Girls volleyball beats Lawndale 3-0 for second straight home win

On Oct. 7, the Samo girls volleyball team returned to their home court to take on Lawndale high school. Samo extended their record to 3-0 in Ocean League by defeating Lawndale High School 3-0.In the opening set, Samo took the lead right away as Lawndale struggled to stand their ground against Samo’s offensive onslaught. Captains Brooke Earkman (’16) and Maria Di Franco (’16) both put together impressive runs from the service line, keeping possession as they kept their offensive play consistent.After Samo won the first set 25-6, head coach Wynn Trihn realized an opportunity in the second set to give younger players some experience in order to improve their abilities for the future.“It’s important for us just to see where they [the younger players] are at, and how much confidence they have when they’re on the court,” Trihn said. “It’ll help us down the line if someone gets injured, they’ll be able to step in and take over that role.”Sophie Major (’17) is no stranger to being a younger player on varsity. She tries to show her fellow teammates how to handle the big moments.“I feel a lot of pressure, but I try not to play with it, I let my teammates bring me up,” Major said. “I always try to put in my best effort so they will too.”In the second set, Grace Garland (’17) and Jackie Zakharin (’18) played exceptionally well, and the young squad secured the second set, 25-9.Several experienced players stepped on the court during the 25-4 third set, and Samo simply overpowered Lawndale in that set, closing out the match with a 3-0 win. After the game, Earkman was excited by the exposure given to the future players, and she feels determined to be a good role model, on and off the court.“I try to be a good role model for all the players and make sure they know what is wrong and right,” Earkman said. “And I make sure they are following the steps to one day be a good captain.” With every player on the team contributing, the girls are well on their way to another successful season and they hope to keep their momentum going Oct. 9 at home against Culver City High School.