Staff Photo: Bella Scola.

In their first home game of the year, the Menlo girls varsity volleyball team faced off against Palo Alto High School (Paly). The first set culminated in a neck-and-neck battle, with the teams alternating between each point. Although the first set regularly ends when one team reaches 25 points, a team must win the set by at least two points. Therefore, this set extended far beyond 25 points, with Paly taking the win 31-29.

The Knights had a slower start to the second set, but made a remarkable comeback and won in a close match. Paly came back strong in the third and took the win, with Menlo winning the fourth set. The final set, which only goes to 15 points, had parents and students tense on the bleachers as both teams ruthlessly fought for the win. Paly beat the Knights 15-9, winning the match.

Senior Grace King and freshman Zoe Gregory both played extraordinary games, with King racking up 23 kills and Gregory completing 21 of her 23 strong serves.

Despite the game’s result and the absence of their injured starting setter, senior Selina Xu, the Knights looked incredibly strong on the court and have hopes for a great season ahead. “We have a really new team this year, so our goal is to keep improving and help the younger players gel with the rest of the team,” senior Sianna Houghton said.