A Valiant Effort on the Part of the Vixens

For a moment, the air was still as senior and co-captain Ziqi Guo jumped for an outside hit. Guo slammed the ball down, ending the first set decisively in favor of the Vixens. Similarly, the team dominated the second set, winning 25-16.

With their first playoff game against 31st seed Bayard Rustin Educational Complex in the books after just two sets, it seemed like the Vixens were well on their way to a successful post-season, but a closer look indicated otherwise. Missed covers and receives and countless net balls riddled the game, and for a second seed team, this was beyond disappointing. Too often, a server from Bayard would cost the Vixens more than a few points before they were able to return the serve. “We definitely didn’t meet our standards for how we should have played. Instead of playing like a two seed, we stooped down to the other team’s level,” junior Alexandra Archer said.

Playing down is difficult to address because it has more to do with the mental and emotional states of the players than their physical capabilities. However, the Vixens didn’t give up and tried to soothe their nerves. “We’ve made some new cheers that help us laugh a little and move past any mistake,” Archer said. “We need to focus all the extra energy our body is giving us into the game.”

Despite their best efforts, however, the momentum the Vixens had gained during the season didn’t transfer into the playoffs. The game against Bayard foreshadowed the subsequent loss that would end the Vixens’ shot at advancing in playoffs. In a disappointing turn of events, the Vixens lost two sets to one against the 15th seed Florence LaGuardia High School Athletics in the second-round playoff game. “I don’t want them to feel like it’s their fault. I admire the effort they put into this season and into the game,” coach Vasken Choubaralian said.

The Vixens had entered the A division playoffs as an impressive second seed in a pool of 31 teams, and though they didn’t advance as far as they’d hoped, it was a season to be proud of. With the exception of a tough outing away against a formidable Seward Park Campus, the team had a successful regular season, winning every other match, including its rematch against Seward Park, most in just two sets. They finished atop the Manhattan A South/East division with an 11-1 record. Seward Park and Lab Museum United finished close behind with 10-2 and 9-3 records, respectively.

In addition to their success as a team, many of the starters were forces to be reckoned with statistically. Archer led the division with a whopping 16 blocks in the regular season, 6 more than the runner-up. Guo, senior Shirley Liu, and senior Kristina Kim also placed prominently at fifth with 57 kills, third with 85 assists, and fourth with 45 digs, respectively. As the setter and the libero of the team, Liu and Kim played integral roles in the Vixens’ scheme all season long.

However, the prospects for next season are both thrilling and worrisome: the starting lineup was comprised mainly of seniors, and the team will be losing seven in total. The Vixens will need players to step up if they want a shot at remaining at the level they currently are. “The future looks bright, but this moment sucks. The rest of the team is eager to fill up the spots, to get on the court and play, and they’re ready for it,” Choubaralian said.