Every athlete dreams of winning a game that was so hard worked for. Every practice, every minute, every instance is a moment to work on the game.   

In 2010, the Paly girls volleyball team made it to the State Championship finals. Going into the final game, Paly knew they were the underdogs by a landslide and if they were to have any chance against the Southern California powerhouse, they would have to bring their A-game.

A former player on the Paly girls volleyball team, Megan Coleman (‘11), recalls her thought process before the big game.

“I remember that we were a confident team throughout the season, but that last game was daunting,” said Coleman. “We knew the champions of Socal had to be a powerhouse so, in all honesty, we knew we had a shot but also we knew we were the clear underdogs.”

David Winn, the girls’ volleyball head coach at Paly led both 2010 and 2011 teams to state championship victories. Now coaching at Mountain View High School and a club team, MVVC, with over 20 years of experience, Winn remembers the 2010 state championship game like it was yesterday.

The year prior, Paly had made the CCS finals beating both Presentation and St. Francis in the playoffs, but the girls met their match against Mitty and were unfortunately done for the 2009 season. The upsetting loss however acted only as a motivator for the season ahead.

“I knew we had a bright upside, so going into 2010, I thought we had a pretty good chance to at least get back to the CCS finals again,” Winn said.

The 2010 team started off their season strong, winning a record-breaking 26 games in a row. Game 27 then rolled around and Paly lost their first game that season to Los Gatos in five sets.

 “Everyone was so pissed off because we lost the streak and I said guys you know they don’t give out medals, or take pictures because you won 26 in a row, they do that if you win a state championship. And I didn’t really know in my heart of hearts at that time if they could do it but I told them ‘Yes, anything’s possible,’” Winn said.

Despite coming off of a tough loss and facing two challenging private school teams without home-court advantage, the girls pulled off both wins and made their way to the San Jose State pavilion for the state finals. Both Paly and Long Beach Poly had large crowds cheering them on.

“I just remember turning around and looking up at the crowd because it was San Jose State, and we had probably 1,200 people there,” Winn said.

The Long Beach Poly team was intimidating, to say the least, three of their players were committed to division one programs. Paly however was nothing short of their talent.

Debbie Whitson, a Paly Economics teacher and proud parent of player Kimberely Whitson (‘12) spectated the 2010 Paly girls volleyball championship game against Long Beach Poly. As a mother, Whitson was ecstatic to attend such an important game and watch her daughter succeed alongside her teammates.

The championship game was held in San Jose. The crowd was packed full of spectators from both teams, ranging from family members to friends, all there to witness the big game.

“Coming all the way up from Southern California, the opposing team had very loud fans, but not very many. Many fans seemed to be adults or siblings of the player. I also recall the fans wearing some sort of large fluorescent, bright yellow t-shirts” Whitson said.

When asked about the Paly crowds, Whitson remembered Paly having a big and loud crowd. Fans fueled the game’s intensity and stakes could have never been higher.

“I think the games went back and forth. It came down to each winning two games,” Whitson said.

Being neck to neck, the last game was the determining factor of who came out the winner. During that final game, Paly was down 13-9 in the fifth set, which was a race to 15 points. Paly, the underdogs, we’re on the brink of defeat. However, spirits remained high and Long Beach Poly made several errors bringing Paly’s score to a nail-biting 13-11 with Long Beach Poly still in the lead. After Paly was one point away from victory, Whitson describes her favorite moment to be the final race that won the game.

“It was a service that went to the backline to the other side,” Whitson said. “The other team was hoping it was out, but when it was not, the crowds exploded. It felt like one of those lifetime moments, just the exhilaration of so much work during the game and that intense finish and victory. I remember a huge pile of the players on the court and coaches was spinning around. No one knew what to do with themselves.”

The crowd astonished by a miraculous comeback celebrated in a fit of joy and pride, the Paly girls volleyball team had just won their first state title. After a suspenseful game, Whitson recalls the celebration which consisted of a big party with lots of ice cream.

The next year, the team went on to win the state championship again, securing their legacy in Paly’s history. Today, the girls’ volleyball team has carried on the legacy that began ten years ago. For the past three years, the Vikings have won leagues every year and last year they qualified for the open division of CCS.

The future is also looking bright for the Vikings with competitive underclassmen that will help continue their successes.