Senior night for the women’s volleyball team ends in a 3-2 win for Dougherty against Dublin High.

Although Dougherty had a 17-10 lead in the first set, Wildcats fell behind and lost in the first set. The Wildcats were trailing even further behind in the second set.

Towards the end of the second set, an intense back-and-forth between the teams ended with senior player Cynthia Zhu’s untouchable kill, bringing the score up to 7-21. Although Zhu executed another successful kill, Dougherty lost the second set, 9-25.

“Considering we just got destroyed in the second set, there was definite doubt in everyone’s mind that we wouldn’t win and that we’d stop at the third set,” Zhu said.

Fortunately, the game didn’t end on the third set. While Dublin scored the first point in the third set, DV made an impressive comeback. Junior player Aria York’s kill brought the score up to 3-5.

The Wildcats then took the lead, 12-10, after back-to-back missteps on Dublin’s team, followed with a successful shove from junior player, Abigail Longson.

Dougherty stayed in the lead for the remainder of the set. Towards the end of the third set, the Gaels missed a spike and hit out of bounds two times in a row, bringing the overall score to 24-15. Dougherty scored the last point and wins the third set, 25-17.

When asked what contributed to the turnaround in the third set, Zhu explained that crowd cheering and support definitely played a large role in increasing team confidence.

Junior player Jessie Tsang agrees. “I think we gained a lot of confidence and had the energy,” she said. “We knew exactly how to play now.”

Moreover, women’s volleyball Coach Jennifer Cincotta points out senior player Aileen Tang’s offense as crucial to the win in the third set.

“I put Aileen back in on the outside, and she got kills — which was a big lift for us — , hit different shots, and kept Dublin on their toes,” Cincotta said. “Now we had offense from another player, in addition to Margaret and Cynthia.”

Although the Wildcats fell behind in the first half of the fourth set, Tang’s kill brought the score to a tie, 8-8.

A successful shove from sophomore player, Grace Duffy, brought the Wildcats into the lead, 9-8. Dougherty stayed in the lead for the rest of the set, and won the fourth set, 25-20.

With both teams tied at 2-2 going into the fifth set, the last game was crucial.

Dougherty took the lead during the entire the fifth set. Zhu executed three kills in a row, bringing the score to 9-4. After Dublin missed a pass and hit the ball into audience, the Wildcats took home the game at a win of 15-8 in the last set, making the last home game a success.

When asked to compare the Dublin game to the first California High game of the season, junior Shruti Mangipudi, Zhu and Tsang all agreed that the Dublin game was significantly more intense.

“After getting destroyed in the first two sets, I can’t even imagine how much we fought for that one set,” Zhu said. “In Cal’s game, it was so close that it was anyone’s game. But for Dublin, in our heads, we were going to lose.”

Nevertheless, the night and the home game season ended strong.

“There have been a few bumps, but this has been the most competitive team we’ve had,” Cincotta said. “This is the team with the most potential to make a mark and go far in playoffs.”