Lady Moors Overcome Arroyo Knights

KEVIN KONG
Staff Writer

It must be hard to stay on task, especially if your team flip-flops between wins and losses, but for the varsity girlsʼ
volleyball team, this was certainly not an issue as they beat the Arroyo Knights on Sept. 20, 3-1.
“I think itʼs going to be a very competitive match, but weʼre going to win. We have much more focus and have a lot more confidence
in ourselves right now,” Coach Charles Tran said.
The first set had the Knights and Moors competing point for point, but when the Moors seemed to lose rhythm early, the Knights took the upper hand for the set victory. The second set began equally glum with the Lady Moors losing their correspondence with each other as the Knights eventually took a six-point lead. The girls soon sparked as Tran demanded the best from them. Not only did that excite the crowd and players, but it also inspired Captain Marisa Baltazar as she completed five consecutive serves which followed with multiple aces, almost tying up the set.
The Moors seemed to have raised spirits after being only one point behind, as shown when the centers took initiative and decided to take the game into their own hands with their persistent efforts to prevent spikes. The second set ended as the Moors won the set, tying up the game.
The girls were inspired as they took charge with a strong lead, responding to the Knightsʼ defensive tactics. Point after point, the girls played with a newfound confidence. The Moors overtook the Knights for a 2-1 score in the third set.
The fourth set was cardinal as the girls finally came out on top for a 3-1 game victory.
Not only did they win against Arroyo, but they had one more victory as they tamed the El Monte Lions on Sept. 21, making their preseason record 5-2. Unfortunately, on Sept. 26, the girlsʼ fell against San Marino 0-3, leaving their ranking as 350th statewide.
“However, we are confident we can win league this year,” Baltazar said.