On Oct. 19, 2016, the Madison Varsity Girls Volleyball team (11-3) played against the McLean Highlanders (12-1). Madison won the match 3-1. The win against McLean was a key point in their season because both teams were at the top of the conference.

“The thoughts I had in the beginning of this week about the two games that we were going to play, Yorktown and McLean, were honestly kind of stressful,” Anna Torres (’20) said. “After the Yorktown game, I had so much confidence because we played hard as a unit… I was so excited the morning of the [McLean] game.”

However, as the game got under way both teams learned that this would not be an easy fight.

Paige Pilewski (’19) of McLean served first in the opening set, Torres of Madison team kept up with her pace and got most of her serves up for the rest of the night.

Emily Calhoun (’17) of JMHS, who was celebrating her 18th birthday that night, made the first kill of the night, which led to the team’s rising momentum. From then on, as Kelsey Smith (’18) and Sammy Rogers (’18) continued to hit the sets given to them by Gabby Rogers (’18), sister of Sammy Rogers, Madison took the lead.

However, the first set didn’t go down without a fight. McLean hitters Abigale Hobbs (’19), Madison McArthur (’18) and Pilewski fought hard as they blocked Madison’s hitters and kept the pace up within rallies. As it came down to set point in the first set (24-18), Calhoun left no time to question her team’s ability as she hit the ball, set to her by her teammate Gabby Rogers, and ended the first set with a kill, and one win for Madison.

As the second set started, it seemed as if Madison could take another win in this set. However, the tables turned, and McLean found their balance. It all seemed to click for McLean when McArthur got a kill from a back-row attack putting them three points ahead of Madison (5-8). After that the score, Highlanders seemed to go up and up.

At a crucial moment in the second set, Sammy Rogers got a kill, putting the Warhawks only two points behind McLean. This revival did not last long. McLean’s Pilewski put pressure on Madison and managed to rack up even more points for her team through her serves. McLean then led six points ahead of Madison (9-15).

Points went back and forth from Madison to McLean. Both teams had strong hits and passes in the second set. Madison started to gain power as they got kill after kill, with the dynamic duo, Gabby and Sammy Rogers. However, McLean ended the set with a winning block(20-25) and moved onto the third set.

Madison won both the third and fourth sets at 25-19 and 25-20, respectively. In the fourth set, both the McLean and Madison teams showed how hard they were willing to fight and how dedicated they were to winning the game.

At the beginning and middle of the this set, teams were neck-and-neck with about the same score. After a service error from McLean at 17-17, Madison picked up the momentum and ran with it. They had a block by Julia Reimer (’17),  a kill by Sammy Rogers, and an error from McLean.

After another hit by McArthur, it seemed as if McLean could gain back the points and win this set. However, two kills made by Smith and a block by Jane Hoyt (’17) and Smith brought the fourth set to a close. Madison won 3-1, and McLean went home defeated but not without a fight.

“We all wanted to win so bad[ly], and we all worked so well together and everything clicked,” Sammy Rogers said after the win against McLean.