Red, white, and blue flooded through the gymnasium doors as a group of very enthusiastic students walked in. They were rocking the patriotic colors all over. Face paint? Check. Red, white, and blue mardi gras necklaces? Check. The spectacle earned a laugh from Winter Springs and Lake Mary parents alike. They sat down and chatted with each other. Then, the mass of students stood dutifully as the game started. 

Adrenaline clouded the Winter Springs players; the student section was also a buzz with spirit. We had a strong lead on Lake Mary. The first timeout score was home: 10, guest: 4. The two crowds were almost having their own internal game: who could be more enthusiastic? The 20 people in the crowd from Lake Mary were no match for the 60 students and parents from Winter Springs. Number 8- senior, Hope Matschner– might be sweet in school, but don’t cross her on the court. She’s a beast. We won the first set after an overshot from the Lake Mary Rams. The score was home: 25, guest: 14. 

The Winter Springs volleyball team was empowered by their win. Fear was nowhere to be seen on the players’ faces. The Rams were neck and neck with us. Players were down and ready for the low balls and jumping high for the setter’s sets. The scoreboard read home: 13, guest: 15 halfway through the game. The internal feud continued. Any time the Rams cheered, we would retort back, “We can’t hear you.” rather loudly. This set felt like the slowest yet fastest 30 minutes ever. We won the second set 26 to 24.

The first point of set 3 was earned after one of our girls dove to the ground to save the ball but just missed. If we, the crowd, were getting tired from standing around, you can only imagine how the players were feeling. Some pretty intense plays were happening. One of the greatest tricks we had was faking a strong kill and actually just tipping the ball over the net with a little push. As amazing as that was, it just wasn’t good enough because we lost the third set 6 points behind. 

Many people left before the fourth set started. It was getting late too. If our girls were discouraged, they didn’t show it. As the ball monotonously went back and forth so did the points. Every time Lake Mary scored a point, we were right there with them. The score was home: 19, guest: 17. Suspicions of a fifth set were whispered through the crowd. Ambitions seemed to be getting low so the student section rumbled their feet and screamed, “let’s go bears.” The points were stacking higher and higher until it came down to the winning point. The room held its breath during the last play. A powerful kill from Winter Springs won the game 25 to 23. 

After the long game, player, Kristie Hudson, said, “It was having lots of energy from the rest of the team that pushed me on.” She is very confident that the winning streak will continue. Throughout the game, two people from the crowd stood out. Jacklyn Wright who called herself the “most spirited cheerleader” said, “I really wanted my team to win. You can feel the love; they’re such an amazing team. I love my bear family.” Senior student, Dominic Cooley, who stood all one-hundred-plus minutes of the game would encourage the crowd to encourage our girls. “The girls are playing their best right now, and I just want to support them. I also enjoy watching them destroy everyone they play,” he explained with a laugh. Aside from being the most lengthy game ever, the coach of the team, Coach Mallard, described the game perfectly as a “high-energy team effort.”