By Sophia Lopez
Deputy Sports Editor
Last Thursday, September 24th, the BASIS boys and girls varsity volleyball teams swept their opponents on an exciting Homecoming evening. It was an outstanding night for the teams as they both outplayed IDEA Carver.
With the girls sets ending in 25-7, 25-12, and 25-9, all 12 players had extraordinary performances on the court. The theme of the game was pink out for breast cancer awareness. The student section did not disappoint, showing up in their pink gear and cheering loudly. The energy on the court was unmatched as the girls set off the pace right away.
Senior Kate S. kicked off the momentum of the game with four serves in a row. The defense hustled and libero junior McKenna F. and defensive specialist senior Natasha T. covered the court well and passed balls with confidence. Hitters Rosie N. and Kathy F., both seniors, had several amazing kills thanks to accurate sets by senior Erika E. and junior Sophia L. The Dragons kept their pace throughout the second and third sets, continued to drain energy from the opponent and finished the match strong.
Setting the tone for a great match, the dragons demonstrate sportsmanship as they greet the opposing team at the net. Photo by Imaan Askar. 
Senior Erika Engh leaps high for a powerful hit. Photo by Imaan Askar 
Senior Yazid Escobedo goes up for the hit as Andres Martinez and Mohit Bandarapu stay prepared to cover. Photo by Imaan Askar 
Pure joy on the court as the team celebrates a point during their match. Photo by Imaan Askar. 
Erika Engh sets the ball, while Kathy Fernandez approaches to make the hit. Photo by Imaan Askar 
The team and Coach Oquendo huddle up during a timeout to discuss their next play. Photo by Imaan Askar 
The BASIS Shavano Dragons volleyball team smile together for a team photo at their Homecoming game. Featured in the team photo are players Charlie Escobedo, Kathy Fernandez, Siah Thomas, Rosie Nguyen, Erika Engh, Rishita Gupta, Kate Sweeney, Sabrina Falkiewicz, Sophia Lopez, Natasha Thepuatrakul, Lila Tran, McKenna Florez, and Nicole Thepuatrakul.. Photo by Imaan Askar 
Player 6 Mohit Bandarapu runs down the court, high-fiving a roaring crowd of students before the homecoming volleyball game. Photo by Imaan Askar 
Kate Sweeney rises to hit the ball while competing for another point. Photo by Imaan Askar 
Sophia Lopez swings at the ball with power as she works to keep the play going for her team. Photo by Imaan Askar
The boys team also dominated their match 25-16, 25-15, and 25-16. The whole game was filled with good energy both on the court and sidelines. Whenever the boys were down, they didn’t let it get in their heads, and they kept fighting to keep the win in three clean sets. Even though one of their strongest players was out due to an injury, the team remained resilient.
The game was fast paced with sophomore Rommel K.’s four aces and junior David W.’s three blocks in the first set. Senior Yazid E.’s defiant kill when Basis was up 8-7 completely switched the game around and they stayed above IDEA Carver for the remainder of the match. This would not have been possible without the liberos and a strong back row. Junior Mauricio G. and freshman Noah D. did not let any ball hit the floor. Sophomore Andres M. is a lefty who had over six kills within the first set, and asserted his dominance as a younger player among seniors. After this game, the boys remain undefeated 6-0 this season.
Overall, both games were outstanding and incredible to watch because of the energy and the effort that came from the teams and out of the student section.