Two seasons ago, the volleyball team made a playoff push at state. However, the dream was cut short after a heartbreaking loss to the McNary Celtics.
This year, the Mountain Lions were gifted an unlikely opportunity: a chance for redemption in their season opener.
The team seized the moment, beating the Celtics 3-2 after bringing the match down to the wire. The victory ignited a renewed confidence for the season ahead.
“I’m very optimistic. The game was stressful, but obviously ended on a good note. We played them in our first state playoff game, so it was nice to come back and beat them,” head coach Kyla Henry said.
Junior Leo Chookan, who has been following the team for three years, is the self proclaimed biggest fan. During this time, he has observed noticeable improvements.
“I remember two years ago, my freshman year, the team was good, but now they are dominant,” Chookan said. “I think this game really showed that.”
Junior Eliana Moran has been playing volleyball here for three years, and she has spent two years on varsity. Moran also contributes much of the team’s success to head coach Kyla.
“We’ve grown as a program a lot. We used to be in the bottom three in PIL, and now we’re in the top three,” Moran said. “Our coach used to be Ken, and now our coach is his daughter Kyla. It’s been really cool to see our program grow,” Moran added.
According to Moran, the team set their sights on another pivotal game against the two seed: Ida B Wells.
“Today’s a really big day. We want to win against Wells, and that will put us in a really good position. In the last 20 years we haven’t won against Wells, so we would love to do that,” Moran said.
The team came out on top against Wells in a stunning 3-1 performance on Sept. 17. Currently the Mountain Lions sit only behind the Grant Generals. However, the team is not letting the pressure get to them, instead the team is falling back on their motto:
“The fittest team in the PIL,” said Moran. “If you say it enough, it will actualize.”
