ETHS Girls Volleyball put up a fight against New Trier last Tuesday with a close first set of 21-25. New Trier pulled away in the second set, winning 13-25. Despite the loss, the Wildkits had some exciting rallies. Girls’ volleyball currently holds an 8-15 win-loss tally for the 2025 season, and New Trier is 9-4. 

The Kits’ underclassmen really stood out during this game. Within the first couple of minutes, Freshman Nina Williams scored the Kits’ first point with a dominant spike. New Trier really struggled with some of their serving, while Williams, Sophomore Gabby Castillo, and Senior Azalea Steiger-Smith gave the Kits some points with their serves. The Kits were up 7-4, and New Trier could feel the heat, resulting in New Trier calling the first time-out. The first set was very back-and-forth. Junior Norah Williams and Senior Vivian Mitchell teamed up to block and tip nearly every ball that came their way. The game was looking like it could go either way after the first set. The team had strong skills, but the little mistakes started to add up.

Going into the 2nd set, New Trier gave up the first point with a poor serve. The Kits could serve, spike, and block, but when it came to keeping control of the ball, the Kits fell short. The first time out was called by Evanston with a score of 2-7. After Evanston’s early timeout, New Trier tightened up their little mistakes, widening the lead despite the Kits’ persistence. It wasn’t until New Trier was up by 9 that the Kits started to come together with their game play. Nina Williams continued to have multiple impressive spikes and serves. Vivian Mitchell and Norah Williams tried to defend their court, but the teams hesitated on some balls and missed opportunities to go after the ball took away the win from the Kits. In spite of the final score, the Kits have a promising future with their strong underclassmen and juniors.