On Oct. 15, 2024, Oxford Academy competed in the annual fall White Out Whitney (WOW) games, where girls Varsity, Junior Varsity, and Frosh volleyball rivaled the Whitney Wildcats. These games followed girls tennis matches against Whitney on Oct. 4 and preceded girls golf against Whitney on Oct. 17. Volleyball faced both losses and wins at the WOW games, with J.V. coming out victoriously. J.V. tennis also defeated Whitney, while Varsity tennis and golf had a rougher time against the Wildcats. 

Girls tennis was the first to face off against Whitney this month, with Varsity playing at home and J.V. playing at the Cerritos Sports Complex on Oct. 4. Despite straight sets from seniors Ivy Nguyen, Olivia Kang, Janice Lee, and sophomore Holly Hua, Varsity faced a loss against the Wildcats with a final score of 6-12. Meanwhile, J.V. girls bested Whitney with a score of 18-0, with a straight set from sophomore Emily Moon.

Starting the girls volleyball games against Whitney on Oct. 15 in the crowded gym, girls Frosh set off the night with intense plays from both teams. Despite strong performances from the Patriots in the second set, Oxford was outplayed by the Wildcats in the last half of the set and lost 22-25, leading to a final score of 0-2.

Soon after, J.V. stepped up and started off strong, gaining a lead early on and winning the first set with a score of 25-12. Following this victory was an intense second set, with Oxford and Whitney staying neck-to-neck for the lead until Oxford junior Samantha Ramos made several kills at the end to win 25-22. At the end of the match, J.V. defeated the Wildcats with a final score of 2-0. 

As the most anticipated game of the night, the girls Varsity team started their game after introducing the starting lineup and displaying the hype videos for all fall athletes in the gym to the crowd’s loud cheers. Fans in the bleachers held up handmade signs, shook blue and white pom-poms, and loudly chanted in support of Oxford as each player was introduced. 

“I thought the crowd this year was pretty hype, and I solely remember it pumping my adrenaline through. If you’re an athlete, you know how much more rewarding it is to gain a point when a crowd or your friends are cheering you on in the stands,” said junior and girls volleyball co-captain Jenevieve Urfano. 

The Patriots started the first set strong but eventually were routed by the Wildcats after tough plays, and were beaten out by 7 points. The second set was rougher for Oxford, with a few service errors and difficulty with powerful spikes from Whitney. The Patriots were able to catch up at the beginning of the third set, adding points with aces from senior Elyannah Sonza, but fell short of winning the set by 3 points. Overall, Varsity came short against Whitney, with a final score of 0-3, but their attitudes and team energy stayed high. 

“I still have high hopes for CIF, knowing there’s always room for improvement. Right now we’re focusing on our first CIF game…which I’m pretty excited about since it’s finally at home,” said Urfano.

Soon after the excitement of the WOW games, girls golf faced the Wildcats on Oct. 17 at Navy Golf Course. Even with good efforts from the Lady Patriots, Whitney eventually beat out Oxford with a score of 341-250. 

Though this month was tough for the Patriots, fall sports still look forward to league championships and CIF games next month, so be sure to come out and bring energy for the Lady Patriots!