By Caroline Mora
The Fountain Valley High School girls varsity volleyball team went toe to toe with the Pacifica High School Mariners on Monday. The Barons gave it their all on the team’s designated senior night, but, ultimately, the Pacific Mariners beat the Barons three to two.
In honor of the senior night, all the varsity seniors were led by family and friends down onto the court. At the same time, they gave heartfelt speeches about their favorite team memories and plans after graduation.
Recognized seniors include Dezi Butler, Carley Trecka, Mailia Maliga, Maylyn Pham, Gina Ambrosio, Rebecca Stafferi, Rachel Nguyen, Nicolette Santiago and Natasha Markowitz.
The Mariners fell behind at the start of set one, hitting the ball out of bounds to give the Barons a lead. Junior Avery Medvin, positioning herself right on top of the net, blocked all of Pacifica’s offense and left no room for the Mariners to gain ground.
After gaining a comfortable lead, the Pacifica began to blind the Barons, as the Mariners scored point after point FVHS took multiple timeouts to restrategize but to no avail, as the Mariners won the first set with a score of 24-26.
Following their loss in the first set, the Lady Barons had something to prove. Senior Rebecca Stafferi earned the first point of the set. Both teams exchanged points for the next few plays. The Barons turned the tides on the Mariners and led the game with five points, making their opponents feel the pressure.
Pacifica grabbed a hold of their sails and slowly regained a few points, but their effort proved futile. The Barons’ offense proved to be too overbearing, continuing their lead all the way to match point and winning the second set with a score of 25-20.
During the third, Pacifica started strong and gained a five-point lead on the Barons within the first five minutes of the set, creating a score of 2-7. The Barons called for a timeout but failed to gain the upper hand. The Lady Barons fought well and trudged through the wake that the Mariners left behind them as the Mariners sped ahead to victory. Pacifica won the third set with a score of 13-25 and a 12-point lead.
In the fourth set, FVHS saw their energy renewed, as they fought with everything to sail ahead of the Mariners. Both teams traded points, but Fountain Valley’s offense soared above the Mariners’ defense. The Lady Barons won the fourth match with a score of 25-23, leaving the teams tied up at two sets each.
The stakes remained high in the fifth set as the winner of this round would be the victor of the game. Pacifica started strong with many offensive victories scoring seven points, but the Barons held on and scored a few of their own. Fountain Valley called their first time out of this round with a score of 3-7. This timeout gave some motivation for the Barons as on the next two serves the Barons scored.
However, this comeback was short-lived. Pacifica called for a timeout, and the Mariners overtook the Barons, scoring them five points to four and bringing the score to 7-12. FVHS called their second time out of the set.
The Barons found a brush of motivation, finding openings to pass through Pacifica’s offense and securing another point on a block, with the score now at 9-12. Pacifica pushed to score the final three points, ending the set 9-15 and the game 2-3.
Girls’ volleyball will play their final game of the season at home on Tuesday, facing off against the Los Alamitos High School Griffins at 5:45 p.m.
