“Pink Out” brings women’s volleyball a devastating loss

PHOTO: Blue Devils huddle up before their defeat at Thursday night’s “Pink Out” game.

By Katrina Haws,

BlueDevilHUB.com Staff–

Despite losing 3-0 against Cosumnes Oaks on Oct. 6, the Davis High women’s volleyball annual “Pink Out” game maintained a high energy throughout.

The south gym was a sea of pink on Thursday evening. Surrounded by bright pink balloons decorating the court, the team sported pink ribbons and matching pink uniforms in support of breast cancer awareness.

DHS started off the first game strong, earning the first two points of the match, but its opponents were quick to fire back and Cosumnes Oaks secured the early lead. Junior Grace Heringer and senior Azalea Morris worked to regain the Blue Devil energy, but ultimately came up short, losing the first game 25-19.

Although Cosumnes Oaks controlled the beginning of the second game, the Devils were able to reverse the momentum after a long rally with a critical point that led to a string of consecutive points. Sophomore Kate Nelson, junior Emily Wells and senior Lindsey Su were instrumental behind the net, but DHS was unable to keep up with the pace of their challengers.

Tensions reached a climax when the Lady Blue Devils were disturbed by an official’s call which immediately concluded the second game. The score ended at 25-20 in favor of the DHS’s opposition, giving Cosumnes Oaks their second victory.

Heringer claimed the other team touched the ball four times. The maximum allowed in volleyball is three, so this would’ve been a violation of the rules. “The [referee] must not have seen the first one but it was definitely four touches,” she said.

After the controversial official ruling, DHS began to fade in the third and final game. They secured the first point but Cosumnes Oaks quickly squashed the Devils’ efforts, finishing out the final game with a score of 25-11.

In spite of the overwhelming loss, junior Grace Heringer noted the close outcomes of the first two games.

“Cosumnes Oaks is a very competitive team. They’ve always been super good so in our first two sets I was super proud of how we played. We played a very competitive match,” Heringer said.

As the team nears the conclusion of the season, Heringer is confident that even after their defeat, DHS will be prepared for critical games in their near future.

“We really just need to win the ones we won the first time around to make it to playoffs, especially the Elk Grove game and the Sheldon game are really important,” Heringer said.