The varsity volleyball team faced off against Dripping Springs at Al Bennett Court at 6:30 p.m. September 13. Westlake was defeated 0-3, suffering their first district loss of the season.

“[Dripping Springs] is ranked #1 in the Austin area right now,” coach Miguel Saenz said. “I’m excited just to be able to play and compete with them.”

The beginning of the game was optimistic, as it remained close the entire set, ending 23-25. Sophomore Lily Davis landed multiple kills during the set, and helped push the game enough to prevent a blowout. Senior Evie Naunmann and junior Claire Wernli also supported the team with their defensive efforts.

“I think I did well closing the block today,” Claire said. “That’s something I’ve been working on, so I was proud of myself for that. [Dripping Springs] has some really good blockers too, so it was hard to get around them.”

In the second set, things started to look more grim. The Tigers had an early lead at 3-7, and maintained that strong lead throughout the set. The Chaps struggled a bit more defense-wise, which resulted in the 17-25 set.

“I really think this was a good learning experience for us in general,” senior Sophia Luo said. “I think we should not expect to mow through every team, it’s really about our mentality.”

The Chaps attempted to make a comeback by winning the third set. However, the Tigers won the set at 17-25, the same score as the second set.

“I think we had a lot of motivation in the beginning,” Claire said. “As [the game] went on, we lost some of our energy, but I’m proud of us; we had some really great moments, and I think we can focus on those to get better as a team.”

The varsity volleyball team visits Austin High School September 20 for their next game.