Last Thursday, September 26, the Los Altos High School varsity girls volleyball team beat their rivals, the Mountain View High School Spartans, 3–2 in a dramatically close matchup. After kicking off their season with a three-league-game losing streak, this marked the team’s first league victory, placing sixth in the De Anza League.

“We’ve lost a lot of really close matches to a lot of good teams, but they were definitely focused and ready to play,” Head Coach Peter Kim said. “It was good to see them finally finish it in the fifth set and win.”

The Eagles put up a strong fight in the first set, starting the game with five consecutive points. But a Mountain View comeback quickly turned into a lead, and eventually a set victory, 20–25. This didn’t deter the Eagles, however, and they stayed determined as they entered the second set. 

“I had no doubt that we were going to win,” senior Sophia Costa said. “Even though we lost the set, I knew we were going to come back.”

In the second, the Eagles played aggressively, scoring the first few points in the set and maintaining the lead, winning 25–17.

The third set went just as smoothly for Los Altos and pulled them ahead in the game. However, Mountain View’s packed student section began to pick up in volume, cheering loudly for the Spartans at every opportunity. 

“Blocking that out was a big thing for me,” senior Ruby Border said. “Especially when we have a six-person student section, and they have about fifty.”

Support from Spartan fans sparked Mountain View to tie the game in the fourth set, the closest set of the game. Both sides fought hard for points, with serves flying back and forth the whole set. 

Several referee calls were made in favor of the Spartans, eliciting frustration from Los Altos fans and heightening competition between the two student sections. By the end of the set, the gym was charged with yelling from the Spartans’ side and a score that read 23–25 for the Spartans. The game would enter the fifth set. 

As anticipation built up in the stands, Los Altos scored the first point. 

“We came into the game with a hard mentality to be the first one to score as many points as possible,” Sophia said. 

Block after block, the Eagles defeated just about every Spartan spike. With a swift kill, junior Aviya Russo secured the victory. 

Despite pressure on both the court and from the crowds, Los Altos pulled through with a solid victory of 15–9, securing the rivalry win for the Eagles. 

Although the win is a celebration for Los Altos, Kim is determined to improve in the second half of their season. 

“The season’s not a sprint, it’s a marathon,” Kim said. “It’s cliché, but it’s true. We committed a lot of errors back to back, and it’s about reminding them to be mindful of that. Because if we can’t do that, that kills us.”

Los Altos will face off against the Spartans at home on Wednesday, October 16.