By Charlton Azuoma and Alex Leichenger

The girls’ volleyball team was not to be denied a victory at the team’s anticipated Senior Night game against Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy Tuesday night.

The team struggled at the beginning and dropped the first two games of the match 23-25 each.
           
“They simply came out in the first two games playing to win, and we were having trouble adjusting to a new rotation,” Katie Price ’12 said.

The Wolverines managed to bounce back, however, and win three more games 25-21, 25-19, and 15-12 to secure 3-2 win against FSHA. The win improved the team’s Mission League record to 9-0, good for a fifth consecutive league title. 

“I’ve never lost to a Mission League team on varsity or JV, and with it being my senior night, it wasn’t going to be the first night to lose,” Christina Higgins ’11 told the Los Angeles Daily News after the game. 

“It was a good win,” Head Coach Adam Black said. “Flintridge is playing some really good volleyball right now and I was glad to see our girls battle through a competitive five-set match.”

Hitters Higgins and Mileva Popovic ’11 had 19 and 16 kills, respectively, to lead the offense while defensive libero Anne Cohen ’11 and setter Kellie Barnum ’11 had 21 and 17 digs each, respectively.

Senior Night was a particularly special event this year because 11 of the 14 players on the team are seniors. The juniors on the team say that they are ready to step up to the plate and fill the shoes of the seniors next season.

“I think that any time you lose 11 players, making a transition to a new, young team can be pretty difficult,” Sofía Dávila ’12 said. “That being said, I think that we have a lot of individual talent moving up, so hopefully we will be able to bring that together and have a strong team overall.”

The Wolverines begin CIF playoffs Tuesday, Nov. 9.