By Sara Seibel
The stakes climbed higher and higher as both Liberty’s and Coronado’s varsity volleyball teams kept scoring one after another like walking up steps on a ladder. It was a close match, but the Cougars won their home game on Oct. 5 from 6 – 8 p.m. They led the first set 25 to 18, the fourth set 25 to 20, and the fifth set 15 to 13, beating the Patriots overall three out of five.
Coronado started off head-to-head with the Patriots but finished the first set with the opponent’s libero striking out giving Coronado the win 25 to 18. The scores were close during second set but the opponents won 21 to 25 when the women’s team was unable to return. Amanda Taibi, junior, and Dallas Balanay-Flores, freshman, scored the first point in third set with a strong block, but Coronado lost the third set 13 to 25 as Liberty used striking tactics.
“Your team is counting on you. I am especially hard on myself constantly judging my play and how much I screwed up. It’s a lot of when you step on that court and the game starts,” Riley Froman, sophomore, said.
During the fourth set, Coronado picked up their game as Sydney Henning, sophomore, made the first point. Back-to-back points left the audience wary and the scoreboard uncertain, but Henning and Froman tied it up until the Patriots made a mistake in touching the ball while it was heading out of bounds, which ultimately handed the lead to Coronado 25 to 20. The Cougars nailed a quick turnaround again in set five, changing their strategies to hitting towards the back. Invigorating the audience and staying persistent, the Cougars stole the first win of the season.
“At the beginning we had a rough start, but by the end we pushed ourselves and really found in each other to come together as a team and go for every single block,” Zoe Lier, senior, who scored 19 kills, said.
Coming off this home win, their next home game is on Thursday, Oct. 13 when they take on Silverado.
“I’d say for next time, we just have to work on all of our individual skills, especially passing and serving. We won the state championships last year and will work hard to win again this year,” Coach Johnson said.
