Maccabi Star Reporter: Volleyball News
Denver defeats mixed team in close fight to the finish in semifinal
By Yael Berg & Maya Arenson
August 9, 2018
The mixed team of MIA, PA-PEN, EB and LASV competed against the U16 Denver, Colorado girl's volleyball team today. During the first match, Denver remained in the lead, however, the mixed team did not give up hope.
Player number three, Alex Nelson, 15, served an impressive ball, giving her team another point. There was even more impressive game play by numbers twenty three, four, seven and twelve from the mixed team.
During the second match, tensions rose as the score climbed slowly. The two teams were neck in neck, each scoring a point one after the next and not allowing either team to take the win. With players on the Denver team such as sixteen, two, fourteen, twenty seven and twenty two, they were able to lead their team to victory.
The mixed team put up strong competition and were still so gracious, even after their defeat. They had such good sportsmanship and both teams embraced the spirit of Maccabi. Ending the game with high fives and a lot of joy, the Denver team moved onto another match, hoping to win a medal.
Orange County girl's volleyball team is a smash hit in first day of competition
By Barri Seitz, Izzy Duzman & Sam Sperling
August 6, 2018
Two girl’s volleyball teams, St. Louis, Missouri and Orange County, California, competed against one another for their first matches of Maccabi 2018.
The first set was rough on the St. Louis team, with O.C. winning by 21 points. During the break between the first two sets, Kylie Wagner of St. Louis reflected that the team was slightly rusty, for it was their first match of the year. Wagner, a junior in high school, has been playing volleyball since she was in the sixth grade, but she also enjoys playing tennis.
Her teammate and friend, Carly Whay, who also is a junior, explained that during the break between the first and second matches, the team had realized that they “could not let bad plays affect the way the rest of their game would go.”
Although Whay only has played volleyball for two months, she said she is excited to share the experience of the Maccabi Games with her friend Wagner. Whay not only participates in volleyball, but she has also been dancing since she was three years old and competes on her high school dance team.
Though St. Louis did not win their second set, they did put up a much better fight. The team came alive as they became more confident in each of their plays. The two teams were always within two or three points of one another.
Big plays and good ball movement came a long way for the St. Loui’ girl’s volleyball team. The final score in the second set was 18 to 25, with O.C. White coming out on top. However, the match was surely a great experience for the players to learn a thing or two about positivity.