Mclean girls volleyball went up against Washington-Liberty High School for their first match of the postseason. The Highlanders went in as underdogs after a disappointing regular season, but were set on making their mark in the district tournament against the highly-rated Generals, who they had faced many times in the regular season.
“It’s the fifth time we’ve played them,” senior libero Hannah Huang said. “So we know them pretty well.”
The first set was a back and forth affair. Both teams had spurts of dominance, yet as the set continued, Washington-Liberty began to pull away through a series of well-placed hits that caught Mclean off guard. The generals eventually claimed the first set victory, 25-16.
In the second set, Mclean came out strong, keeping it close and winning a point on one of the toughest rallies of the game, a two minute long battle culminating in crucial diving play and a misplay at the net by W&L.
Unfortunately, the Generals were able to catch momentum, running off 5 straight points to get them a 7 point lead. Yet the highlanders fought back to keep it close, winning 6 straight points in an attempt to tie the game up.
From there it was neck and neck until a few strong plays from the Generals helped them to be up 23-17 late in the second set, and resulting in a 25-19 second set win for the Generals.
Although the Highlanders showed their grit with some hustle-filled plays coming into the third set, the Generals picked up right where they left off, dominating at the net, and the Highlanders failed to put the ball in bounds.
The Generals were showing no signs of slowing down, but McLean was able to fight back and keep the set close, scoring 7 points in a row due to some spectacular defensive plays, forcing the Generals to take their first timeout of the game in an attempt to stop their opponents’ momentum.
“Our backcourt was especially scrappy,” varsity head coach Samantha Stewart said. “They did a phenomenal job defending and receiving serves.”
Off the timeout, McLean caught up to the Generals in the final minutes of the set. Although the momentum was energizing, the set ended in a devastating loss 23-25 in the third set, ending the match 0-3.
“We definitely got closer this time, but they are a great team,” said Ryan Walker, the varsity assistant coach and JV head coach. “We wish them good luck moving forward in the tournament.”
Though the 2023-2024 season has come to an end, the team is very excited to compete next fall, with many good players from an undefeated JV team in the wings for next season.
“We fought hard, we played the best we could and we made our last game fun,” Huang said. “It’s both a sad and happy way to end the season.”
