Jessica Li contributed to this article.
September 13th proved to be a challenging game for the Girls’ Volleyball team where they faced an out-of-league team: Cambridge Rindge & Latin. Despite the loss, the team had many highlights this game, having the crowd on their toes during their long and competitive rallies.
At the beginning of the first set, Malden lost several points to missed hits into the net. Even so, girls’ varsity volleyball captain Lovely Anne Gerochi gave Malden its first kill, followed by co-captain Abigail Lee. After several hits went out of bounds, Malden took a time-out at 7-14. Toward the end, Malden began to also miss various passes, leading to a 10-point differential (8-18).
Despite the team’s performance, the crowd’s enthusiasm permeated the gym and continued to encourage the players. They shouted, “We take those! Yeah, we do!” and “See you later!” A series of missed passes and out-of-bound hits ultimately don’t make enough of a shift, even though co-captain Jeslyn San also made a kill. This resulted in the first set ending in 16-24.
A block by Cambridge leads to the second set starting off in its favor, 0-1. A series of serves by Cambridge leads Malden to fall behind with a score of 2-5. Evening out the playing field, San scored two aces in a row—the first of many rallies that resulted in equal scores. Shortly after, The Blue and Gold reporter Maliya Kazadi scores a kill, making it 7-7. Each team gained a point immediately after the next.
Eventually, Cambridge increased its lead to 4 with 11-15, keeping a steady lead on Malden at 15-20. Malden stayed at 15 due to missed hits while Cambridge rose to 25, concluding the second set.
In the third set, Malden began to pick up. Co-captain Abigail Lee began the third set with a successful push, beginning 1-0. Kazadi’s effective blocks and kills increase Malden’s lead, making it 4-2. After several long rallies, and after junior Namaika Jeune’s un-receivable swing, it escalated to 9-9. Malden seemed to be more consistent in keeping up with its opponent, maintaining or losing by a steady one-point lead.
After Jeune achieved a block, Malden led the set with an 18-13, with San serving four times in a row, and making the score 19-15 before Cambridge managed to score. Malden’s precise calling and great communication led the score to 21-15, and Malden finished this set with a comeback of 25-18, making the team hopeful and boosting their confidence.
The fourth set determined whether or not Malden would go to the tiebreaker set, or if they would lose the match. The team started off strong with an ace by junior Sania Chen; this play brought energy to the stands and brought hope to the players, who were determined to make a comeback.
Following a point by Cambridge, Lee landed a hit on Cambridge, making the score 2-1. Things were looking up for Malden, with the score growing increasingly tight. The team focused on defense and stood their ground this set, careful not to miss any points due to mistakes. Gerochi brought her team a point closer with a kill, making the score 5-6, and pushing the audience to the edge of their seats. This set stirred the crowd with the points balancing from one up, to tie, to one down, then back to being tied again.
After two timeouts for Malden, ensuring their focus, Cambridge called one at 17-20. After this timeout, the girls began their comeback, with both teams gaining three more points. The tension became visible when 20-23 became 21-23 when Juene blocked Cambridge, making the crowd erupt with praise. Unfortunately, the game ended with an extremely close score of 22-25.
Considering that Cambridge Rindge & Latin was an out-of-league team, the outcome of this game did not affect their placement in the Greater Boston League (GBL). This game made Malden’s season 2-2, and their GBL score remained unaffected at 2-0. The girls faced a rematch against Cambridge on Friday, September 20th, and that match resulted in a 0-3.
Despite the difficult loss, Malden’s defeat holds no impact on its current 3-0 (as of this game) record as the highest-ranked high school in the Greater Boston League.
