Girl volleyball defeats Palos Verdes High School in a close five-set match

Sophia Luckey 

Staff Writer

Girl volleyball defeats Palos Verdes High School in a close five-set match 

On Sept. 15, Costa girls volleyball battled in a home game against PV High. Costa prevailed and ultimately defeated one of their long-lasting rivals in a trailing five-set match. 

According to Deckert, the first set was a quick steal, Costa taking the win, 25-14. The Mustangs came out of the first set with a lead and were fired up, not letting a single ball drop. However, they fell behind during the second set and ultimately didn’t pull through.

“After winning the first set, we knew that we still had to push through until the end,” sophomore libero Taylor Deckert said. “We all knew we needed to trust each other and play our game.” 

The second set was a back and forth battle, according to Deckert. For every point the Mustangs earned, the Sea Kings fought back and continued to tie up the set, winning 25-22. 

“We got a little nervous after we lost the second set,” Deckert said. “But we trusted our game plan, even when things were not going our way.” 

According to head girls volleyball coach, Cameron Green, the Mustangs picked up their defense, getting many ups and blocks. They were not stopped by the Sea Kings and came back to win the third set 25-22. 

“We played really good defense, especially in our blocking,” Coach Green said. “I think that definitely saved us at the end of the day.”

The fourth set was extremely close as neither team was giving up the fight. According to Coach Green, PV played at a high level, making Costa’s job a lot harder. Both teams tried to keep the other away from the win, causing the fourth set to go to overtime, with PV taking the win 26-28.

“The players on the other team had tough serves,” Coach Green said. “We weren’t passing well because of their serves, which only made the game more difficult for us.” 

According to the bench players, the fifth and final set was a nail-biter. Both student sections were enthusiastic as they supported their schools with their creative chants. This allowed for a loud and competitive environment, making the game all the more intense. 

“We struggled with finding a flow, especially with PV’s loud student section,” senior outside Drew Wright said. “It was really hard to get the momentum on our side.” 

In this last set both teams fought until the very last point, taking the fifth into overtime as well. The Mustangs were able to pull through and bring home the win, ending the set 19-17, and ultimately closing the match.

According to both Deckert and Wright, the team was very proud of their win. The tough match brought the team together, making them play hard and work together for the victory they craved.

“As a team, we knew that giving up was not an option,” Wright said. “So, we fought to our full potential to pull out the win at the very end.” 

According to Deckert, the team has many aspirations for their upcoming games. The Mustangs will go on to play Culver City High today at 5 P.M. at home. 

“I think our coaches’ support when we were down allowed us to find victory in that game,” Wright said. “They continued to have a backup plan whenever we did something that wasn’t working.”