It was a dominant effort for the Wildcat girls’ varsity volleyball team against Esperanza High School with a 3-0 sweep in the Wildcat gym Sept. 23. The win improved their overall season record to 14-10.

In the first set, setter Ava Beccaccio (‘26) routinely fed Farrah Finnie (‘28) perfectly-placed balls, leading to five Finnie kills and an 11-point win in the opening set. 

The Wildcats’ momentum faltered in the second set, however, and they fell behind 9-6. Defensive specialist Sofia Rodriguez (‘26) attributed the slow start in set two to complacency. “We weren’t as aggressive as we could’ve been, and we were slow to pick up the pace,” Rodriguez said.

Trailing 10-7, the Wildcats mounted a comeback behind senior middle blocker Kylie Gravitt’s six point serving streak, which swung momentum back to the Wildcats for a 13-10 lead.  

Beccaccio, recently recovered from an ankle injury, also contributed to the scoreboard in the second set with two aces against the Aztecs. “We finally have our setter back, and having a good setter is important,” Finnie said.  

The Aztecs put up a fight in the second and third sets, pushing both to 21 points each, but the BOHS defense held firm and closed out each set with four point leads. 

A key factor in the Wildcats’ defense — and the sweep — was middle blocker Julia Teven (‘26), who tallied four blocks to disrupt Esperanza’s rhythm. 

The Wildcats accomplished the sweep despite missing three starters – Sloane Senkbile (‘27), Gianna Principe (‘27), and Becaccio, who retired during the third set due to a rolled ankle. 

But Finnie picked up the slack and controlled the net, finishing the game with a season-high 18 kills. 

“Farah is such a huge asset to our team and has so much range that it makes our offense more powerful,” Rodriguez said. 

Libero Hanee Park (‘27) acknowledged the whole-team effort in the win: “I think we played really cohesively, even though we were missing players,” Park said.

Filling in for Beccaccio in the third set was Noani Saldonido (‘26) who notched three kills for the Wildcats. “Noani stepped up,” Park said. 

Finnie attributed the team’s success to consistency. 

“We won because we were steadily scoring, and Esperanza was only having bursts of momentum,” Finnie said.

This victory against the Aztecs leveled the Wildcats’ North Hills League record to 2-2.

Ahead for the Wildcats is Villa Park High School in the Wildcat gym Sept. 30. The Wildcats beat the Spartans, 3-1, on the road Sept. 11.  

“Villa Park was our best league game because I think we expected to lose, but we came out and beat them at Villa Park,” Gravitt said. “I’m excited to play them again.”