On Tuesday, Sep. 4 at 7 p.m., the Coral Gables Girls Varsity Volleyball team played the Ferguson Falcons at home. This matchup was one of the toughest the girls would face all year as Ferguson, being the top-ranked team in the district, came ready to play and kept the intensity constant throughout the match. Further contributing to the pressure the Lady Cavaliers faced that night, the team had been forced to enter the match with a new and unfamiliar sequence that they had never practiced.

Once the whistle blew and the match began, it was clear to those in the audience why these were two of the best teams in the district; great plays were being made on both sides of the net and the level of competition was exceptionally high. On the court, the Lady Cavaliers played their hearts out, leaving all they had under the lights. Apart from the difficulties already being faced with the new sequence, the Cavaliers were put at a further disadvantage when senior captain Isa Venero was reluctantly forced to exit the game due to personal illness. The Lady Cavs, without one of their most skilled assets, saw momentum develop in favor of their opponent. In the end, the Lady Cavs were able to force the Falcons into a fourth set, but their efforts were unable to overcome the well-rounded and talented team they faced on the other side of the net. The final scores were 25-23, 24-26, 25-10, 25-22, with Gables only managing to win the second set.

Regardless of the loss, the team played extremely well and the captains were very proud of their players. One player in particular, junior Angelica Sorensen, finished with a number of blocks and aces that helped the team gain a brief advantage at different times throughout the match.

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It was a very good and competitive game and we put our hard work out on the court. As a captain, I couldn’t be any more proud of the way my team played against the Falcons. We lost the match, but this will just drive us to work even harder next time.

— Senior Isa Venero

The team continues to improve day by day, and many hope that they will be a top contender for the district title later in the year. At practice, they know what needs to be worked on, and they will continuously work to improve issues like communication on the court and overall team chemistry between the starting six.

“We feel our biggest problem is communication during the game. We just need to call everything out to help the other players know what to do in order to make it easier to make plays,” senior Kaylin Yudice said.

Ultimately, despite not coming away with the win, the Lady Cavaliers’ spirits remain high. Their performance this year was significantly better than their performance last year against the district winners. As they continue to improve and work out the minor issues they have encountered, they are expected to move on strong and compete in districts later this fall.  The head coaches, Monica de la Vega and Mykaya Kelly, assure that the team may be, in a way, better off after the loss to Ferguson.

“Ferguson is a great team and we are thankful they showed us the areas we need to work on. We’ll practice those areas more and I expect to see us perform well next game,” Coach Kelly said.

As the Coral Gables Girls Varsity Volleyball team continues to make strides in their athletic performance, be sure to wish them luck throughout the remainder of the season!