Blazers lose final home game to Seneca Valley

Oct. 26, NELSON H. KOBREN MEMORIAL GYMANISUM—

Confidence was high tonight as the Blair girls' volleyball team prepared for their final home game of the season against the Seneca Valley Eagles. The Blazers started off strong with accurate serves but as the night went on they let their guard down. Poor court coverage and wild passes were the main causes for Blair's loss in three sets, 24-26, 19-25 and 17-25.

After several quick back and forth points, Blair grabbed the lead with accurate and powerful serving. Sophomore Julie Zhu served eight powerful aces to the Eagles, increasing Blair's lead from 9-8 to 17-8. Unfortunately, the Blazers' momentum slowed and Seneca Valley began their climb to the top as Blair failed to return six consecutive serves because of wild passing. Blair continually tipped the ball out of bounds or into the ceiling with no chance of recovery. The Eagles slowly erased the Blazer's lead until the two teams were tied 21-21. The teams continued to stay tied at 24-24, but Seneca Valley pulled away to win the set 24-26.

Blair, demoralized by their first lost, started the second set poorly. Seneca Valley served six powerful times with Blair showing a lackluster effort in returning the ball. "The girls were hitting it hard at us and we were standing still like our feet were in cement," said senior Katarina Farah. Seneca's lead rapidly increased to 4-16 with no end in sight. Finally, Blair was able to wrestle the ball back from the aggressive Eagles and started to get their momentum from the beginning of the first set back.

The momentum started racing as soon as sophomore Julie Brice stepped up to serve. She brought the Blazers from 6-18 to 12-18, giving Blair the boost they needed to get back in the game. The Blazers continued to fight against Seneca Valley's strong serves, narrowing the score to 19-22. "I was proud we could come back from that 12 point loss," said Brice.

Blair however was unable to cover the court and the Eagles' serves went unanswered. "Their hits were to the ground and we couldn't pick them up," said Zhu. Blair's heroic comeback ended with a loss of 19-25.

Blair started strong in the third set, jumping to a quick 9-2 over the Eagles. As soon as Seneca Valley started fighting back however, Blair backed off. "We need to remember that the game's not over until they reach 25," said sophomore Olivia Bozik. The Blazers allowed the Eagles to walk all over them, with Seneca Valley gaining points to tie the score 17-17. From that point on, Seneca Valley took over. They finished the final set in just eight more serves, to end at 17-25.

The Blazers did not look like the same team that won four games in a row. "I don't know exactly what happened," said Brice. Their passes often flew into the walls, the stands, or the ceiling and they were not ready to combat the Eagles.

Farah still hoped that Blair's determination in practice would pay off in the teams' next contest. "To win you need to do hard work and be determined," said Farah. "Hard work pays off, and I think we're going to win the next game." Blair's record now stands 6-7-0.

Blair's next game is at Wheaton on Nov. 1 at 3:30 pm.