Girls volleyball annihilates Hawthorne

On Monday, Oct. 9, enthusiastic Samo students piled into the North Gym stands to watch the girls volleyball team beat Hawthorne High School, 3-0.Before the first set, the atmosphere in the gym was light and electrified. However any jitters or nerves in the room were immediately dismissed the moment the ball flew into the air for the first serve. The girls already knew that they had the skill to beat Hawthorne, and were hoping to try out some of their new plays in this easier game. Varsity player Annalise Wille (’20) was excited to work with her teammates.“We were able to run some different, new plays. So it was definitely a super fun and exciting game,” Wille said.The team worked cohesively and strategically together to get the ball over the net, and was able to take a lead quickly. Before the onlookers could blink, Samo had crushed Hawthorne in the first set, 25-8. The second set began with a confident Samo team. They were able to manipulate the ball and continuously rack up points on the scoreboard, holding a considerably large lead ahead of their opponent. The crowd roared and cheered for the girls, rooting them on towards victory. The set ended, 25-2, with a win for Samo. Varsity setter Dylan Leight (’20) was very happy with the great teamwork and high performance level from her team on the court.“As a whole team we hit the ball a lot and went for everything, trying to make moves to help each other on the court. We tried to use our strengths to get a victory, and we did,” Leight said. Going into the final set, Samo knew that one more win would result in a victory for the entire match. The crowd was chanting, desperate to see Samo play hard. Tired but thirsty for success, the girls worked well together on the court. As the third set ended with another Samo win, 25-5,  the audience roared in cheers. The girls gathered to thank the other team and then celebrate the victory. Coach Sato was very proud of the performance of the team, but knew that they still had a lot to work on before reaching CIF.“These league games give us an opportunity to work on team strategies. The matches are good for players to work on specific skills. [We were able to win] because we served hard and kept our serves in. It was a great team effort,” Sato said. The girls will celebrate their win while preparing for their upcoming game against Lawndale later in the week.