Girls volleyball win, 3-0, against Palos Verdes High School

By Lila Gallagher

Staff Writer

On Wednesday, Costa girls volleyball stayed strong for three sets against Palos Verdes High School. The team ultimately triumphed, 3-0, adding to their record.

Senior opposite hitter Isabel Wilmot opened the first set with a back row kill, and the rest of the team followed suit throughout the duration of the match. Costa took the first set, 25-17, starting off in the lead.

“Since our first game, the team has really bonded and played like one whole, instead of individual players,” Wilmot said. “I think it’s really important to work together and keep each other’s spirits high.”

The second set ended with another win for Mira Costa, 25-17. Both the offense and defense withstood the opponent’s attempt to take back the game. Multiple back row kills added to the girls’ victory, with the final kill made by senior defensive specialist Molly Trodd.

“I love my position as a DS, but being able to get a kill from the back row is a really rewarding feeling,” Trodd said. “Whenever we play well as a team, I feel like we become more consistent and have better communication. This just further proved the way we work together as a team.”

The Mustangs began the third set similarly to the first two, immediately coming out with a block by sophomore middle hitter Rachel Moglia, followed by a kill by senior outside hitter Skylar Gerhardt.

“Palos Verdes gave us some good competition during the third game especially,” Gerhardt said. “I think we held it together and continued fighting hard, which paid off in the end.”

In the middle of the third set, Palos Verdes made a comeback, keeping the score close for several plays. Although this game proved to be more difficult for the Mustangs, they finally prevailed, 25-21, with a kill by Moglia.

“I felt proud that I earned the winning point for my team, but I think it was a group effort,” Moglia said. “And I know that I couldn’t have done that without my teammates.”

Helping her team to victory, junior outside hitter Drew Wright had multiple strong offensive plays during this match. According to Moglia, the entire team worked for its success, but Wright set the bar high with her aggressive kills and defensive abilities.

“I felt especially energetic and upbeat during this game,” Wright said. “I think our team has a great [rest of the] season ahead of us.”

This victory follows another win against Santa Monica on Tuesday. Currently, the girls hold a record of 13-5. Their next game will take place Tuesday against their rivals, Redondo Union, at the Costa courts.

“Redondo has always been our biggest rival, but this year I believe we have a good chance of beating them because we’ve realized that we’re stronger together,” senior libero Cassidy Antrobius said. “That team is going to be a challenging one to beat, and I don’t doubt that, but it will be good to see how much we’ve improved, or how much we will need to work on afterwards.”