Close volleyball game crowns Elk Grove as winner

By Irem Sogutlugil,
BlueDevilHUB.com Editor–

The Davis High women’s volleyball team fought through five sets against Elk Grove on Sept. 14, but was eventually defeated 2-3 by the visiting Thundering Herd.

“[Elk Grove has] always been a super competitive team, and it always is a tough match,” senior Sam Moore said.

The team started off with a strong serve from sophomore Maraia Tuqiri, but Elk Grove managed to steal the first point. Tuqiri then made a quick save that brought the teams to a 1-1 tie.

The Blue Devils worked together to take an 9-8 lead. Senior Karlie Kijanka made effective pikes and Moore made numerous diving saves.

Throughout the first set, the teams’ scores were almost always separated by less than two points. A foul from Elk Grove ended the set with a 25-20 win for Davis.

The second set continued with a close score. With one foul and a missed save from Elk Grove, Davis won again 27-25.

“This past week we’ve been working a lot on blocking, and I thought we had a good blocking presence the first two games,” Moore said.

During the third set, both teams stepped up their game. Players, including senior Kyla Sandhu and junior Kate Thompson, kept the team’s score up with Elk Grove’s. A couple fouls for Davis put Elk Grove on top for the third set with a final score of 22-25.

The Blue Devils came back strong into the fourth set. They managed to score eight points before Elk Grove could score one, making the crowd cheer in the bleachers.

Despite a good start, Elk Grove caught up to Davis and the teams were tied with 24 points. Elk Grove won the next two plays, winning their second set with a score of 24-26.

After four sets, the teams were tied and had to go into a fifth set. The Devils lost 7-15, bringing Elk Grove the 2-3 win.

“The biggest challenge during the game was staying mentally tough and letting go of mistakes and moving on to the next play,” Sandhu said.