The Lane Tech Champions faced the Taft Eagles on May 5, winning 25-18 and 25-20. The bench stayed loud after every point, the crowd reacted to nearly every rally, and the players constantly regrouped and communicated after difficult plays.
Head coach Amy Wallace mentioned the team’s chemistry was the biggest reason for the win. “The whole game plan was really to be a team through every single point,” Wallace said. “They did a great job of being together through the whole match.”
Lane pulled ahead midway through the first set with strong defense and quick reactions at the net. Several rallies stood out, including one long point where a dig kept the ball alive and energized both the bench and the crowd.
The second set proved to be more difficult. Taft scored first and kept the score close throughout, with both teams trading points late in the set. A point was awarded to Lane after the results of a disputed call, causing loud exchanges between the team’s fans.
Despite the pressure, Lane stayed composed.
“We came out slow in the second set, but I feel like once we got one pass, we sided out, and we just got momentum after that,” junior Lukas Carlson said.
Carlson also pointed out the team’s communication during chaotic rallies. “The outside hit it long, and we were just all scrambling and calling for it, and we ended up getting the point,” he said.
As the score tightened late in the second set, Wallace said she trusted the players to handle the moment themselves. “[I] took a step back and said if you want to get this done, it has to be on the court,” she said. “It has to be all of you getting this done together.”
Senior middle blocker Gray Jimenez said that tipping over his block became a major challenge throughout the game. “As a middle, I can’t really do much about it,” he said. “I had to really put my trust into my back row.” He suggested that trust between teammates became especially important against Taft’s offense.
Jimenez added that the match showed what the team is capable of when everyone works together, calling it “a perfect demonstration of how working as a team makes it easier to win games.”
The win also marked an important step forward for Lane after several recent matches had gone to three sets. “This season, we’ve had a lot of trouble winning the second set,” Carlson said. “We’re going to three sets a lot of the time, so it was nice to close it out in two tonight, and I think we need to carry that forward.”
By the final point, the energy in the gym had not faded. Players rushed onto the court celebrating while the crowd showed their support from the bleachers behind them. It was a fitting ending for a match built on momentum, communication, and teamwork.
