With a staggering 17-3 record, the Highlanders dominated the Liberty District for the entire regular season and district playoffs. The Highlanders played the Oakton Cougars in region finals on Nov. 12th. Both teams have continuously been known powerhouses in Northern Virginia, with the Cougars and the Highlanders being 1st and 2nd in the region respectively.
“Both teams have good leadership, not just the seniors,” assistant coach Yula Tamashiro said. “The teams showed leadership and knew how to guide the team both on and off [the court.]”
Coming into the game, a key player of McLean, senior outside hitter Zolo Ganzorig, was injured.
“Ganzorig was a key influence on the court, not just in leadership, but in the number of kills and passes he gets,” Tamashiro said, “He’s always positive on the court. [Zolo] is one of the few people that kept communication and the team together.”
The first set began with a quick lead for McLean, 6-2. Every point won caused an eruption from the crowd. McLean and Oakton fought for every point, and each rally was long. Oakton tied the score at 16-16 and tensions were high. The silence was broken by McLean’s band, heard in the background after each point.
“We needed to keep the momentum going and keep our emotions high,” junior middle blocker Sawyer Dolina said. “During the first set, I saw some amazing passes and great blocking.”
Although McLean’s defense was improving, the Cougars pushed the score 22-24, which forced the Highlanders to take a timeout. McLean narrowly lost the set at 23-25.
During the second set, Oakton took an early lead but not for long, as McLean tied the score at 8-8. The Cougars’ aggressive plays forced McLean to take a timeout at 10-13 to strategize how to adapt to Oakton’s junior outside hitter Alex Vo and senior outside hitter Alex Rucinskas’ fast paced spikes.
“We never gave up during the second set,” senior middle blocker Quinn Nolan said. “During the set, we played with intensity, our passing and digs were really good. We got hyped for every point.”
After McLean shutdown Oakton’s attacks, the Cougars took a timeout at 19-19 to try to save the set. However, the Highlanders cleanly end the set 25-21 to tie the match at one set apiece.
The third set was intense, with both teams at 6-6. Oakton pulled ahead, leaving McLean further and further behind. This didn’t stall McLean’s spirit and the Highlanders’ aggressive play though, as fast attacks coordinated between senior setter Evan Li and Nolan shut down Oakton’s defense.
“Our strength was we never gave up on a single point,” Nolan said. “We swung hard and had good blocks, but our passes got worse [throughout] the set.”
At 20-19, Oakton took a timeout in order to adapt to the resurgence of energy from McLean. The Highlanders closely won the set 26-24, only needing one more set to claim the regional crown.
During the fourth set, some cracks began to form in McLean’s defense. Oakton constantly attacked McLean, with their best display on defense of the night.
The fourth set showed the Cougars’ chemistry and determination, which they demolished the Highlanders 25-11, leading to a winner-take-all fifth set for the regional title. Tensions were high which caused internal conflict and yelling within McLean.
“We let a single point get to us, that led to our downfall,” Dolina said. “One point led to another and another, and we never came back.”
The fifth set was the most intense of them all. McLean took an early 4-0 lead, which caused Oakton to take an early timeout. The Cougars clawed their way back to gain a lead of 9-6, causing the Highlanders to take a much-needed timeout as they let their lead slip away.
“The [fifth] set was really scary. We were up four but we lost the lead,” sophomore setter Ivan Nguyen said. “We had to get our energy back, even when we were down.”
The scores became increasingly close, whenever Oakton won a point, McLean would win the next one. At 17-16, Oakton correctly called a ball that was going out and won set point at 18-16 to clinch the regional championship 3-2.
McLean is set to play Cosby High School in the state quarterfinals. The Highlanders plan to have all their players back from injury and ready to play their hardest in the most important game of the season.
“We don’t win all of them, but we put it all on the court,” Nolan said. “We still have states this Saturday and we’ll bring our all on the stage.”
