The smell of sweat and popcorn saturated the air of the well-overheated gym at Marin Catholic this past Thursday. Immediately following the loss of their junior varsity team, Drakes’ varsity volleyball girls leaped into action against MC.

The team started strong, with Savannah Wandzilak as Labero, the girls maintained a lead for 10 points into the game. However, the Marin Catholic girls were able to overtake their early lead, Drake lingering on their tail 17-25.

The energy in the gym was exuberant, with supporters of both teams erupting in cheers each time their team gained a point. These outcries of support came well deserved; both sides put in remarkable feats of effort, throwing themselves to the ground to maintain rallies and secure points. 

Considerably fatigued from their excursion of energy during the first set, Drake lost some momentum but maintained their high spirits during the second set. Following every point scored, the girls lept into a huddle to congratulate a fight well fought, never showing visible frustration towards their teammates. The girls remained united up until the final point of the second set, losing 11-25. 

Notably, this year, Drake varsity volleyball gained two notable first-year students, Elsa Snipe and Lauren Barnwell. Snipes consistently delivered impressive spikes from the outside, and Barnwell played a significant role as the team’s defensive specialist. Both remained active players throughout the game.

In a final push, the Drake girls fought hard in the third and final set of the game. During this set, the girls showed signs of weakening due to the relentless heat. Despite their fatigue, neither team gave up, and the set remained close until MC ultimately beat Drake 17-25.

“We went into the game knowing it was going to be tough, and we wanted to give it our best and give them a good fight,” said junior and setter Erin Lee.

Having done just that, the team went home knowing they did their best against the nationally-ranked team.