Sam Bernstein staff writer
Varsity girls volleyball lost 0-3 on Oct. 18. The team lost to Santa Monica in in a game filled with heavy passion on the court.
Before the game, there was a touching presentation, where little notes of encouragement written by head coach Miranda LeBrun and fellow players were shared to seniors playing their last home game. This season, the only two seniors on the squad, were varsity players Daniella Cohen and Maytal Seraphian. Cohen’s sister, Sophia, who is on the JV team, made a touching speech about her sister. The speech meant a lot to her, and she was happy to have shared.
“It was really sweet. She got me into volleyball so she was a big inspiration for me, and if I could only uplift her half as much that would make my day,“ Sophia Cohen said.
However, the game didn’t go as sweetly as the pregame presentation did. The team lost 25-10 in their first two sets, and they lost 25-5 in their last set. The girls played a tenacious against their rivals, and their teammates were quick to commend them.
“They’re amazing, they’re very athletic, and they can win against any team that they oppose as long as they they try their best and communicate,” Sophomore Chloe Cohen said.
The varsity team fell to 4-10-1 this season, and 1-5 in league play. While their record has not been perfect, they did grow in other areas. Sophomore Skylar Tropp praised the growth the team has made since the beginning of the season.
“There’s been so much improvement. People from JV have gotten moved up to varsity, the connection between everyone has really helped. The chemistry is really good, especially on varsity. Everyone knows what to do, and everyone knows where they’re going and who’s where all the time,” Tropp said.
Varsity coach Miranda LeBrun praised the tenacity that the team displayed on every volley. They had been preparing for this game all year, and LeBrun expected them to play with the grit they’ve played with all season, all game long.
“There’s going to be a lot of emotion out there on the court. There’s going to be tears, there’s going to be blood, there’s going to be sweat. They’re going to work their butts off, and I’m excited to see how they work today,” LeBrun said.
The girls volleyball team will go into their next game at Lawndale on Thursday on a five-game losing streak. They have a rivalry matchup at Culver City to close off their season on Oct. 25. The team has been eliminated from CIF playoff contention. Regardless of the unfavorable record, Chloe Cohen noticed the hard work the team has been putting in to close off their season with a bang.
“I’ve seen everyone have more drive and push themselves harder to get better every day,” Cohen said.