Cherry Hill East Girls Varsity Volleyball competed in the Varsity Quad tournament on Saturday, September 30th, winning one out of their two games. East won their first game against Gloucester County Institute of Technology but lost their second game against their rivals, Washington Township.

Through great teamwork and communication, the girls dominated their first set, with a score of 25-13, with Sophie Pintel (’24) leading in kills. The quick defense on short balls by Lydia Ding (’24) helped keep the offense strong, leading them to winning the first set.

Continuing this same energy into the second set, the strong offense from both Sophie Pintel and Alaina Farber (’24), plus tips by Stav Butbul (’24), led the Cougars to a double lead with a score of 22-11. The great defense and sets led to Pintel’s winning kill against GCIT in victory with a final score of 25-13. “The highlight of the game was definitely the first set. I really think everyone gave it their all, which led to a great win” said Pintel.

Coach Scott Mooney and the team knew that their next game against Washington Township would require them to try even harder. The first set started off rocky with a score of 13-5, Washington Township. After a timeout with Coach Scott, the girls came back stronger, leading in strong offense and scoring a few more points, bringing the score to 15-12. Leela Mon (’27), the youngest player on the team, made strong serves and aced the other team twice. However, Washington Township took the lead in the end and the Cougars lost the first set, 25-20. The girls took the first point in the second set with a great kill by Farber. The offense was led by Farber in this set with eight kills, but Washington Township kept standing. The girls lost the second set with a score of 19-25, resulting in a loss against Washington Township.

At the end of the game, some of the Cougars agreed they did not play their best but were willing to work harder in order to win the next game. “I think that in every game, there is room for improvement,” said Coach Scott. “In our gym we go by the motto, ‘Be a better player than you were yesterday’.” The girls are excited to continue the rest of the season strong with back-to-back games in the next couple of weeks.