Jack Moskowitz
sports editor

Junior left back Chloe Hum sets the ball for the striker to hit around the stretched out hands of the defender to give the Patriots the 3-0 win against Kennedy on Oct. 19, resulting in a win for the Patriots.

The Patriots went into the game against Kennedy with a record of 7-3 and a three-game winning streak rolling. The team was fresh off a 3-1 win against rival Churchill. The team started off with good energy, winning the first set with ease. “After the first set our goal was just to come out with the same type energy in the second,” Hum said.

The second set came out just as planned with the team coming out strong. The defense was doing their job not letting the other team get any easy shots off. Junior outside hitter Catie Brick took over the second set with powerful spikes blocking the opposing team’s shots. “My teammates were giving me opportunity to make plays on offense and luckily I converted them,” Brick said.

With momentum from the two earlier sets, the third set was an easy win for the Patriots. Kennedy was tired and knew they didn’t have any chance of coming back from being down two sets. The whole team contributed in finishing their final set and improving the record to 8-3. “Everyone on the team helped out to solidify this win,” junior outside hitter Ariana Rezaiyan said.

The next game was against Gaithersburg on Oct. 24. On a four-game win streak, the Patriots looked determined to win this one. The Patriots dominated the first set with their defense being on point. The defensive consistency carried over into the second set where the talented offense started to show out. Hum led both the offense and defense, giving them the easy win in both the second and third sets and improving the record to 9-3. “Our defense was the reason that we were able to win the 3-0,” senior defensive specialist Kaitlin Sim said.

The team is led by Hum. She has been not only a leader on the court, but in the locker room. Hum is getting looked at by schools to play in college. “She is super important to the team and always cares about the team over herself,” Brick said.

The next game was on Nov. 3, against Northwest, to late to be included. The Patriots were confident that they have a good chance at making a playoff run. “We would love if we were able to get a big turnout and fill up the stands for our playoff games,” junior striker Stephanie Geng said.