Blair rams through Rams

SEPT. 9, NELSON H. KOBREN MEMORIAL GYMNASIUM—

Two days after a victory against the Paint Branch Panthers, the varsity girls' volleyball team charged onto the court, defeating the Rockville Rams in three straight sets, 25-21, 25-20 and 25-19. Serves were very influential in the outcome with Rockville struggling to clear the net, while Blair had several aces in the second and third set.

Blair struggled early in the game. While the Blazers exhibited good teamwork, a lack of accuracy on serves caused several early attempts to land out of bounds, providing the Rams with easy points. Sophomore Julie Zhu reversed the slide for Blair with three well-placed spikes that slid right through the hands of the Rams. From then on, everything started fitting right into place for the Blazers. Junior Wendy Quintanilla began to serve more accurately for Blair, scoring on four straight serves. With the help of teammates sophomore Olivia Bozik's fast reflexes and sophomore Julie Brice's powerful spikes, Blair earned three more points. Rockville's uncoordinated defense and unsuccessful attempts to sail the ball over the net helped lead Blair to a 25-21 victory in the first set.

In the second set, continued poor play from Rockville propelled Blair to another win. In the beginning however the Blazers were eager to preserve their momentum from the previous set. At one point, junior Felicia Olawuni jumped in the air, attempting to save a ball that senior Haweya Farah had accidentally slammed into the wall. Quintanilla's excellent serves continued in the second set, giving Blair an quick lead with 5 strong serves that the Rams failed to return. Rockville also struggled getting the ball over the net consistently, providing Blair with many unearned points. Blair, only one point away from winning the second set was so eager to secure another set that when the Rams returned a Blair serve, both Junior Alice Fan and Olawuni ran to get under the ball and collided, leaving both players and the ball on the ground. Blair finished the set after allowing the Rams two more points, finishing at 25-20.

The final set of the night started off strong with five rigorous serves from Zhu to give Blair a quick lead. Rockville's inability to follow through and get the ball over the net along with junior Alice Fan's ability to block almost every single attempt the Rams made contributed to Blair's lead continuing far into the third set. After the Blazers reached 16 points and the Rams 8, the Blazers' playing went downhill. The Rams scored six points in a row off of Blair as the Blazers failed time and time again to return the ball. Later in the set, after an unsuccessful serve by Quintanilla, the referee called Rockville for having a faulty rotation and added a point to Blair's side of the scoreboard. This gave Quintanilla a second chance and a second wind, as she gained another point for Blair. At 24-19, Blair only needed one point to win, and the Rams handed another point and the game to them. The Rams inability to cooperate on the court earned the Blazers another point, ending the game with a score of 25-19, with Blair emerging as the winner of the night.

"We played exceptionally well," said Zhu. "Our passing, hitting, and setting was awesome." Coach Heather Amell attributes their success to their hard work. "We're really working hard. I'm looking forward to a good season."

The Blazers will be defending their 2-0-0 record next at 7:00 p.m., Tuesday, September 13, at Churchill.