The Metea girls’ volleyball team won big against conference rival Naperville North (25-22, 25-13) in a dominant fashion this Tuesday.
The first set included many long rallies that had the crowd on the edge of their seats. Although the two teams went back and forth during the set, many points went to the Huskies. Metea had a slow start, down 15-7 halfway through. However, the Mustangs didn’t let the score discourage them. They rallied together with amazing offense and even better defense, saving multiple spikes from a strong Naperville North team. The Mustangs found their rhythm and made a spectacular comeback, winning the first set 25-22.
The stands were filled with parents and students. Metea chants roared from the crowd as the team took back to the court, seeming more confident and focused than ever in the second set.
“The environment of the game was very lively and the student section was very loud and supporting the team,” sophomore Asmeet Shrirao said.
In the second set, the Mustangs seemed more energized than ever. It started with Metea up 3-1, and they wouldn’t look back, dominating and leading the set for the entirety of the game. Both their offense and defense seemed better than the last set.. Every time the Huskies thought they had their rhythm, the Mustangs stopped it right away. Metea’s greatest strength in the second set was their serves, many of which Naperville North couldn’t return. The Mustangs seemed to have gained more and more confidence with each point they scored. The set ended with a score of 25-13, resulting in a Mustangs win over the Huskies.
Metea girls varsity volleyball Coach David MacDonald was extremely happy with the performance of his team.
“Our seniority [helped lead us to the win],” MacDonald said, “we have six seniors that are on the court a lot of the time. Having them in during the tough moments and their cohesiveness led to the comeback.”
”Our serve receive needs to be worked on and just our variety of routes that we run on offsene,” coach MacDonald said, “[we need to] make it unpredictable for teams to know what we’re doing which will allow us to get more kills.”
The Mustangs hope to add another win under their belt when they host Naperville Central this Thursday, Oct. 3.
