By Caitlin Butler
The hot streak continues for George Mason High School’s volleyball team which claimed its eighth win in a row by beating Central High School in straight sets Tuesday night.
“We came out with a lot of energy. We haven’t been at home in a while so there was a lot of excitement and nerves heading into the day,” said junior outside hitter Megan Boesen, who was eager to return to the home court after two weeks of road games.
Junior outside hitter Catherine Carroll scored the match point off a clean pass from sophomore setter Lily Kulok helped seal the 3-0 victory over the Falcons.
The first set began with the visiting team nailing down multiple back-to-back points on the Mustangs. “The first 10 points were a little rough and right off the bat we knew this wasn’t us,” said Boesen.
After a crucial timeout called by Mason head coach Derek Baxter, the Mustangs came out strong. The dynamic changed on the court for the mustangs after the first set.
“In the first set we started off really low and then we took a time out and the talk in the huddle was ‘We can be better than this’ we were really silent the first set. Just getting the communication and the energy back,” added Boesen.
An ace from junior libero Caroline Poley followed the timeout to cut the Mustang deficit to four points (12-8). A hard fought comeback saw Mason outscore Central 17-5 down the stretch to take the first set with a 25-17 final line.
The Mustangs continued to find holes in the opposing teams defense during the second set. A smooth winning blow by junior middle hitter Roza Gal, who was helped by fellow junior setter Olivia Pilson, allowed Mason to snatch another set victory with a score of 25-18.
The third set’s momentum was carried by multiple aces from Boesen. Her talents guided the Mustangs to a 19-15 lead. After hitting the throttle, Mason ended the third set with a swift win 25-19 clinching.
“I always know Central is going to be a tough team. I enjoy playing them because they play scrappy,” Baxter said. “In the first set we had a lot of errors and after the timeout they handled that. The whole communication was just to play our game and clean up what we have to clean up.”
Baxter’s key to their hot streak is to, “Not focus on it. It’s just ‘What do we have to improve on?’ It’s a matter of what we have to do to get better and focusing on that.
Mason looks to keep their winning streak alive on the road against Manassas Park High School tomorrow night.
