On October 16th, the Santiago girls varsity volleyball team continued their relentless winning streak in a crushing defeat against the Norco Cougars at the annual home Pink Out game.
The Pink Out game is a yearly fundraiser for breast cancer research. Survivors and those who passed were honored with commemorative hot pink volleyballs adorned with supportive messages and flowers. “We all have a lot of family and friends that are struggling with it, so it’s really close to our hearts.” Middle blocker Alex Kloehn (12) explained, gesturing at the names of her father, grandfather, and aunt stitched upon her jersey. Similarly, each player had names of loved ones afflicted labeled above their hearts on specially made jerseys for the game. Among those honored was former Santiago staff member John Sawaya, who passed away four years ago.
The Pink Out game garnered a substantial audience, filling the gym. “I’m really excited for the game, the girls have been working really hard all year.” Alyssa Salazar (12) exclaimed.
“It feels really good, but at the same time it’s scary because we could lose that position really quickly, we’re just trying to maintain it.” Kloehn explained during her pre-game warmup. Norco currently stands at second within the league, while Santiago stands at first. “Norco is a good team, we’re going to have to play well. This is a big match.” Coach Elvik commented.
The first set brought aggressive play from the Sharks, with six unanswered points earned within the first ten minutes of gameplay. The Sharks won the preliminary set 25-17.
The second set represented a more heated battle between the Sharks and Cougars, each point being matched with another from the opposing team. The Sharks triumphed 25-14.
In the final set, the Cougars wavered, ultimately being defeated 25-12. The Sharks conquered 3-0, maintaining their 28-0 season record.
Highlight players included Alex Kloehn and Chanel Hoffman, both scoring back to back points with powerfully devastating spikes. Libero passer Natalia Betancourt (12) executed multiple close saves, preventing many a point to be scored by the Cougars.
“Being 28-0 is empowering, it makes us feel good about ourselves.” Captain Chanel Hoffman (12) said, beaming victoriously. The team anticipates their match versus King. “They’re our biggest competition, they won CIF last year.”
Volleyball plays Corona at home on 10/23, and at King on 10/28.
