Frosh girls volleyball defeated Priory 25-19 and 25-5 in the Zhang Gymnasium on Tuesday.
Harker fell behind at the start of the first set due to mistakes in communication and coordination, causing Priory to gain the lead 4-1. After back-and-forth points, outside hitter Sophie Wu (9) served four consecutive points, including two aces, bringing the Eagles to 7-5.
The Eagles maintained a tight lead throughout the set with serves from outside and opposite hitter Eva Petrova (9) and strong aces from libero Dyuthi Valamsetty (9), ultimately winning the first set 25-19. Sophie reflected on the team’s strong comeback during the second set.
“It was a wakeup call in the first set when we won by such a small margin,” Sophie said. “We won against this team by a lot last time and we were like ‘we should really get on top of our game and play volleyball.”
Harker established a lead in the second set after aces from Sophie brought the score to 7-1. Several missed passes from the Panthers let Harker gain a 9-point lead. Aces from both opposite hitter Maya Choudhari (10) and outside hitter Maya Horan (9) pushed the score to 18-5. Sophie hit a kill after a long rally, and the Panthers hit the ball out of bounds, allowing Harker to take the win 25-5.
Head coach Andrei Hinda commended the Eagles’ positive spirit throughout the game, despite feeling nervous in the first set.
“My proudest moment in the game was when I talked with the team, and I asked them to be happy to cheer on the court,” Coach Hinda said. “All I want to see is that they enjoyed the game. Most of the players served well, which made me really happy. I can’t wait for the next season.”
Middle blocker Sarah Wang (10) emphasized the Eagles’ improvement throughout the league and shared hopes for the future.
“I hope to continue to preserve my relationship with the freshmen because I really feel that we bonded throughout this season,” Sarah said. “Every moment of this game was a highlight because it was our last.”
The team concluded their season with an overall record of 10-8.