Girls' volleyball overcomes tough opponents, continues to semi-finals

Nicholas ZarchenPhoto EditorSamo girls' volleyball will continue onto the CIF semi-finals on Nov. 15 in the North Gym after beating opponents Victor Valley High School on Nov. 10 and Santa Ynez High School on Nov. 12. They will play Pasadena Polytechnic School for the chance to advance to the next round of competition.In the game against Victor Valley High School, the girls faced their toughest opponent yet, and were stretched to their limit in their closest match of the season. Though the second and third sets had many errors, the team won overall with scores of 25-14, 19-25, 25-27, 25-22 and 15-13.Although the Vikings dominated in the first set, they lagged in the second and third, allowing Victor Valley to score numerous times. Samo made errors that team members said were uncharacteristic.Despite their slump in the second and third sets, the girls came back in the fourth with a new determination. With four kills by senior outside hitter Sarah Krenik and five by junior Jordan Levy, the team won the fourth set.Victor Valley seemed shaken by Samo's comeback and by the noise and intensity from the Samo crowd. Samo then won the fifth and final set, earning them a place in the next round of CIF.The girls also had a commanding win against Santa Ynez High School on Nov. 12, winning 25-20, 25-16 and 25-22.“I’m extremely proud of how we’ve been performing in playoffs,” Krenik said. “We’ve had to fight through some tough battles and I know that we will continue to give it all we got — it's now or never.”The girls' next game is Tuesday, Nov. 15 against Poly Pasadena in the Samo North Gym."I feel really confident while we are playing. The team has done a great job keeping up the confidence and energy on the court. Our captains are really exhibiting leadership and are doing the best job captains can," freshman setter Blossom Sato said. "I think [Nov. 15] we just have to play with confidence and play consistently. It will be a tough match but we have to serve tough and take control of the game. Everyone is going to play their heart out and go for the gold."nzarchen@thesamohi.com