With a close semi-finals win against Los Gatos High School of 3-2 on Saturday, Nov. 15, the girls volleyball team advanced in the playoffs, one step closer to the state title. As San Mateo County’s last volleyball team standing, they became the first team in program history to advance to the Nor Cal finals. 

“Throughout the game, I was [in] this state [of] trying my best. [Thinking] I need to go all out, because I don’t know if this is going to be my last game, so might as well just leave it all on the

court,” senior Lina Tuipulotu said.

Despite losing sets two and three with 18-25 and 12-25 respectively, Sequoia pulled through and managed to secure victories. With sophomore Samantha McMurtry’s nine-point delivery in game four, they were able to tie 2-2 for games. Tuipulotu attributes the team’s success to their preparation through their SCOUT exercise, in which they reviewed videos of their opponents’ previous games to best understand their weaknesses.

“We went into that game very strong, because we did SCOUT before the game. So we were very prepared,” senior outside hitter Katalina Tuipulotu said.

Trailing behind in game five with 11-12, Tuipulotu managed two digs, sparking a rally, tying the game 12-12. With another dig and a key dump shot, the team took the lead 13-12. Finishing this last game with 16-14, they secured a hard-earned win over the Wildcats with a 3-2 finish.

They now advance into the Nor Cal Division III regional championship on Tuesday, Nov. 18, against Lincoln High School, and the winners will go on to play for the Division III state title in Southern California.