Cherry Hill East Girls Volleyball defeated Eastern Regional High School on Wednesday, September 28. After dominating two out of three sets, the varsity team’s record improved to 6-3 by winning both of the sets with a score of 25-23.

“I think one of the characteristics we talked about with the team is, again, great teams have to win when they’re not playing their best, we gotta find a way to win,” Coach Mooney said. “I think we showed a lot of grit and resilience, and we really pulled that one out in the end.”

With East starting the first set with a strong serve, the first point was earned within the first minute of the set. East’s energy and spirit allowed the two teams to tie at a score of 3-3. The Cougars had gained a total of five more points, putting the score at 8-3. Although Eastern presented good blocking from the front players, multiple tips, plus kills from Lily Thomas (‘23) allowed the team to gain additional points. The majority of the rest of the first set presented the two teams trailing behind one another, with point-for-point scoring by both opposing teams. Two more precise kills from East plus four more unanswered points allowed the team’s score to increase by six points. Although Eastern comes back, earning the trailing points, the team eases back and lets East score the winning points. East’s momentum had allowed them to push through and earn the final winning points. Ultimately, the first set was won by the high-spirited East team, 25-23.

As Eastern started strong with a serve in the second set, East allowed the team to earn a few more points, giving them a starting lead of 2-7. An aggressive kill plus five more unanswered points put the two teams at a tie of 7-7. The lead had eventually climbed to 19-14 with East’s fierce control during the set. A perfect setup allowed Thomas to earn an outstanding kill; the team eventually was at a score of six points ahead of Eastern, 20-14. Although it seemed inevitable that East would win this set, Eastern didn’t give up, pushing through and eventually tying East, with a score of 23-23. The final two points were earned from Eastern; Eastern had taken the lead and had won the second set with a score of 25-23.

With both East and Eastern having one win each from the two sets played, East started off strong in the third set with an outstanding serve, plus an exceptional kill from Leah Pintel (‘23). The majority of the third set consisted of point-for-point scoring, as East never let their guard down while dominating the court. With East controlling the set after a series of earned points, the set had gained East yet another win for the season.