Heritage Girls Volleyball takes on Hialeah Garde

in Game Coverage/Sports by
After losing their previous match, Heritage’s junior varsity volleyball team came out eager for a win, defeating Hialeah Garde by 2-0. The match started out 2-0, and by the end of the first set it was 25-14. (Photos/Kayra Dayi)

Throughout the first set, JV kept up a gap between the scores, but by the second set, the two schools were neck and neck. 

During the second set, they had their first tie 4-4 and soon fell behind to 6-7. “We definitely played down our second half,” junior defensive specialist, Carly Tavony, said. “But eventually, we were able to bring it back up.” Heritage was able to up their points and win 25-21.

“I think we had a very great match; it was definitely worth practicing for days,” junior Caroline Christie, who plays middle, said. Tavony added, “I felt confident entering the court today. We all had a positive attitude and were looking forward to having fun.”

As for the Varsity team, the results of their game were similar.  The girls began their match with an ace, a point made by a serve and had many super strikes throughout the game, typically by senior Katie Denning, who plays outside. “After each spike, I felt powerful and strong,” Denning said. Junior Ana Chavez who plays defensive specialist added, “Entering the court today, I felt ready to do qmy job and help my team.” (Photos/Kayra Dayi)

Varsity won both of the first two sets 25-11. During the second set, sophomore setter Gabby Passaro was able to save the ball with one hand. “I felt very accomplished after saving the ball, especially because I usually sit out on the bench. It is also very rare to be able to save a ball like that as a server,” she said.

However, that streak slowly began to fade as Varsity started to fall behind in the third set 1-3. Fortunately, they were able to turn the tables around and get to 14-7 and then 18-9. They won the third set 25-16. “We definitely killed it,” Chavez, who hit the last point by defense, said. 

Denning, Chavez and Passaro all agree that in the future, the team needs to work on keeping up their energy. “I think that we also need to be more in sync and be united,” freshman Isabella De Leon, who plays middle blocker, said. 

Coach Garcia was proud of the team’s performance. “The team played very well today. There was a lot of team effort, the serves were outstanding and everybody did their part.”

Kayra is a rising junior who is passionate about art and journalism. She loves expressing herself and the issues she cares about through her writing and artworks. She holds officer positions in Newspaper, Quill&Scroll, and the National Art Honor Society. When not studying, Kayra loves to read nonfiction books, hangout with her friends, cook healthy meals, listen to music while creating art, and spend time with her cat and family. She is looking forward to her junior year as she prepares for AP Art and new articles to write.