Branson girls varsity golf is in preparation for MCALs and NCS, playing for the title of returning champions in both tournaments.
The MCAL tournament will be held Oct. 14 at the Meadow Club in Fairfax and NCS will be two weeks later on Oct. 28 at the Rooster Run Golf Course in Petaluma. The team won both MCALs and NCS in their 2023–2024 season, returning to try and claim the titles once again. The girls will also be competing in the individual tournament, with Lizzy Liu ‘25 looking to win it for the third year in a row.
The team has big plans for the 24–25 NCS DII tournament.
“Our goal as a team is to win NCS DII. I think we can do it. That’s as far as we can go, so it would be nice to end senior year like that,” Liu said.
Looking back at last year’s impressive NCS performance, it shouldn’t be out of reach for the Bulls.
“Last year we won by 40 strokes in NCS,” said coach Joe Corby.
The team has two new ninth-graders, Dorian Drako ‘28 and Kaitlyn Schlipf ‘28. Both have had great seasons so far.
“It’s hard to go and play matches having never seen the courses before in other seasons, so I’ve been super impressed with how the new girls have handled it,” Corby said.
For important tournaments like NCS and MCALs, the girls focus on what they can control in order to perform their best.
“We just try to shoot as low as we can as a team, not worrying about the results. It’s most important to us that everyone feels like they put their best effort in,” Liu said.
During the regular season, matches are only nine holes. The upcoming MCAL tournament will be the first 18-hole course of the season.
“It could take up to five or six hours. So the MCAL tournament is going to be an all-day event. And NCS will start at 8 a.m., but might not finish until 2 or 3 in the afternoon,” Corby said.
Going into the MCAL tournament, the girls are seeded second in the league, just behind Redwood. They will be playing at the Meadow Club, Redwood’s home course.
“I think they have a slight advantage just because we’ve only played there twice, whereas they practice there every day,” Skylar Lariviere ‘26 said.
Even though Redwood is familiar with the Meadow Club, last year’s results showed that it doesn’t guarantee a win.
“Anything could happen in these tournaments, so we just want to stay focused and play our game,” Liu said.
