The girls’ volleyball team had an impressive victory against Howard High School in state semifinals but fell short in states, losing to North Hagerstown High School on Nov. 16.
Before the semifinal game, volleyball had impressive wins against Magruder and Dulaney High School, which both resulted in sweeping both teams three sets to none. The previous wins would help build momentum for the girls in the semifinals against Howard High School. “It’s going really well. It’s been good for our team but we have to keep focused and look ahead instead of looking back,” junior Kirsten Sinkler said prior to the Howard match.
Senior captain Emma Li said winning regionals against Magruder was a huge achievement, and they knew they could have a deeper playoff run. The team had great chemistry, according to Li and they hoped to use that in the state tournament. “I think something special about our team is that we’re really relaxed, so winning felt natural and easy going,” Li said after regionals.
After regionals, Sinkler made it clear what the team’s expectations were. The team was not done and it was a matter of continuing to work hard and win games. “I want us to keep winning and do well in all the state games,” Sinkler said after regionals.
Following MCPS protocol for selecting a location for state games, the semifinals game took place at Paint Branch, due to it being a neutral location for both Howard and Wootton. Despite a tight first set, the Patriots won that set by two points, then they easily won the next two sets, beating Howard 3-0 in the state semis. “The most enjoyable part was the win in state semifinals vs Howard when everyone thought we were going to lose but we ended up winning 3-0,” junior Sofia Sossa said.
After the semis game the team shared hugs and took pictures with the coaches and their parents. The coaches were proud of the players’ hard work and were ready for state finals. “This season has had a lot of dark moments, but there’s darkness before dawn,” assistant coach Tony Malinauskas said.
On Nov. 16, the girls got ready for the final game and parents and students cheered them on as the bus took them from this school to Harford Community College. The Patriots kept it close, playing their hardest, but despite the team’s valiant effort, they fell short and lost 3-0 to North Hagerstown High Schools. “The state final was very nerve racking. Being in a big gym with lots of people was very stressful. I think our team didn’t let the nerves get to us and we tried and we tried to play our best game, “ Sossa said.
Despite a tough loss in the finals, the team is still proud of their accomplishments. Li said that the memories the team shared were like no other, and she was happy that she could play a huge role on the team and help bring them to the state finals. “My most memorable part of volleyball is pie day last year when we made pies at the coach’s house and enjoyed time outside of volleyball with my team,” Li said.
