On November 18, the girls volleyball team took on Carlmont High School in the Division I CCS Semifinals. The Eagles saw their season end, along with their hopes of a CCS championship, at the hands of a 3-1 loss.

It was clear from the first serve that this match was going to be tight. Carlmont came out looking to make an impact as they took an early 6-2 lead. However, Los Altos responded quickly, and was able to keep the game relatively close. Carlmont was able to take advantage of the opportunity and used their precise hitting to create a 19-10 lead. Los Altos did their best to recover by going on a four-point streak, but the gap turned out to be too great in the end. Carlmont took the set by the score of 25-18.

As the second set started, Los Altos showed its sense of urgency to quickly rebound from the previous set. Carlmont was looking to build their momentum, but Los Altos would not back down.  The two teams traded points all the way to 18-18. Los Altos was able to capitalize on the frustration of the Carlmont hitters and was finally able to break open a lead after a thunderous hit from senior co-captain Alexis Malgesini to make it 22-19. Los Altos displayed their killer instinct as senior co-captain Megan Wilhelm served up an ace on the next play. Despite Carlmont’s best effort, the Eagles took the set by the score of 25-21.

At the beginning of the third set, it seemed as if Los Altos was going to be able to steal the win. After an ace from freshman Kaitlyn Wong, there was a new level of energy among the fans and Los Altos team. Yet, Carlmont was relentlessly stayed with the Eagles. Lead by senior co-captain Lulu Kishton, Los Altos was able to make it set-point at the score of 24-21. Carlmont, with their backs against the wall, clawed their way back and tied it up at 24-24. After a couple of back and forth rallies, Carlmont was able to win the third set by a score of 28-26.

Los Altos knew that it was do-or-die in the fourth  set, and it showed in their play early one. The Eagles jumped out to another 6-2 lead after some quality defensive work. In character, Carlmont tied it back up at 8-8. However, after back to back aces from Alexis and a clever dump play from senior setter Sarah Callan, Los Altos took a 15-11 lead. Not willing to say die, Carlmont went on a four-point and six-point run to get the score to 15-15 and 21-16 respectively. At this point, Los Altos knew their season was in danger and the bench was screaming to motivate the girls on the court. Unfortunately it was too little too late for the Eagles as Carlmont won the set by the score of 25-19.

This loss marks the end of the season for the Girls Volleyball team. One thing is for sure; these girls have nothing to be ashamed of. Whether it was their first place finish in the Golden Gate Classic Tournament, winning the league, or an exciting CCS run, the team racked up numerous accolades with tremendous class and represented Los Altos perfectly. While the loss stings now, in time these girls should be able to reflect on their unbelievable accomplishments with pride. Thank you to seniors Sarah Callan, Lulu Kishton, Alexis Malgesini, Megan Wilhelm, Addie Feldman, and Sarah Tritschler, who played their final game for the Eagles last night. The team finished with a record of 28-8.