After a season devoid of any home victories, the women’s volleyball team beat the University of San Francisco at home Thursday. It was their first home and WCC win of the season.
Senior middle blocker Bea Loper said the team came out determined to win, and had great energy on the court.
“Last time we played San Francisco we took them to five [sets], so we just knew that we could beat them,” Loper said. “We’ve been making changes every day, working on our technique, and blocking in practice was a huge thing—you can bet that we’re going to do more of that.”
A week’s worth of added emphasis on specific strategies during practice helped lead to the win. Sophomore middle blocker Katie Sullivan said synergy ultimately tied every factor together to produce the win.
“You could see the effects of this week’s practice on the court, because as a team we were able to execute everything that was in the game plan,” Sullivan said. “Our communication allowed everything we’ve been practicing up to this point finally come together.”
The tension was palpable throughout the game both behind the net and in the audience, as evidenced by the screams generated throughout the crowd at the sight of everything from a rarely seen yellow card to the consummate score at the end of the game.
“It was awesome to give this win to the players on our team that have never won a game in Chiles,” Sullivan said. “The game showed why we love Chiles so much--great fans, a lot of people coming out, that all adds to the experience.”
