On Friday, Oct. 6, the JV volleyball team played against Vandegrift high school on McNeil’s home court. Although Vandegrift held the lead in the first set, the Lady Mavs fought hard to come back in the second set. Unfortunately, they were unable to fully come back, losing the game 0-2.

Sophomore Emily Vacek led the team with multiple sets and assists, as well as sophomore Emma Bruce with numerous successful kills and passes throughout the game.

Starting the first set Vandegrift got an early lead, making it hard for the Lady Mavs to catch back up. Although Vandegrift held the lead throughout the set, the Mavs continued to make good plays and were able to put up a few points before losing 8-25.

“The first set wasn’t very eventful, and we kinda gave up,” Vacek said. “But in the second set, we became more motivated because we really wanted to beat Vandegrift, and once we started to gain momentum they became very nervous and started to back off.”

Although falling short in the first set, the Mavs entered the second set at a completely different pace, keeping up with the intense play of Vandegrift. At the start of the second set, the Lady Mavericks continued to fight back, and with several sustained rallies and various kills from Bruce, the Mavs were able to take the lead. The set remained close until Vandegrift went on a multiple-point streak taking the lead from Mcneil. Despite McNeil’s efforts in the second set, they were unable to pull through, and ultimately Vandegrift won the second and final set 21-25.

“In the second set we became very determined and pushed through,” Vacek said. “All of us were making plays that were not easy, and we were all working our butts off to beat them, and even though we couldn’t win we made it a really fun last set.”

The Lady Mavs will play next at Westwood high school against Westwood on Friday, Oct. 13, at 5:30 p.m.