On Sept. 11, the girls varsity volleyball team competed and won against one of their toughest opponents, Waianae High School. They won all three sets with scores of 25-16, 25-16 and 25-13.

     “Waianae has always been a challenging match for us, they have talented and skilled girls that play hard no matter what. Last year, we played one of our best matches against them. I’m always excited to play against them and bring the fire and passion of our team,” said setter and outside hitter Senior Aysia Miller.

     Throughout the game, the team made sure to focus on the present and ignore external distractions. They played off each other’s energies to perform better as a team. “I believe that this year we have a strong team with girls that have the skills. I just wanted to help make sure that we put out what we practice and execute our best game,” said outside hitter Senior Falanika Danielson. Miller added, “Seeing my sister, Aria, get the impact player award on TV was definitely a highlight of my night. Falanika worked so hard and made key points for us. I can always count on her to come out on top. All of my teammates, in fact, were amazing and I was so proud to be called a Trojan.”

     Although the game was televised that night, the team stayed composed. Even though they won, they are still looking for ways to improve. “We may have played a great game that night, but we could definitely work on separating from the other team and creating a larger lead. That way we have some room for error and can build from our momentum,” said Danielson. Miller added, “Volleyball is such a huge mental game and especially since we play three out of five sets this year. We need to work hard even when we’re tired.”

     The girls volleyball team’s next game will be against Kapolei, another one of their strongest competitors; it will be on Monday, Sept. 16, at Kapolei High School.