Lady Mats' fans filled the gym with roaring cheers, signs, and balloons. While parents and grandparents showed up in large numbers, plenty of young fans filled out the rest of the crowd, many of whom participated in Miramonte's Mini Mats program. Throughout the entire night, parents and fans kept the energy sizzling with "Go Mats" chants and drum rolls, forever motivating their beloved Lady Mats to compete with passion and intensity.   

The players also had the benefit of a highly energized coach. Coach Leslie Ray gave her heart the entire night, directing and communicating to her players during every point. She was relentless in ensuring that the players stayed focused and energetic. "I wanted the girls to feed off of the energy from me and from the crowd and roll with it," said Coach Leslie.

The Lady Mats dominated the first and second set, but Moreau Catholic came back strong in the third set with a commanding six point win (19-25). The Lady Mats would need to capture the momentum back to avoid a winner-takes-all fifth set. 

Co-Captain and setter Maddie Yun credits her teammates' drive to dig into the game. She went into the fourth set with a focus of "getting an early head start and building up momentum." And the entire squad delivered.  

Defensive specialist Chelsea Dao was grateful that Co-Captain & libero Sena Hens gave the team a substantial lead in the fourth set thanks to a flurry of aces. "When Sena gave us that 7-1 lead, we definitely felt a change in the energy. It felt like our fight in the last set was renewed."

The Lady Mats bounced back to earn a 25-19 win over the Mariners in the deciding set, claiming their spot in State.  

"The girls played with heart and they played with grit," said Coach Leslie Ray. "I'm extremely proud of them."

Drawing the 11-seed, Miramonte will travel north as the underdogs when they face off against the Trojans of Orland High. The entire Mats community supports Women's Volleyball as they make their playoff push!