The Cats started the game off with a shaky set, resulting in a loss. Yet, they tried to come back against the Trojans.
“The second set we were becoming more comfortable, the third set we looked pretty good in some spots, but unfortunately [it was] not enough to overcome their strength,” said coach Bill
Morris.
The game and the season ended in a controversial final point by Gaithersburg. The referee blew the whistle to begin the point, but because of the rowdy and noisy crowd, WJ’s side of the court could not hear the start motioned by the referee. Gaithersburg took advantage, served the ball and caught WJ off guard to win the 25th and final point of the match.
Despite losing to Gaithersburg, WJ finished the regular season strong with a 12-2 record and a regional playoff win against rival Churchill.
“It was a huge turn around from the previous year,” said Morris.
The team was led by strong senior libero Kathy Pao and senior outside hitter/setter Anna Elder as well as many underclassmen who rose to the occasion in tough games while working to improve consistency and communication on the court, something that strong teams strive to perfect.
“Our schedule was perfect in the sense that it got harder and harder each week,” said senior defense specialist/outside hitter Amelia Esenstad. “So as we improved throughout the season, we had the opportunity to be tested against other strong teams.”
With regular season wins against Churchill, Whitman, Wootton and B-CC, WJ has proved its volleyball team is one of the best in the region and will look to continue its dominance next year and go further into playoffs. However, next fall, teams will be on the lookout for WJ as the reputation of a strong program has been built, and the Wildcats will have to continue constructing their determination if they want to advance further into playoffs.
“This season will also be great motivation because [the team] will want to repeat, and improve what was done this year,” said Esenstad.
