Game recap: Girls Volleyball slams Belmont in home opener

Vanessa Taxiarchis, Maddie Zajac, Olivia Green, and Mack Young

September 11, 2025

Senior captain Anna Yalli hits the ball over the net and scores a point for the team. Yalli has been on the team since her sophomore year.

On Monday, Sept. 8, the girls varsity volleyball team swept Belmont in three sets, securing their second win of the season and their first home game win.

First set:

Wayland jumped ahead early in the first set with three straight aces. They kept the lead safe and eventually won the set 25-10. Wayland’s quick kills gave them a solid start to an exciting game.

Second set:

Wayland fell behind by six points early into the second set because of some hitting and serving errors. At this point, Wayland’s head coach Lisa Tsaur called a time out to let the team regroup and catch their breath. Following this, junior Jayden Moore brought Wayland back into the game with a strong serve. Wayland emerged as the more aggressive team, scoring a couple points off of kills while Belmont struggled to maintain their large lead.

The play of the game occurred at the end of the second set. The score was 24-24 when junior Lara Goller sent a kill to the back right corner, which not only put Wayland ahead by one, but also got the fans on their feet. Wayland won the second set 26-24.

Third set:

The third set of the game went back and forth, with some intense rallies between the teams. Belmont gained a five point lead about halfway through the set, but Wayland came back with strategic serving while taking advantage of Belmont’s weaker serve receive to make the score 22-22. Junior Willa Suratt secured Wayland’s lead with a kill to the back corner, making the score 24-23. After lots of back and forth, Wayland scored off a hitting error, making the final score 27-25. Wayland won the game three sets to none. Wayland has yet to lose a set this year.

Player of the game: senior captain Anna Yalli. As Wayland’s starting outside hitter, Yalli contributed to the teams’ win with consistent serves and hits. With four aces throughout the game, Yalli supported the team as both a player and a leader. Yalli attributed the team’s win to their persistent attitude. Yalli is excited to have swept the opposing team once again as Wayland improves to a 2-0 record.

“We fought really hard during tough situations where we were down,” Yalli said. “We worked really hard and played well together as a team.”

Donate to Wayland Student Press

$500

$2000

Contributed

Our Goal

Your donation will support the student journalists of Wayland High School. Your contribution will allow us to purchase equipment, cover our annual website hosting costs and sponsor admission and traveling costs for the annual JEA journalism convention.

About the Contributors

Vanessa Taxiarchis, Staff Reporter

Vanessa Taxiarchis, Class of 2026, is a second year reporter for WSPN. She plays for the lacrosse team at WHS. Outside of school, Vanessa loves to hangout with friends, write, spend time with her dogs and hangout with family. Contact: [email protected]

Maddie Zajac, Co-Features Editor

Maddie Zajac, Class of 2026, is a second-year reporter and co-features editor for WSPN. Outside of school, she enjoys going to the beach, painting, baking and spending lots of time with her friends. Contact: [email protected]

Olivia Green, Copy Editor

Olivia Green, Class of 2027, is the opinion and features copy editor and a second year reporter for WSPN. In the fall she plays on the JV volleyball team. Outside of school, she enjoys cooking and spending time with friends. Contact: [email protected]

Mack Young, Staff Reporter

Mack Young, Class of 2028 is a first year reporter for WSPN. She plays on the varsity girls hockey team. Outside of school, she enjoys watching movies, reading, volleyball and spending time with friends and family.