Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School’s women’s varsity volleyball team played a home game against Cooper City High School on Friday, Sept. 25. This was the Lady Eagle’s 12th game of the season.
Entering the game, the Eagles had a record of 4-8. The Eagles’ last game on Tuesday, Sept. 17 was played against St. Thomas Aquinas High School. The Eagles lost to STAHS with a final score of 3-0.
Cooper City High School entered the game with a record of 8-9. Their last game was hosted on Sept. 24 against Coral Springs Charter High School, with the Cooper City Cowboys winning 3-0.
Within the first set, the Eagles were in the lead with a score of 6-2, which the Cowboys later caught up with, scoring 5 points and putting the score at 6-5. The Cowboys kept failing to pass to each other due to serves that were dealt by the Eagles. These serves were swift and quick, which resulted in the Cowboys being unable to successfully pass the ball.
In the first set, the Cowboys lost to the Eagles due to a lack of strategic passing and communication with each other. However, the Cowboys pushed through their difficulties and still managed to keep the score close, losing by only seven points. By the end of the first set the score was 25-18.
Beginning the second set, the Cowboys and the Eagles hustled back to the game after their one minute break. The Cowboys were first to serve, and hit the net, already giving the Eagles a score of 1-0. This gave the Eagles a head start, putting them in the lead again.
“I was pretty proud of the fact that everyone kept the energy up for a lot of the time, and we never let ourselves get down. I think we really kept the momentum for all the sets,” middle blocker Lindsay Rogalla (7) said.
The Cowboys served and did not let that same mistake happen again as they tried to catch up to the Eagles. However, the Eagles persevered, cutting down the Cowboys for the second time.
The remainder of the second set the Cowboys were unable to pass the ball, handing victory to the Eagles once again, with a final score of 25-12.
Tensions were high, leaving people rallying for the Eagles and the Cowboys. The Eagles served, and the Cowboys were left unable to manage the passing of the ball. Although the Cowboys entered with determination for the final set, they were already behind.
The Eagles beat the Cowboys and ran to their coach celebrating in victory with a final score of 25-19.
“I think our team played amazing tonight, especially that we won in three with really good leads,” opposite hitter Gracy Fraysure (10) said.
Practicing over and over paid off because the Eagles ended up winning the game due to their amazing group effort and communication skills. However, coach Aidan Gidon believes there is still a little more they need to improve on.
“We’re going to work on serve or sieve within the next week,” Gidon said. “Serve or sieve is the biggest thing we need to improve on so we can have a better offense.”
The women’s volleyball team is expected to play against Charles W. Flanagan High School on Monday, Sept. 30. The Eagles hope to fulfill their desired improvements, such as serve or sieve, and win another game.
