A battle in the sky! The Fremont Firebirds varsity volleyball squad defeated the MacDonald Condors in straight sets (25-20, 25-11, 25-20) on Tuesday, Sept. 23. Both schools struggled to take flight to begin the match. Multiple mistakes for both teams gave points away to the other side during the first set.

Fremont would eventually be the first team to settle down. After surviving the first set with a slim victory, the Firebirds took over at the start of the second. Quickly thereafter, the Firebirds found themselves in a comfortable cruise control. Thanks in large part due to savvy play from senior McKayla Hsu, and sensational serving from fellow seniors Natalie Escalera and Zoe Shie, Fremont would have little turbulence the rest of the way. 

“She definitely mentioned we needed to put more heart into our actions, more determination into the game,” recalled Hsu when asked what the message was from Head Coach Michelle Wagner between the first and second sets. “Our typical track record is we win the first set and then we get in our heads. It’s not other teams that beat us; it’s our mental mistakes and unforced errors that end up getting to us. Coach reminded us to really just focus on our own actions and not get caught up in worrying about other people’s jobs. I think that really helped us simplify everything.”

“I’m finding that I need to constantly remind them about the most important fundamentals, where to put their head whether we are expecting first ball, second ball or third ball, just trying to help them refocus a little bit,” remarked Wagner about the in-game adjustments. “Get them to think more about their jobs and what their bodies are supposed to do.”

One of the things seniors are supposed to do is lead by example, and that’s exactly what Hsu managed to accomplish with her performance. Hsu delivered multiple kills from the outside, but it was her misdirection, two-handed push shot from what looked like a setting position that was her most impressive kill. Not only did she fool the Condors with her convincing body language, but she yelled loudly for a teammate to get into position to receive the pass before quickly taking the kill shot herself. 

“Yes, for sure,” responded Hsu when asked if her verbal call to a teammate was part of her deception strategy. “Volleyball is such a mental game and there’s so much stimulus at the same time. You’re focused on what am I doing now, who is going to hit this ball, etc., there are so many thoughts that when someone is shouting something, it makes it easier. So, my thought was to turn that against them to try and bait their middle out, then quickly hit it over.”

The slick kill from Hsu stood out as the biggest highlight for the Firebirds. On the other side of the net, the most notable standouts were freshman outside hitter Nina Blanusa. The grade nine outside hitter was excellent for a team that otherwise struggled in this one.

“I think we need to work on communicating better and improving our chemistry,” noted Condors’ sophomore Camila Nguyen. “Our energy was high; we just need to work on fundamentals.”

“We sometimes get in our heads,” added MacDonald junior Gillian Mabilin. “But I feel like once we get into a game, we should just let loose, have fun, and trust each other.”

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