On Thursday, Oct. 16, Archie Williams girls varsity volleyball faced off against the Novato High School Hornets for the Falcons’ last Marin County Athletic League (MCAL) home game. Not only was this game a big 3-0 win for the Falcons, but the team also honored their graduating varsity players after the game, celebrating senior night.

The first set was incredibly strong, as the Falcons started with high energy and consistent communication to get the offense going. Multiple players had aggressive scoring serves, giving the Falcons an immediate advantage, and senior Felicity Brown blocked various incoming attacks, keeping the Hornets’ score low. The set finished with a 25-8 point difference, with the winning point coming from senior Alyse Rosen. 

“[This season has] obviously been a little bit rough, MCALs [that is]. [This win] feels so good, everyone was happy, everyone was smiling, it truly just felt like a family,” Alyse said.

After dominating the first set, the Falcons had some strong rallies to start the second set, but the score stayed tight at 4-4. The Falcons soon took the lead with plays from junior Danielle Christian, who had two point scoring serves in a row then moved into her  defensive back-row position, supporting the team from both angles. Halfway through the second set, Archie Williams was up by double the points. 

Senior Lila Peterson made an impression on the back row with several impressive digs, playing a hard defensive line. Junior Lydia Battaglia and sophomore Zoe English scored several monumental kills. Zoe scored the final point with a powerful spike, winning the second set with a score of 25-16. 

“The girls played with joy, confidence, and strength the whole game, and they just played every point. They did amazing,” said Head Coach Shayna West.

Finally, in the third set, the score stayed close, with the Falcons’ back line missing some crucial opportunities, but eventually coming back with motivation from timeouts and team energy. During the rally for Archie’s twenty-first point, Alyse dove and flattened her hand to make a last-minute save for the rally, and Lydia spiked it onto Novato’s side, scoring an epic kill. Senior Campbell Stoughton scored the crucial game-winning point with a dump over the net. 

The team was overjoyed to secure this 3-0 win. After the game, pairs of players gave heartwarming speeches for each soon-to-be graduating senior, expressing gratitude and saying goodbye to senior players Alyse, Lila, Felicity, Campbell, and Mackenzie Mann. 

“The last couple of games, [the fact that this is my last year of high school volleyball] hadn’t really hit me until now. The realization kind of just set in, looking at everyone around me, and I’m not the one doing a speech, like it feels just crazy, it feels super surreal, but like I’m just happy I made it,” Alyse said. 

The Falcons’ win against the Hornets finished out the MCAL season, and with playoffs in the coming weeks, the team expects exciting games to come.