to 21-21. Las Lomas brought out the heroic saves, but Maggie Marusich delivered two key tips to win the set after a hard-fought battle.

LL knew they had a chance to pull off an upset on the Dons home court, and the third set was highly competitive. With numerous game-point chances for the Dons, strong serving by Catalina Liu, Kayla Schaffer, and Caitlyn kept the Dons on top. Trading points, the score ran up to a 20-20 tie. Strong middle play by Maggie sealed the win at 22-20.

Congratulations to Maggie Marusich for the “Juice Belt” game MVP award.

On Thursday the team traveled to College Park, where it was Falcon Senior Night. The gym was decorated, packed, and rowdy! Once again, the Dons’ minds seemed to be on Hoco, and they came out slowly in set 1. They made a late-game run, but weren’t able to handle the focused Falcons. 

In set two, the Dons started playing their game. With strong hits and defensive plays by Lexi, strong serving by Reina Dekel, excellent backcourt defense by Ella, Sahar, and Catalina, the Dons came out on top 25-23. 

The purple hype factor was high for set 3 in the College Park gym where the Falcons saw a path to beating the higher-ranked Dons. The game was a very tight battle, but Ella’s libero prominence and Caitlyn, Lexi, Maggie, and Mira fighting hard at the net kept the Dons in the lead at 9-7. Lexi stepped up to the serving line with confidence and delivered 5 straight points, bringing the score to 14-7. The Dons defense put the game away and the Dons came out on top 15-8. 

Congratulations to Lexi Chaput for the “Juice Belt” game MVP award.

Next Tuesday at 4:30, the team heads to rival Campo, where they’ll try to unseat a top-ranked team. Come out and support your frosh Dons!