In the highly anticipated rematch of a five-set battle from earlier in the season, the Wilcox Chargers varsity squad once again came out victorious over their rival Bruins. Wilcox took this match three sets to none, but that doesn’t even begin to tell the story. All three sets went down to the wire with the first and third being won by identical 25-23 scores. It was anyone’s game yet again.
“I think we did really well. The effort and energy was there,” noted Bruins Head Coach Megan Morse-Quevedo, despite her squad coming out on the losing end. “We had more energy tonight than in the last few games which helped them play better. We played pretty smart volleyball tonight. We forced Wilcox into some mistakes.”
“I was glad to have the whole team back today—didn’t have any girls who were sick,” remarked Chargers Head Coach April Lujan. A number of the Chargers players were still getting over the flu in the previous match against Santa Clara. “I told them that our defense was much better today. I was happy with our defense and our serving in particular today.”
Not only were the Chargers still suffering from the effects of the flu in the previous match, but the Bruins were without star junior Fiona Paul. Both teams were fully healthy for Tuesday’s rematch, and it showed, particularly on defense as both sides kept plays alive in impressive fashion.
“I was so anxious to play again,” admitted Paul, who made some fantastic digs. The junior just recently returned after missing four weeks with an ankle injury. “We had some rough patches while I was out and it was super hard to watch that and not be able to contribute.”
One of the Chargers players who was still feeling the effects of the flu last month was outside hitter Isha Gokhale. The junior appreciated being able to be back at full strength for the critical match.
“I felt rejuvenated out there, felt really good to finally be back. The last few weeks were tough,” noted Gokhale. After the previous victory over the Bruins, setter Elise Corwin mentioned how she loved setting for Gokhale. This time around Gokhale returned the favor. “I connect really well with Elise on the court. I feel like she’s always there for me. I try to talk to her as much as I can because I do like getting set by her.”
In addition to Gokhale, one of the more notable Wilcox standouts was 5’11” senior Megan Remington. The middle hitter accounted for four kills among the Chargers’ first 15 points of the opening set. Two of the kills came off blocks, while another two came via powerful spikes that the Bruins simply had no answer for.
“She’s going to be a big loss for us next year,” remarked Coach Lujan on Remington. “She has a presence that won’t be easy to replace.”
With the win, Wilcox improves their league record to 2-6. The loss drops the Bruins to 1-8. Each team now has three matches left before the end of the season.