The girls varsity volleyball team stood up to Breast Cancer in a city derby on Tuesday, Oct. 18 beating the Bears 3-1. The stands were decked out in pink as spectators from both schools supported, not only their respected teams, but also the cause: Breast Cancer awareness.
Viking alumni Sierra Campos led the crowd in the National Anthem. Quickly afterward the rivalry began as the first game kicked off. The Bears took the lead, leaving the Vikes trailing behind until a spike from junior Joy Miley got the hosts back on the scoreboard. From there, captains Heather Schnars and Makayla Taylor led to team up in scores with strong spikes from both girls. However, the cross-town opponent stepped up their game winning the set 22-25.
“[Warren’s win] was sort of like a wake-up call to us,” Schnars said. “We weren’t really mentally prepared to play yet and once they had beaten us we knew it was time to step it up.” And step it up they did, as the girls dominated the second game 25-19 leaving the Bears no opportunity for a back-to-back win.
With the game tied, it was evident the girls would continue to at least four games and the audience was prepared for a long night. But before the third game began, the attention was turned to seventeen women who gathered on the center of the court. Family and friends honored their loved ones who are or were affected by Breast Cancer in addition to women who are Breast Cancer survivors or are currently fighting it.
“I thought it was very nice to acknowledge these women,” senior Yanel Arciga said. “I recognized one of the women as my classmate’s relative. I was unaware she was in that position before that night.” After receiving support from the crowd, the night’s honorees made their way back to their seats as the rivalry returned.
The third match was much like the second. With complete Viking dominance as Warren was unable to respond to the hosts’ plays, quickly falling behind. A final serve from the Lady Vikes won the match for the home team with a score of 25-16.
The gym grew tense as the fourth game was a decision maker. If the Bears won, the game would tie and fifth game would follow. However, if the Vikes won, the game ends with a home victory. Aware of the win at stake, the hosts were quick to respond with early points; yet, the visitors were not far off and were able to close the gap. Soon enough, Warren was the one in the lead
“They had some good servers that we weren’t used to and it kind of threw us off a little bit,” Taylor said.
After a long streak of Bear dominance, a spike from Taylor got the crowd onto their feet and there was now hope for a Viking win. The hosts came in from the back to tie the game 24-24. A spike from Miley gave the girls the lead; however, Warren responded and tied the game once again. The home team accumulated another point and a final spike from Schnars was enough to win the match 27-25, and therefore, win the game with a final score of 3-1.
“Warren played an amazing game. They fought hard and kept us on our toes the whole time,” Schnars said. “[They] put mad, great shots and we had a hard time trying to pick them out.”
Another win means that the defending CIF champions remain undefeated in league. With the perseverance, talent, and energy of the team, a back-to-back CIF title is not out of the question.
