It was neck and neck with a 23-23 tie in the third set. The student section roared to life as both teams fought for the next point. The pressure was on.

They needed two points to win the match. They needed to win to move on to round two.

Varsity volleyball defeated Jersey Village 3-0 at Bellaire on Nov. 4, advancing the Lady Cardinals to the second round of playoffs.

Despite the energetic crowd, the Lady Cardinals were able to score points and pull through with the major win.

“I think that we played very well as a team, and our energy was next-level which contributed to our success of winning and making it to round 2 of playoffs,” freshman Grace Jackson said.

The Lady Cardinals previously played Jersey Village earlier in the season and won in a close five-set match.

“Our previous match wasn’t an easy one,” head coach Melissa Martin said. “Their district is a lot tougher than our district, so they get to play tougher teams which, in the end, makes them better. We have a pretty easy district, but I still feel that all of our girls have improved.”

Martin made quick decisions in the second set to help her team maintain the lead.

“I ran out of subs in the second set, and we were down. Darian usually plays backrow, but I had her play front row which she was very capable of, and she came up with two clutch kills at the end of the match.”

The Lady Cardinals worked on defense in the practices leading up to the game to prepare for Jersey Village’s offensive strategies.

“We knew that Jersey Village had a back row attack that they used a lot,” Martin said. “We practiced with the girls, attacking the ball from the back row, which I think helped because they do use their back row attack a lot.”

Jackson was nervous, but she redirected her focus to how she could help her team win by encouraging her teammates on and off the bench.

“Going into the game, I was really nervous but excited at the same time,” Jackson said. “I was thinking about how well I should perform to contribute to my team.”

Junior and JV volleyball player Grace Warner was surprised at the turnout and the amount of energy the fans brought.

“It was probably the most packed we’ve seen the gym, the energy was through the roof when our girls won,” Warner said. “It was the best I’ve seen them play all year, it was a great way to kick off the playoffs.”

With a home advantage, the Lady Cardinals pulled through with the win.

“Last year, we had to go play at another team’s home [court], and they had their fans,” Martin said. “And ultimately, when you play at your home, you tend to play better. And when the fans are there, and you get into the game, everything seems to be going the way it should be and the fans are reacting. It was a total team effort from everybody.”