On Friday, Oct. 24, the Varsity Volleyball team played its final game of the season against Liberty High School. After winning previous games against Lebanon Trail, Independence and Creekview High School, the Varsity Volleyball team has much to celebrate. 

Their game was played against Liberty High School, where the team fought hard to uphold their consistent record. In the end, the Lady Mavericks were defeated, but left the campus with their heads held high. Team Captains Riley McMahan, 12, Gracie Bisbee, 12, and Izzy Buchholz, 11, were tasked with leading these women through some of their toughest games, and inspiring leadership, charisma, and courage within the team.

“We know going into this season that it isn’t possible to win every game,” McMahan said. “We try to focus [on] not only finding success in the wins, but in the small moments we support each other.”

These small moments are what ultimately bonded the team. The girls’ relationships were strengthened not only through their teamwork, but through the friendships formed. Alongside McMahan and Bisbee, Addison Benjamin and Hadley Summers are seniors who are not only leaving behind their sport, but the younger players who they’ve grown close to.

“It’s really sad leaving the underclassmen behind, and knowing I won’t get to play with some of my closest friends ever again,” Benjamin said. “But it’s also really exciting moving into a new chapter of my life.”

For many seniors, this match was their last they’d ever play in, but for Cooper Smith, 12, it marks the beginning of her volleyball career. Through the team’s rigorous training, practice and dedication, students leave feeling prepared for any athletic pursuit after high school.

“I feel like my team has helped prepare me for my future in volleyball,” Smith said. “The team has shaped my mind on the type of atmosphere I want to be a part of in college.”