Volleyball Set for Success
The women’s volleyball team has set high expectations as they seek to match previous years’ successes. With a front line comprised of veterans such as seniors Hunter Reidel, Avery Allemann and Maura Hayes, Dana has a strong foundation of talent and experience.
This year, Dana also has new head coach, Tom Hoff. As a three-time Olympian for the United States national team, he has over 30 years of experience in volleyball and is well-equipped to lead Dana to a league championship this year.
The girls started off the season with a win against El Toro on Tuesday, Sept. 24. After 4 sets, the Dolphins defeated them 3-1.
The Dolphins won against Trabuco hills on Thursday, Sept. 19 by a score of 3-1.
Two days before, the Dolphins fell to the Aliso Niguel Wolverines in three sets on Tuesday, Sept. 17 in their first league game.
Before league, the Dolphins traveled to San Clemente to face the Tritons in the annual rivalry game. In the heated match, Dana looked to revenge their California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) playoff loss from last year, in which Dana was swept by San Clemente.
Dana and San Clemente traded leads in the first set, but Dana was able to take a late lead and win the set 25-22 due to a few powerful kills by Reidel.
San Clemente responded emphatically, winning the second set 25-15. The third set was much more evenly matched, resulting in 17 tie scores over the course of the set. After a block by Stewart, Dana lost the third set 27-29. Dana struggled to stifle San Clemente’s momentum in the final set and lost 18-25, finalizing the 1-3 loss.
Despite this loss, Dana still managed to defeat Orange Lutheran, Bishop Montgomery, Santiago and Laguna Beach in the preseason. However, the girls lost to Laguna Beach and Bishop Montgomery in their first meetings.
Looking forward, captain Hunter Reidel is optimistic for season, remarking, “Our serving is something that can get us far this season. Hopefully, the way we have been playing in practice will carry over into our league games.”
