The girls volleyball team swept the El Camino Wildcats in three games Thursday night, improving its record to 3-1 for league. The Lancers were neck and neck with the Wildcats from the start of the first match. For every point Carlsbad scored, El Camino returned the favor. However, towards the end of the set, the Lancers heated up, winning the first match 25-21.

“We started a little slow. El Camino came out and played really hard at the beginning of the match, and I don’t think we were quite ready for that,” Coach Scott Miller said. “But, we picked it up and played really well the rest of the way.”

The back and forth continued into the second match, with senior Caitlin Coogan emerging as a key component for the Lancers. Coogan’s powerful serve and court leadership ignited Carlsbad’s spirits as they picked up the pace, winning the second match 25-20.

“When we were down a couple of the times in the night, [Coogan] got us back into the game and really built a lead for us; she was a big factor tonight,” Coach Miller said.

While the scores of the first two matches seem similar, the game play was vastly different. The Lancers were improving with every play and carried this momentum into the third and final match.

In the third match, the Lancers held nothing back, beating El Camino 25-14. With this win, the Lancers improved its record and continued its journey towards CIF, hoping for a strong start in playoffs.

“We played really hard tonight, and it feels really great to go out and win as a team,” junior McKenzi Hanson said.

The Lancers look to build on the success of Thursday night’s game by focusing on improvements they can make for the games to come.

“Not underestimating our opponent and playing our game is really important,” Coogan said. “We can’t worry about what they are doing on their side.”

Next week, the Lancers will be taking on one of most competitive teams in the area and our cross-town rivals, the La Costa Canyon Mavericks. With the Lancers and Mavericks both coming off of wins, it should be a competitive match.

“The serving and passing will be the difference; if we pass well, I think we can play with them,” Coach Miller said. “They are a really strong team, so it will be a good test for us.”