On Thursday, Nov. 9, the highly anticipated senior boys volleyball game took place under the lights in Wildcat 1. The game was not only played for fun but also for a good cause, with all proceeds would go towards Deca and their upcoming trips.
As senior boys submitted their Google Form to play, two teams would be assembled according to the decisions made by a select few senior girl volleyball players. The green team was coached by seniors Kaelin Pribyl and Camille Renken, while the black team was managed by Lauren Jones and Cecile Ahrens. Some very dangerous names would be placed on the green team, including seniors Cooper Fortune, Holden Clausen, Brady Mar, Jordan Gassen, Aedan Romero, Kaiden Velasquez, Josh Vogel, and Nathan Durand. Due to injury, Durand was limited to how much he could play. The black team included seniors Ben Sterbens, Cameron Bizzarri, Max Frohloff, Tag Carmichael, Kerek Heithier, Nate Buroker, and Greyson Leapley. Both teams were locked, loaded, and ready to compete against each other.
‘’I had lots of confidence in our team as soon as rosters were released,’’ Gassen said. ‘’I thought my team had the upper hand from the start because I knew what skills the guys had and didn’t have on the other team, based on playing basketball with them and being around them so often. Overall, I was super excited to play and show everyone what we could do.’’
As spectators and parents barged in the doors, it was almost go time. Players warmed up with their respective team whether that was volleying to each other or receiving balls from their coaches. Everyone took their position as the serve signal was given from senior honorary referee Coryn Riedel. The first set started off being a back-and-forth battle between both teams. The green team would jump ahead after a strong showing at the net from Gassen and Clausen. It was a block party for the green team as they rallied to three total blocks in the first set. Service errors from Bizzari and Leapley would also contribute to the green team taking set one, 25-18.
‘’The first set was everything we could’ve asked for from us,’’ Fortune said. ‘’We didn’t have too many mistakes and we also didn’t really let them get in our head, which happened in the second set.’’ Since it was a best-of-three series, I knew the other team was going to be hungry for the second set.’’
As soon as the second set was underway the energy was through the roof. Starting the set 4-0, it seemed like the black team got their act together. Frohloff was seen everywhere on the court whether it was diving for a loose ball or making a play at the net for his team. The green team would lose critical points due to mechanical errors, bad communication, or arguments amongst themselves. The black team was in control the whole set leading by at most 10 points. They would go on to win set two with a score of 25- 14.
The overall score was now 1-1, but the black team had all the momentum rolling into the third set. Black jumped to a hot start leading 6-2 to kick things off. It seemed like the green team lost motivation throughout the set, which was shown by them moving lethargically and playing without the passion they had in the first set. The black team would exchange words from the other side of the net, which would also dig a bigger hole for the green team. Bizzarri made his presence clear in this set, with a plethora of kills and sets at the net. The green team would use their first timeout, but at this point, the score was 16-8. Green did their best to claw their way back into the game, with efforts from Vogel and Velasquez. Vogel dived for any ball near him in an attempt to put them back on the board. These efforts would not contribute to the outcome though, the green team was now in shambles. Inching towards the end of the set the score was 22-12, but there was the slightest bit of hope for green after scoring three points in a row to cut the lead to 22-15. The black team was not phased and would walk away with a 25-16 win in set three.
‘’I was beyond satisfied with how the game turned out,’’ senior DECA member Jacks Beals said.’’ The whole process of setting up the game was super fun and I’m glad it was successful in the end. ‘’ It’s not every day you get to see boys play volleyball, which I was I think everyone had a good time at the game.’’
Overall, the game was a massive success for the players, coaches, and the spectators. The money raised will help DECA plan their end of the year trip and more.
