AGAINST ALL ODDS
Seniors and captains Marissa Jensen and Lia Vorthmann jump to block a hit from the opposing team, Windsor High School.
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EL ESTOQUE | DECEMBER 2021 PHOTO | ANNA JEROLIMOV
Girls Volleyball make it to CCS finals for the first time since 1998 BY ISHAANI DAYAL AND ANNA JEROLIMOV
T
he Varsity Girls Volleyball team made history when they proceeded to CCS finals for the first time in 23 years, and placed 2nd in the tournament. Despite losing 3-1 to Menlo-Atherton High School on Nov. 6 in the CCS finals, their placement put them in the NorCal playoffs for the first time in MVHS Girls Volleyball history. The final game followed a unique run for the team, after they won unexpectedly against Mountain View High School in the semifinals 3-1 and underwent a coaching adjustment midway into the tournament. Junior Sydney Su, a varsity setter since freshman year, states that going into the season, she was unsure of how the team would perform due to the fact that many seniors just graduated and because COVID restrictions had caused the previous playoffs to be cancelled. Su believes that one important factor that allowed the team to succeed was its new head coach, Nicki Ezatagha. Her focus on practicing serve receives allowed the team to hone in on this skill and respond offensively to other teams’ serves. However, due to Ezatagha being away after regular league play, Boys Volleyball Coach Paul Chiu stepped in to guide the team. The change in coaching initially added a little uncertainty for the team, according to junior Krupa Shanware, but Su felt assured by Chiu’s experience coaching the Boys Volleyball team. According to senior and captain Lia Vorthmann, everyone “took a liking” to Chiu pretty early into CCS, which contributed to the overall team dynamic. She believes his coaching style also pushed the team to do better. “Probably the biggest difference between him and our other coach Nicki is that he kind of lets us coach ourselves during timeouts, like we just talked amongst ourselves,” Vorthmann said. “So I think that really helped us build confidence because everybody knew and trusted each other. It was just easier to play.” Vorthmann and Su agree that a
