Chapter Nine
First Game!
The next day, before their first home game against the Salisbury Fishercats, the Panthers went into the exercise room. They stretched quietly. Some girls were whispering about how tough the Fishercats were.
Asiyah looked around. Everyone seems so tense, she thought. Is now the right time for fun?
She made her decision. Asiyah ran back to the lockers and grabbed her phone. She burst into the exercise room and blasted the song she and Lucy had danced to earlier.
“Come on, everyone! Let’s get pumped before the game!” Asiyah shouted.
For a second, the team stared at her. Asiyah gulped. But then the girls got up and started dancing.
“Panthers! Panthers!” the team chanted.
“This is the perfect way to get us going!” Lucy exclaimed.
Asiyah grinned. It was a good time to loosen up after all! she thought.
Soon Coach Elise walked in. She laughed when she saw her team dancing. “OK, girls! Five more minutes of fun. Then warm-ups.”
After the song was finished, Asiyah went to put her phone away. Lucy followed her.
“All right,” Asiyah said as she shut her locker. “Now it’s time to get serious.”
Lucy laughed. “Let’s do this!”
The girls bumped fists and then ran onto the court.
* * *
The Fishercats team jogged out on the other side of the gym. Asiyah watched them as she ran through warm-ups.
Just looking at the Fishercats makes me nervous. They’re tall! she thought. And it’ll be up to Lucy and me to block them. I hope I’m ready.
Just then, Asiyah saw her mom, dad, and Rad walk in. They smiled and waved. Rad gave a thumbs-up. Asiyah did two thumbs-up back. She felt calmer already.
Soon the ref blew her whistle. Warm-ups were over. The girls got set up on the court. Lucy and Asiyah took their spots next to each other in the front row.
The Fishercats had the opening serve. Their player fired it over the net.
Shivani dropped to her knees and bumped it, but the ball didn’t go very high. Asiyah wasn’t expecting such a low pass. She got it before it hit the ground, but her shot didn’t make it over the net.
Shake it off, Asiyah thought. Keep focused.
The Fishercats quickly scored three more points. But the Panthers broke the streak when Jessica whacked a ball right into the Fishercats’ court. It was the Panthers’ serve.
Jessica’s serve sailed low over the net. The Fishercats setter set the ball up high. The tall redhead in front sent it flying back.
Rachel got her fist on it before it touched the ground. Then Jessica pushed the ball into the air.
Asiyah was ready. She took two steps, jumped up, and killed it!
Point to the Panthers! The girls ran together for high-fives.
“Nice moves, Asiyah!” Rachel said.
“That was your first kill of the season. That’s so awesome!” Lucy said.
Asiyah felt really proud. Now we just have to keep it going, she thought.
The Panthers fired off more points. At 6–5, the Panthers lost the serve. The score began to seesaw back and forth.
Soon the score was 24–22. The Fishercats needed one more point to win the first set.
The Fishercats sent the ball over. Lucy immediately smashed it back. But a Fishercat in the back passed it to the setter.
Asiyah watched the setter. She seemed to be sending the ball to the redheaded girl. Asiyah and Lucy moved to block her.
But at the last second, another girl crossed over for the attack. Lucy and Asiyah weren’t in the right position. The ball hit the ground.
The Fishercats had grabbed the first game, 25–22. But the match was the best of three games, so the Panthers could still win.
The Panthers walked off the court and huddled around Coach Elise. “Girls, you’re playing really well,” she said. “You talked to each other. You made good plays. Now go out there, and win this second set!”
“Let’s do the Panthers cheer!” Asiyah shouted. “One, two, three . . .”
“Go, Panthers!” the girls yelled together. Then they ran back onto the court.
At the beginning of the second game, the Panthers showed off their power. They won the first eight points.
The Fishercats weren’t about to give up. They brought the score back to 4–8. But after two quick kills by Lucy, the Panthers lengthened their lead.
From then on, the Panthers cruised. They won the second game by ten points.
“This is it. Whoever wins this next set, wins the game,” Asiyah said to Lucy.
“We’ll block whatever comes our way!” Lucy said as they switched sides of the court.
The girls fist bumped and got into their positions.
I’ve been practicing so hard, Asiyah thought. I know I’m ready for anything in the third set.