Gallery • 5 Photos

Mishall Quraishi

Senior Claire Evans (29) springs up to get ready for a block. “We did a good job getting up when we were a little tight, and I felt like we trusted one another, and that really helped us,” Evans said.

On Tuesday, Oct. 14, the varsity girls volleyball team played against the rival Carmel Corsairs, scoring a win of 25-18. 

The team proved their strength and effort by maintaining a strong lead, winning over Carmel with a majority of their points being kills, ultimately up 25-16 by the end of the second half. The team was able to keep its composure from the start. 

“I thought we did a pretty good job of staying in control of the match,” Head Coach Loika said. “When you’re ahead a few points in volleyball, you get to be a little more aggressive and do things a little bit differently on the offensive end. And I thought we did a nice job in a rivalry game against Carmel of really maintaining ourselves ahead of the game.”

The Wildcats upped their passing game in the second set, allowing the hitters to gain momentum and get the team a lead of 18-5 once the team ran their offense better than the first half.

“We needed to pick up our defensive intensity,” Coach Loika said. “I thought we did a nice job of winning long rallies and staying in it after that. We continued to serve aggressively in the second set, so I think we really cut the pressure on [Carmel] with that action from the service line.”

The team goes into every game treating it like a postseason game, playing with laser focus and determination.

“When we’re playing a cross-town rival, our team is having a good year,” Coach Loika said. “That’s an opportunity that we took advantage of tonight.”

Sophomore Emerson Zovistoski has been playing volleyball for three years and wasn’t expecting to play at the varsity level as the season began, but soon found herself among a group of people ready to push her to improve in a supportive environment.

“This team is so competitive and welcoming,” Zovistoski said. “It’s good to be on a team with totally competitive people and actually holding me accountable for my mistakes, pushing me.”

Senior outside hitter Claire Evans proved herself in the game as a player to look out for, scoring an ace and getting the team to 20-5 in the first half of the game. Even when things got tight, the team’s trust in and energy towards one another led them to success at the end.

“I think the team’s energy has been great today,” Evans said. “I feel like it’s definitely going on an uphill, and it’s getting better.”

The Wildcats hope to carry this same intensity and team spirit with them as the season progresses and into Wednesday’s senior night against Lake Forest. 

“Our serve and pass game was great tonight, and I thought that really allowed us to do a lot of things offensively that we’ve been working on,” Coach Loika said. “So I was proud of the girls for doing that.”