The Palo Alto High School varsity volleyball team (10-0) beat Presentation High School (6-1) in five games on its home court this Wednesday evening, Sept. 7. The final score of the fifth game was 15-11.

While last year the Lady Vikes were crowned the CIF State champions in Division I, Presentation came in second in the CIF State Championship in Division II, falling to Saint Francis High School. On MaxPrep’s California rankings last year, Paly was ranked at number two, and Presentation was ranked fourth.

The two highly successful teams faced off tonight in the Paly gym. The Lady Vikes won the first two games of the match back-to-back and took an overall 2-0 lead over the Panthers. However,  Presentation returned the favor by capturing both the third and fourth games, tying the match 2-2. In the determining fifth game, Paly came out on top at 15-11.

Outside hitter Maddie Kuppe (‘12), who contributed a total of 18 kills for the match, won the Lady Vikes first two points of the first game by aiming a strong kill in the left deep corner, then serving an ace on the next play. The Lady Vikes continued to keep a strong lead throughout the beginning of the match when outside hitter Caroline Martin (‘12) hit two back-to-back kills, bringing the score to 10-2 in Paly’s favor.

“I was surprised that we were able to get a big lead in the first set,” head coach Dave Winn said.

After several minute-long rallies, Presentation worked their way up to a three-point difference at 13-16. But a few points later, Paly collected their momentum when Kuppe blocked a hard hit, carrying Paly through the next plays in order to claim a 25-19 victory.

Along with Kuppe, several Paly players contributed to the strong lead, such as newcomer outside hitter Becca Raffel (’14).

“Becca made her contributions when she had to,” Winn said.  “And [middle blocker] Jackie [Koenig (’12)] had a phenomenal match; she had some nice blocks.”

The second game was much closer to start, in which Paly and Presentation both struggled to eliminate their team’s offensive errors. Paly middle blocker Melanie Wade (‘12), who contributed 21 kills total, and  Presentation outside hitter Emily Sklar (’12), continually tipped the ball in unguarded area’s on one other’s side, creating a back-and-forth type of game. But the Lady Vikes pulled ahead towards the end of the set, winning the second game 27-25.

“We did well putting away out of system balls,” setter Kimmy Whitson (’12), who contributed 53 assists, said. “We struggled a little bit on defense but definitely made up for it by coming back really strong in the front row.”

Although Paly began with a strong 2-0 lead overall, Presentation came back to tie the score 2-2 by claiming the third and fourth sets.

In the third game, the lead was tossed between both teams several times. Both Paly and Presentation fell apart in service and hitting errors. At one point, a kill by Martin made it’s way through the Presentation block for a 12-10 lead. However, Presentation later scored seven consecutive points; three aces from Sklar, a net violation by Paly and a strong kill from Presentation’s outside hitter Alex Sheredy (‘13). These consecutive points gave Presentation just enough momentum to lead them to a 25-21 victory.

“We played well, but it’s contagious: one girl makes a mistake, and the girl next to her starts losing her confidence,” Winn said. “But we did a great job getting our passers out of trouble. Part of the credit goes to [Presentation], and part of it goes to us for kind of getting a little bit meek.”

The fourth game looked similar to the third. Several Paly defensive errors gave Presentation a 15-12 lead in the beginning of the game. Although a hard hit down the middle from Koenig appeared as though it put the Lady Vikes back on track, several kills from Sklar carried Presentation through to a 25-19 win.

“The fourth set was back-and-fourth, and we never could close the gap,” Winn said.

In the fifth and final game, Paly claimed the overall match 3-2.

Kuppe contributed to three out of the four first points of the game by hitting two kills and putting up a tough block. Overall, Paly shifted their offense in the fifth game to come back after two straight loses.

“We had to completely re-focus,” defensive specialist Shelby Knowles (’13) said. “We were basically taking that game three points at a time. We weren’t trying to think about the big picture.”

Presentation returned Kuppe’s intensity with hard blocks from middle blocker Chloe Ainley (‘13) and strong kills from Sklar. However, in the final point of the match, Presentation setter Madison Cooper (‘12) served short into the net, giving Paly the victory.

After placing first in the High Sierra tournament last weekend in Reno, Paly’s win over Presentation adds to its flawless record so far this season. Although the team was crowned the CIF State champions last year, Winn hopes to focus on the new season and continue the team’s success.

“Everybody’s been asking us, ‘how are you going to repeat?’ and ‘how are you going to match how you did last year?’” Winn said. “And the answer is, we’re not trying to do that. If you start to look forward ahead, you’re forgetting that it’s time to enjoy the moment.”

After the Lady Vikes surprised the Paly campus by organizing and participating in a flash mob on the Paly quad this morning, the team showed its enthusiasm and energy for their upcoming games.

“I’m trying to enjoy the hell out of this season,” Winn said.

Paly takes on Sacred Heart Prep next Tuesday at home at 6:45 p.m.

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Key Game Statistics

Kills

Wade: 21, Kuppe: 18, Martin: 10, Koenig: 4, Raffel: 4

Digs

Wade: 15, Kuppe: 13, Martin: 13, Shin: 7, Knowles: 7

Assists:

Whitson: 53, Kuppe: 3, Knowles: 1

Final Game Scores

Game 1:  25-19, Paly

Game 2:  27-25, Paly

Game 3:  25-1, Presentation

Game 4:  25-19, Presentation

Game 5:  15-11, Paly