Girls volleyball secures another win in second round of CIF

On Nov. 3, Samo students gathered in the North gym to witness the girls volleyball team win their second round in CIF against Palm Desert High School.From the beginning of the game, the crowds and the teams could tell it was going to be a nail-biter. The intensity that arose with the first whistle did not cease until the last point was gained by Samo.Samo got off to a good start in the first set. They were nervous, but they were also fiercely determined and excited to be challenged. “I think we played really smart defense,” Jackie Zakharin (’18) said. “And [on offense], we knew they were playing a good block up, so getting around those blocks was important.”Samo has been determined to get back into CIF since their devastating loss last year at finals and are ready to redeem themselves, which is why the stands cheered loudly when the first set was won by Samo with a score of 25-17. In the second set, tensions rose even higher when Palm Desert gained the first few points. Soon enough though, the Samo players stepped up their game to get the lead back from their opponents. They won the second set with a final score of 23-18. Nerves are not only high for those who are returning for another round at CIF, it is also very nerve-racking for Dylan Leight (’20), who is experiencing this all for the first time. “I knew going into the game that it was the second round so it was going to be more intense. I really didn’t want to mess anything up,” Leight said. “As a freshman, I don’t really know what it’s like to compete in such a competitive event like CIF. Everyone else on my team experienced that in some way last year. So I was nervous.”Samo’s nerves were unsettled when the crowd became quiet and watched as Palm Desert slowly gained a lead on Samo. Both teams tied at 9-9, but with the Palm Desert’s will power, gained a lead on Samo by two points at 11-9 until the end when both teams tied again at 24-24. The Samo cheers died down to allow the team to focus but then slowly rose up again as the Samo team gained the lead at last and won the third and final set with a score of 26-24. “My mindset is just to play every single point like its the game point. Because that's when it matters most,” Leight said. The team will play in their next round on Saturday, Nov. 5. Coach Liane Sato is extremely proud of how the girls played. “The girls played super competitively and aggressively and that's exactly what we wanted,” Sato said. “We knew this was going to be a tough team. Right now, all teams are tough and competitive and we just need to focus and be aggressive.”