The girls volleyball team blazed through the first half of the season with a series of wins. Most notably, the team took first in the bronze division at the Spikefest Tournament on September 7, beat Homestead High School 4-1 on October 8 and won against Mountain View High School at the MVLA Tournament on October 12.
Los Altos is currently dominating with a 6-1 league record and a 22-3 overall record, staying strong and consistent throughout the season. The team’s strength was on display in its game against Homestead, one of its toughest league competitors.
“[The Homestead game] was a really good game for us because we were tied in first for League,” junior Carmen Annevelink said. “Winning that game, especially winning it in four, was amazing. They were our biggest competition in league.”
These season successes have led many to speculate that the team is at the best that it’s ever been.
“This is the best team Los Altos has had in a lot of years,” Carmen said. “We have…talent all over the court, not just in one position. It’s a really big factor that not a lot of teams will have in high school.”
Considering the team’s impressive season kickoff and status as first in the league and sixth in CCS, it is looking forward to and hoping for success in CCS and SCVAL.
“Honestly, it will come down to the last week of the season to really determine who will be the league champion,” Head Coach Peter Kim said.
This is not to say the season has not been without a lack of adversity.
Los Altos faced and fell to Palo Alto High School, another league championship contender in the Dig Pink game on October 10. The team had just beaten out Homestead and was expecting similar results in its game against PALY.
The results of the Dig Pink game show that although the team’s CCS prospects are looking up, the players still need to maintain their level of drive and hard work in order to do well in SCVAL and CCS.
“The loss against PALY motivates us to do better throughout the rest of leagues,” senior Meghan McDermott said.
The sole league loss against PALY serves to show just how strong this year’s team is. The team has relied heavily on the level of coaching dedication this year. Kim devotes his coaching not only to drilling and conditioning, but also to helping the girls maintain a positive mental attitude.
“I try not to put pressure on them,” Kim said. “I don’t talk about their record… I just want them to feel loose and be ready to play. [I want to] keep them calm, level headed, not too many ups and downs, because that will reflect in our play.”
This year’s senior leadership has also encouraged the team to perform at its optimal level. Kim said that seniors Hanna Koehler, Michelle Albright and Meghan have contributed tremendously to the positivity and confidence in the team’s spirit.
“[The seniors make] sure that they’re focused for matches,” Kim said. “[They] encourage [the team] and they do things to just keep them together as a group.”
With the season nearing it’s second half, girls volleyball has a lot of work to do.
“We do have a long season ahead of us and we do need some more wins,” Meghan said. “It just depends on how consistent we are and how much we want it.”
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