Varsity volleyball defeated Diamond Bar 3-2 in a home game Tuesday, Sept. 12, bringing their league score to 2-0.

With this being their first branding iron match, the crowd remained electrified throughout the game, with shouts of “DBK” resounding throughout the gym. Although Walnut began with a shaky start, losing the first set 25-21, they regained their confidence by building a steady lead and winning with a score of 25-23 in the second set. 

“The team performance was great–really good chemistry and everyone was working together instead of for themselves,” outside hitter junior Isabella Wang said. “Energy levels were high throughout the whole game and we were all cheering.” 

During the third set, Diamond Bar rebounded by securing a leading position and winning the set with a score of 25-23. Walnut only trailed behind marginally, with libero sophomore Joya Shen delivering persistent back-row diving maneuvers to prevent the opposition from scoring. 

“After our win in the second set, we started to ease up, so Diamond Bar took the lead,” Shen said. “But after recollecting ourselves and reworking our approach, we invested all our effort to bring the win during the last few rounds.” 

Walnut secured another victory in the fourth set by scaling up their hitting and passing strategies. Opposite hitter senior Emely Lopez continually spiked the ball to build an edge against Diamond Bar. As a team, they focused on the skills they knew were their strong suits to compensate for their weaker serves, blocking and covering moves. 

“I’m proud of [our team] for pushing through and not giving up,” Lopez said. “We came together [after the third round] and put in the effort and teamwork that led us to win.” 

In their fifth and final set, Diamond Bar and Walnut were locked in a tie, but with consistent rallying, the Mustangs emerged victorious, narrowly winning the set with a score of 16-14. 

“The final set was the one that determined the final score, so it was really intense,” libero sophomore Joya Shen said. “Although the stakes were high, we knew that with persistent teamwork and our individual efforts in the game, we could still secure a win.”

With the end of their first league game and victory, the team is looking forward to their performance in future games and the potential of advancing to CIF.