The RM girls’ volleyball team was knocked out of the playoffs Monday night in their second game versus Bethesda-Chevy Chase, three sets to zero.
The ball striking the floor was all that could be heard echoing through the B-CC gym as the Rockets waited patiently for the first serve to come.
The girls faced B-CC in their fourth game earlier this season, but lost 3-1. “It was mostly our defense that didn’t hold up. [B-CC has] some really strong hitting abilities,” said junior captain Victoria Crawford.
Tensions were high—it was potentially the last game of the season for RM. However, they remained hopeful. Head varsity coach Gretchen Barber-Struck decided to move around the lineup “so the girls’ would be hitting from different angles,” ideally making it “a changeup for [B-CC]”.
Junior captain Brooke Richman answered B-CC’s serve with a hard spike that gave RM the opening point and put them up 1-0. It was the first key play— but definitely not the last—for Richman that night.
“We’re just going to play our hearts out,” she said before the game. “Hopefully we can be smart and really work together.”
RM kept their momentum going—B-CC, on the other hand, started out disorganized. They seemed to be giving away easy points, even touching the net before finally earning something for themselves. B-CC took their turn with a run of four points in a row.
This would reflect the rest of the game—points being scored back-and-forth, with each set coming down to the wire.
B-CC took the first set 25-23. Captains Richman and Crawford anchored the Rockets with strong communication throughout each set, keeping their team motivated despite the vocal B-CC student section.
The second set started out in B-CC’s favor with lots of miscommunication among the Rockets. Major offensive efforts from juniors Arielle Etedgi, Julia Finver, and Rachel Perry allowed RM to slowly take the lead. However, a few questionable calls gave B-CC the upper hand and eventually let them take the second set, 26-24.
The Rockets put everything into the last set. It was all or nothing. “They really found a way to evolve into a family this season,” Barber-Struck said.
Juniors Katie Serway and Richman held down the defense, while junior Belinda Lin sparked excitement among her teammates with her well-placed serves, giving the Rockets a six-point run late in the set.
B-CC began closing in, winning a key point after a long volley. It gave them momentum to overtake the Rockets and eventually the third set, 25-23.
“I feel like our team has come a long way since my freshman year,” said Richman. “We’ve developed a lot of our players and I think we’ve become a lot more well-rounded as a team.
“I definitely think, as a whole, our attitude has changed tremendously,” Crawford added. “Freshman year, we had more of a negative attitude when we lost, now we have a more positive attitude and use the loss as an opportunity to grow as a team.”
Featured photo by Rockets Volleyball
