The girls volleyball team struggled in its first match, losing 3-0 against the 1-0 Gaithersburg Trojans Sept. 4 at home.

Running a 5-2 formation and utilizing two different setters, the team played well but the strong effort wasn’t enough to tip the score in its favor.  Gaithersburg’s strong defense and commanding offense were too much to handle, culminating in the Vikes’ first loss of the season.

Though they lost, outside hitter Julie King said that the Vikes were pleased that their play had improved from pre-season performances.

“Gaithersburg is a solid team with a super defense but we played well,” she said.  “It was our first game of the season and we’re visibly improving from the pre-season.”

Although it didn’t show in the final score, each of the three lost games was very close and suspenseful.  The team lost the first game 15-25, the second 14-25, and the third and final game by only seven points with a final score of 17-25.

After breaking even last year with a 7-7 record, the girls volleyball team looks to pull ahead of the pack and make it to regionals this year under coach Hao-lan Chai.

Led by captains Maddie Craig and Catherine Benz, the team hopes to win many games with their upperclassmen power.  Since the team will lose five seniors after this season, it’s a good opportunity for the team to build the underclassmen talent.

“We’re losing a significant amount of seniors so we want this to be a fun season for all of them and to improve our young talent,” junior Juliet King said.

The Vikes hope to draw a large attendance at each of their seven home games this season. The spirit could serve as a major confidence boost for the team.

Last season, the team had a tough time winning individual games so it looks to take leads early in their matches in the upcoming season.  Winning the early games could result in a major boost in confidence during the matches, especially in big games against rival teams.

Some girls on the team attended volleyball camps to improve their game over the summer like senior Julia Greenberg.

“I did some camps over the summer at American University and so did lots of other people on the team. We have some really good hitters and we work well,” she said.  “We have some really good hitters and we work well together, so I look forward to improving our rotations and making different plays.”

With tough matchups against teams like the B-CC Barons, Wootton Patriots, and Walter Johnson Wildcats, the team will be on the road quite a bit.  With a fresh team, seniority, and a lot of fun and confidence, the volleyball team looks to dominate their division this fall.

The team hopes to grab its first victory of the regular season Sept. 8 when it travels to take on the 1-0 Walter Johnson Wildcats.