Girls volleyball finishes fifth despite undefeated record

The girls volleyball team wins both matches but do not advance due to a tie-breaker rule.

The MacArthur girls volleyball team placed fifth at the SAUSD Intermediate School tournament on Saturday, October 12.  Although the team went 2-0, the girls did not advance to the semi-finals because they lost 1 set out of 3 in each game.  The girls played against Carr and Willard Intermediate school.  Physical Education teacher Tim Fredricksen and Discipline Secretary Victor Cardenas coached the girls through-out the six weeks.

“I think that the girls struggled the most with was playing against Carr.  They had really good servers and the girls had a great defense as well, I just think that mostly the girls felt intimidated by them,” said Fredricksen.

A volleyball game consists of three sets.  In order for the girls to win a match at the tournament, the team must win at least two sets.  The MacArthur team won both their matches by winning two sets in each.  Other teams who won both matches won all three sets, effectively breaking a tie with MacArthur.  

For the players who made the team, the first cut was made on September 13.  Fredericksen picked 15 girls to be on the team.  The team captain was eighth-grader Mia Lacy.  Fredricksen believed the most improved players on the team were eighth-grader Kendyl Pola and seventh-grader Celeste Mendoza. 

Fredricksen said, “Celeste Mendoza and Kendyl Pola were definitely the most improved, they stuck out, especially with their serving and defense.  They did a great job, we had a lot of good servers on our team.”

The purpose of having good servers on a volleyball team is to make sure that they make it difficult for the other team.  Serving can change the game immediately.

The girls team had practice on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, they practiced from after school to 4:00 PM. On Mondays and Fridays, they practiced from after school until 5 PM. Their practice consisted of drills, warm-ups, and scrimmages. 

“Practice was fun, we messed around a lot, but when it was needed we they put in the work,” said eighth-grader Mia Lacy.

Eight-grader Edith Nieto played left forward on the team.  Edith said, “The girls and I all have a strong bond and we all did a great during the tournament.” 

Cardenas said, “The girls played amazing, I believe they did excellently, they were just not allowed to compete, they played like champs.”