Girls volleyball teams play against faculty
On Sept. 8, at 3:30 p.m. the girls volleyball teams got a taste of their upcoming fall games when they went head-to-head against Samo’s teachers and administrators during the faculty game in the north gym. The girls frosh-soph, junior varsity and varsity teams all played games against teachers and other staff members including English teacher Kathleen Faas, French teacher David Gottlieb, and even football coach Ramsey Lambert. “It’s always a nice event to have in the beginning of the year,” Elizabeth Gross (‘19) said. “This also helps us get to know our teachers better and build a good relationship with them.” Although building bonds is important, more than anything else, this game was about having fun. Multiple teachers participated and had a blast competing against their own students. However, it wasn’t as easy as many had anticipated, math teacher Emily Lee admitted to having a difficult time keeping her breath. “Volleyball is so hard! I don’t know why I agreed to that,” Lee said. “I came in my pajamas because it was pajama day, but I didn’t anticipate how hot it would get.” Both teachers and students faced losses during this series of games, but it was overall a positive experience for most of the participants. The varsity girls showed their skill and hard work when they came out and beat the faculty 21-8. After the varsity game, the junior varsity team got on the court to face the so far disappointed staff. The girls team got off to a great start with a constant five-point lead. But as the game continued, the faculty began to make a comeback with the relentless efforts of biology teacher Kate Song, girls soccer coach and math teacher Nicole Yumori and yoga instructor Jason Battung (JB) who won the match, 23-22. As a former volleyball player herself, Song admitted to having an especially great time at the game. “I never have time to stay after school, but this is volleyball! It was totally worth it.” Song said. “More than anything, I really enjoyed connecting with my students. Afterwards, we just kind of felt a little bit closer. It was just a great connection. Plus it was really fun to see all the other faculty members play.” Overall the day was filled with effort and sweat, but mostly just good times, even for those who lost some games. The faculty showed their support and wished these girls good luck in the upcoming season. “I’m really confident on the season to come, I feel like our team has good chemistry and we are all hardworking players,” Jackie Zakharin (’18) said.