It was a year that exceeded all expectations and showed the team what they were capable of. 

But when their season came to an end on November 16th—a loss in the state championships to Bakersfield Centennial, the No. 2 seed—the Windward girls’ volleyball team still felt a sense of what could have been.

“No one expected us to get this far,” said Cece T (‘25), Windward’s co-captain and the Gold Coast League MVP. “While the season didn’t end the way we wanted it to, I’m so excited to see the program continue to grow.”

The Wildcats made incredible progress over the course of the season, but according to head coach Lainey Gera-Dazé, one specific moment of triumph would propel and preview the team’s upcoming success. 

A Moment of Promise

The game was Windward’s victory at Campbell Hall, the second time the two teams played. 

“It was a big turning point for us all as a collective group to understand that we can compete at a high level while also executing a game plan,” said Gera-Dazé. “We were super disciplined, focused on executing our specific jobs and played confidently.”

Cece agreed. 

“We played CH at home for one of our earliest matches of the season and were defeated in 5-sets,” she said. “We put in a lot of hard work as a team to come back and beat them in 4 sets on their home court later in the season.”

The victory also gave Windward its first Gold Coast girls’ volleyball title since 2014. Entering the playoffs, the Wildcats had confidence and momentum. They stormed through their first three games, beating Pasadena Poly, Agoura and Dana Hills without losing a single set. 

Then they faced Long Beach Poly in the CIF Southern Section Division 3  semifinal. 

“No one expected us to get this far,” said Cece T (‘25), Windward’s co-captain and the Gold Coast League MVP. “While the season didn’t end the way we wanted it to, I’m so excited to see the program continue to grow.”

After Windward raced out to a 2-0 set lead, it looked like they might be finals bound. But it was not to be. Instead, Long Beach pulled off a reverse sweep, winning the final three sets. 

“We played well the first two sets,” said junior Daley H. “But the other team was able to adjust to our play and we did not match their adjustments.”

For Jordan Roth (‘26), playing on the road made things more difficult once Long Beach began its comeback.  

“Whether people want to admit it or not,” she explained, “having a crowd that is really loud gets to you. The cheering was really painful.”

For Gera-Dazé, it was a teachable moment for her squad. 

“Playoffs in general require a lot of mental stability from all athletes,” she said. “We had so much momentum from the previous CIF playoff games not dropping a single set. I feel like once we lost Game 3, the team started to doubt themselves, which has been something we have been working on all season.”

As difficult as the loss to Long Beach was, the experience from the game paid off in the State Championships just a few weeks later. 

Down two sets to none against The Bishop’s School, the No. 3 team in the state, in the second round, it was No. 11 Windward that would pull off the reverse sweep.

“We knew we weren’t ready to end our season then,” said Cece. “It was very exciting.” 

A Year of Tremendous Growth

Looking back at the year, she felt a lot of pride at what the team accomplished, both in terms of wins but also in continuing to elevate Windward volleyball.

“Since the start of every season we put a lot of emphasis on building a strong culture,” she said. “We know that with a strong culture, success will come. Not only was this group of girls so fun to be around, but we also pushed each other everyday to be successful. From accountability buddies to a thumb check-in to show our energy level, we had the tools to support each other.”

“We also loved spending time with each other,” she added, “which helped us grow even closer.” 

Gera-Dazé spoke proudly of Cece, co-captain Devon L and other senior leaders.

“The senior class brings so much to this program on and off the court,” she said. “They all are such mature scholar athletes, who lead by example and consistently show up for this team.”

By helping to create a great team culture, the seniors have set up the program for the future, Gera-Dazé explained. 

“I truly believe that this team genuinely enjoys each other both on and off the court,” she said. “They have so much respect and love for one another that it makes every moment we get to spend together more fun. They laugh a ton, they support each other endlessly and care about one another. I think that is something that is so special that you can’t teach, it just happens organically.”