After a tough battle against Lowell High School in the first round of the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) state playoffs on Tuesday, Nov. 11, girls’ volleyball’s (9-5) six-game win streak came to an end in a 3-2 loss, marking the end of their season.

Following five rounds of challenging play, the Panthers final score against Lowell wound up to be 20-25, 26-24, 25-18, 19-25, 15-12, coming up short of a win and ultimately ending their season.

Although the Panthers did not defeat Lowell, they beat Ann Sobrato High School during the Central Coast Section (CCS) championships on Tuesday, Nov. 4, which head coach Hannah Korslund said propelled the team forward in playoffs.

Despite the slow start, Korslund said she was satisfied with the team’s record this season, especially their 6-1 win streak at home.

“It tells the story of what we went through,” Korslund said. “It always would have been cool to end further into playoffs or with the title, but I think having that 6-1 finish our season, the last half of league was 6-1, just showed their resilience and dedication to getting better.”

Sophomore outside hitter Ilsa Carlson credited the team’s collaboration as a key factor in their overall success.

“We knew that any of the losses could be our last games of the season, and we didn’t want to play individually,” Carlson said. “We wanted to play as a team and for each other.”

Korslund echoed that sentiment and looked forward to seeing the team’s performance in CCS.

“I mean, this was always the goal. I think we’re really happy that our strong finish at the end of the season got us the chance to play in CCS,” Korslund said. “I always tell the team that once CCS starts, it’s bonus time. Not every team in the area gets to play.”

With five seniors graduating this year, incoming upperclassmen are expected to greatly contribute to the team’s future successes. Korslund said she anticipates junior outside hitter Jordan Toomey, sophomore setter Elaina Newman, and Carlson to continue growing in their skills next season.

Reflecting on the overall season, Carlson applauds the team’s perseverance despite their difficult start to the season.

“I feel very proud of us, and especially from the rocky start… we didn’t even know if we were going to make CCS, and then making CCS, and ending in state, just shows our perseverance and our ability to improve as a team.” Carlson said.

Carlson added that the team connected very well, and their success should be attributed to their bond.

“Every person on our team contributed a lot towards our success. No matter what their role was on the team, everyone had a role, and I’m very proud of our season.” Carlson said.