By Kaydence Holmes, student reporter for Minarets Press at Minarets High School
Mustang Volleyball faced off against Stone Ridge Christian on Oct. 23 for their final home game of the season. While it was a bittersweet evening for both teams, it was especially emotional for the seniors since it was their last regular home game of the season and their Senior Night. The JV team started the night off with a very close game against the Knights. Stone Ridge Christian won the first game, but our JV team was able to win the last two games. For the girls, this victory made for a great end of their season.
It later moved onto Varsity warming up. For the audience, it was emotional watching them, knowing it was their last home regular game and year of volleyball in high school. As Paris Baca, a junior on the Varsity team said, “It’s sad to see these girls go because they have become family to us, but with being sad there is a sense of joy because they are moving on and starting a new chapter of their life.”
Before the game began, the seniors were celebrated with the Senior Ceremony where their family members stood alongside their players and help to celebrate their success. This was a really emotional night for the entire of the team as Alice Cummings, another junior on the team said, “Our team always seems to work themselves out but it is going to be really sad without any of them here and when they are off to college.”
Sadly, the volleyball team has eight seniors, leaving this year which makes it really hard for the team. Volleyball coach, Jessica Chacon said, “It is very emotional because I have been able to watch these kids grow since their freshmen year, and there is a lot of them this year so just seeing them just check this chapter off… it is very emotional.”
A lot of these girls have been playing for a while, like Rylee Mackey, senior, who said, “I have been playing for about five years and I want to keep playing volleyball by going to a college in San Diego.”
Kate Hough, another senior part of the team, said, “This is my fifth year playing and I may not be playing when I get older because I did get diagnosed with arthritis so I can’t be too hard on myself.”
With emotions running high, the Varsity team started the game against Stone Ridge Christian, which proved to be a challenging game. Despite some amazing sets, spikes and hard work for the players, the Stone Ridge Knights emerged victorious with the final score being 3-1.
It will be very sad seeing all of these girls leave at the end of the year, but there is still time to see them play. Our Varsity Volleyball team has made it to the play-offs with their first game taking place this Thursday, Oct. 31, at 7:00 p.m. against Liberty. It will be a black-out game and the players are asking for all their supporters to come decked out in black. Be sure to come out and cheer on our girls in the play-offs!
