The cheers of the Paly fans echoed throughout the gym as the Vikings defeated the crosstown rival Gunn High School Titans in four sets on Tuesday night.
“It was amazing to have the stand full of people cheering,” Jade Schoenberger (’14) said. “That really impacted our game positively.”
Paly started off strong in the first set, earning a 9-5 lead. Aces from Molly Fogarty (’15) and Claire Dennis (’16) contributed to the Viking’s strong offense and helped earn a 12-6 lead. Lauren Kerr (’14) and Becca Raffel (’14) both had numerous kills, helping the Vikes maintain their lead throughout the game and secure the set 25-13.
“From the start we did well at utilizing the fact they were not picking up tips very well,” Schoenberger said. “We also we brought great energy consistently.”
In the second set, Paly immediately captured the lead, mainly on errors from Gunn’s side. Raffel shined throughout the game with multiple kills, securing the score 16-7. Raffel also had an ace later in the set to bring the score to 22-9. The Lady Vikes conquered the second set 25-12.
The Vikings had more trouble focusing in the third set and started off slowly compared to the first two matches. Due to multiple errors by Paly, the Vikes found themselves behind 6-3. Despite strong kills by Anna Dukovic (’15), Paly seemed to be lacking momentum in their offense and not earning as many kills. Libero Keri Gee (’14) had an ace and multiple digs, bringing the score to 17-19. However, Gunn held their lead the whole game and Paly was unable to catch up. The Lady Vikes lost the third match 22-25.
“I think that we made too many errors, which put us in a bad position to win,” Raffel said.
Paly seized a 7-5 lead to start off the fourth set of the night. Schoenberger had 2 significant kills, securing the score 10-6 Paly. With kills from Schoenberger and Raffel and multiple errors committed by Gunn, the Lady Vikes kept their lead the entire game. Anna Dukovic also had a significant kill, which brought the score to 24-13 Paly. After an error on Gunn’s part, the Vikes claimed the fourth and final set 25-13.
“I think we did a good job coming back from the third set and executing in the fourth,” Raffel said.
The Vikings will face Homestead yet again next Thursday in Mustang territory at 6:45. Since the Vikings already lost a league game to Homestead earlier in the season, this game is extremely crucial as it may determine who the League Champions will be.