Blazers duel the Knights

The Blair girls varsity volleyball team opened up their match against the Wheaton Knights on Saturday, September 18 with an impressive first game rout of 25-9, but the rest of the match wouldn't be as easy for the Blazers who took four games to defeat a competitive Wheaton squad.

The Blazers won their first match of the season and improved their record to 1-3. Prior to their match against Wheaton, the Blazers had not won a single game in their previous three matches. However, the team was able to pass, hit and serve with more consistency against Wheaton and earn a victory.

The first game began with Blair scoring the first four points led by the serving of freshman Julie Zhu, the Blazers never looked back. Blair cruised to a 25-9 win in the game as the team looked sharp making few errors and capitalizing on mistakes by Wheaton.

Senior Kate Selby played excellent defense and offense as she kept several hard shots alive and scored on a couple well-placed shots. AJ Willis also had a solid game playing well in front of the net. The entire team was hustling and diving on the floor for every ball through all four games.

The second game was a complete reversal as the Blazers lost 10-25. Blair looked less confident and were making more unforced errors, while the Knights quickly regained their composure. The Knights got out to a quick 8 to 2 lead and the Blazers where never able to regain the lost ground.

Coach Garrison changed the line-up for the second game putting in less experienced players and trying players in different positions, which proved to be costly. " I switched who was in. I wanted to try something different and it wasn't quite what I hoped," said Garrison.

The Blazers switched back to their starting line-up and won the next two games, 25-19 and 25-20. The third game started great for the Blazers as they secured an early 8 to 1 lead, but this game would not be as easy as the first. The Knights would rally and go on a nine-point run to bring the score within one, 16-15. However, the Blazers retained their composure and held on for the win.

According to Garrison, Katarina Farah stepped up and had an excellent game. "Katarina was definitely on today and had a good game," said Garrison.

In the fourth game, the Blazers were able to maintain the lead for the entire game and never let the Knights get too close. The team continued their good serving and aggressive play.

According to senior Thaissa Souza, who played well coming off the bench, the team was moving and communicating well. " We were covering spots well and making up for our mistakes. We were able to talk it up and not get frustrated," said Souza.

The Blazers next travel to Watkins Mill to take on the Wolverines on Tuesday, September 21 at 3:30 p.m.