On Wednesday, Aug. 24, the AWHS Falcons and Acalanes High School (AHS) Dons  girls varsity volleyball teams kick-started their seasons with a game located in the AWHS home gym. Despite a tough match with amazing offense on both sides of the net, the AWHS Falcons started its season off on the right foot with a hard-fought win over AHS. 

The first set of the match displayed tight competition, with clutch plays from both sides. After AHS tied the set at 22-22, AWHS senior and team captain Elsa Snipes led the AWHS to a decisive first set win at 25-22. 

The Falcons went into the second set with a steady lead over AHS, which AHS chipped away at as the set continued. Despite a strong offensive showing from the Falcons, the Dons were able to block spikes at crucial moments. But the Falcons persevered, ultimately taking the set 25-21.

 “I think we started off really strong in the first two sets and we definitely had a lot of good moments as a team, a lot of hustle plays…” said junior Reese Fraser. 

Despite an early Falcon’s lead, communication and passing errors plagued AWHS throughout the third set. After going down 10-15 in the set, the Falcons were able to fight back to make the score 23-23. Unfortunately, the Falcons weren’t able to soar to a three set victory, culminating in a 23-25 third set loss.

The Dons went into the fourth set taking an early lead 4-12 and never looked back, taking the set 21-25. However the final set was a battle, but Elsa Snipes and junior Reese Frasier created many spike opportunities for their teammates, taking home a win with a 15-10 final set score. 

“[This was] our first match of the season, and [I’m] completely impressed with our outside hitter, setters, serving, and our defense. We had to dig deep. We won the first two and got behind and [I’m] just really impressed with the whole team,” said AWHS Varsity girls volleyball coach Lisa Hudson. 

Many players had a great game, including senior and team captain, Elsa Snipes, who had 14 kills and three defensive saves for her team. Additionally, junior Reese Fraser came in clutch with four kills and five assists, pushing the Falcons through the final set. 

“…coming off a win in five, I think that’s pretty impressive for us. It really boosts our team’s confidence as a really young team, and I think going forward we are gonna carry that mentality and spirit throughout the rest of our season,” said team captain Elsa Snipes. 

With an early victory under their belt, the AWHS girls varsity team hopes to continue their streak at their first away game on Aug.31. against Windsor High School.