On Thursday, September 10, the girls varsity volleyball team lost its non-conference home game against the San Benito Haybalers. This was the Eagles’ first game of the season, coming off of a second place finish in the CCS girls volleyball finals last year.

“We didn’t play at our best,” head coach Peter Kim said. “We definitely made too many errors. It is what it is today, [so now] we just move forward.”

The Eagles started off shaky with a series of missed serves and miscommunication. They quickly regained some of their momentum after co-captain senior Louisa Kishton slammed multiple kills, nearly tying the score. However, several long back and forth rallies set the Eagles back, and they eventually lost the first set.

In the second set, the Haybalers started out with a six point lead, but the Eagles came back strong, led by co-captain senior Alexis Malgesini’s four aces. In addition, consistent blocking from the front row, paired with a solid defense racked up points, and the Eagles took the set 25-23.

Throughout the third set, the Eagles struggled to take back their lead as the Haybalers cranked out multiple streaks. After a time-out toward the end of the set, they regained some of their strength but fell short, losing 24-26.

Starting the fourth set, the teams went back and forth with neither team taking a decisive lead until the first time out. From then on, the Haybalers dominated with a nine point lead. Despite a last minute comeback, the Eagles were defeated in their fourth and final set 17-25.

“We definitely have a lot of work ahead of us, and we have got to prove a lot. We have a lot of time before we get to league play. The girls work hard every day, and they’re ready to come in and put in the time to get better,” Kim said. “It’s a marathon, it’s not a sprint.”

The girls volleyball team’s next match is an away game on Tuesday, September 15 against Westmont. Their next home game is on Wednesday, September 16 against Leland.