Vikings triumph over Blazers

SEPT. 28, NELSON H. KOBREN MEMORIAL GYMNASIUM-

The JV girl's volleyball team's three game winning streak was broken by an upsetting 0-2 set loss against Walt Whitman. Although the Blazers were able to keep the score tight during the first set falling with a score of 18-25, at the end of the final game Blair trailed behind the Vikings by a total of 15 points to lose 10-25.

After a messy start, with both teams unable to gain control of the ball for a pass, set and hit, the Vikings managed to pull it together through consistent serving to stretch ahead of the Blazers. Blair's defense was constantly pushed to the limit, and freshman Olivia Bozik was left scrambling to cover all areas of the court.

Despite several lost points, the Blazers eventually found a way around the Vikings' strong serves. Sophomore co-captain Alice Fan successfully hand passed several balls, which then allowed sophomore Christie Lin to set the balls for a hit. When Lin was unable to get to a pass, the rest of the team hustled to fill her position.

Finally adjusting to Whitman's offensive game, Blair kept the ball off the ground for a rally. Sophomore Kagngn Op tipped the ball to end an exciting play to tie the game 17-17. However, The Blazers lagged behind as Whitman gained back its momentum. Blair's hitters netted balls while its back-row defense let balls fall between players. After the rally, the Blazers only managed to win one more point before losing the first game.

At no point during the second set could the Blazers gain the lead. Normally, a reliable server, Lin missed a serve late in the second set, increasing the Vikings' lead 9-20 and forcing Blair to call a timeout. Again, the Blazers could only win one more point before falling to their own errors as well as Whitman's solid plays.

According to Fan, the Vikings wore out an already exhausted team. "It was just a really bad day for us," said Fan. "I know I was tired. We weren't working as a team like we did in previous games. Hopefully we'll get everything together for Friday."

The Blazers will next play at Northwood on October 1, at 4:30 p.m.