Bronx Science continues streak with win against Walton Campus

At first, Kayla Dupree and her Bronx Science girls volleyball teammates were uncomfortable playing inside DeWitt Clinton’s Gym No. 3 on Oct. 2.

The lighting was dim, the floors were slippery and the acoustics made it hard to hear, Dupree said. But the Wolverines’ talent prevailed, as they defeated Walton Campus, 25-18, 25-15. Bronx Science (4-0) has not lost a Bronx A Division match since 2010 and has not dropped a set thus far this season.

Due to a lack of gym space, teams in Bronx A sometimes play their home games in other schools’ gyms. Walton was the home team for the Oct. 2 match, but Bronx Science will play “home” games in three different schools this season, including a 2-0 win over Clinton on Monday at Roosevelt Educational Campus.

“In the beginning, we were really down and we let [the conditions] get to us,” Dupree said after the Oct. 2 match. “We couldn’t bring ourselves to adjust to it. But then when some of us started getting really good serves in, it brought the team together and we gained momentum and pushed through it.”

Added coach Daniel Skilins: “It was very rough to see out there and I think it affected them a little bit. We’ve had some bad matches here and haven’t played our 100 percent best in this gym and I think it still resonates within the players.”

Dupree led the team with 11 kills, including a hard spike that tied the first game at nine. Bronx Science led 17-16 in Game 1 and then won three straight points on a sideout, an ace from Jessica Chen and another Dupree kill.

“You can see who Kayla Dupree is, who she is for us. She takes care of a lot of balls,” Skilins said. 

The Wolverines have only three seniors on their roster — Meryl Chan, Teresa Wang and Dupree — so there has been a learning curve for the team early in the year.

“At the start of the season I was really scared because most of my teammates were all really young,” Dupree said. “On the first day, we were a mess. Nobody really knew what they were doing, but we’re 20 times better now, and it’s still early in the season, so I have high hopes for us.”