This story was originally published in the second issue of The Bear Truth (November 14, 2019)

The pregame practice was ever so slightly chaotic. There was a stray ball or two, some hitting heads. The starting line up tossed shirts, and the rest of the team threw bead necklaces to the crowd. The first set against the Falcons started. While our players’ spirit was strong, the same could not be said for the crowd. Very few students were in the stands. Moreover, a notable time during the game was when number 11, Courtney Wagner, scored a kill to the ten-foot line. The scoreboard read home: 19, guest: 10. All of a sudden, a multitude of students walked through the doors. The Falcons were passing a lot of free shots, and when they did try a hit, it never went over too well. They were easily blocked by Wagner. We won the first set 25 to 15 after a kill from Hope Matschner, a star hitter.

The high from the first set seemed to have left. It was a bad beginning, but the score started to even out towards the middle. After a few action-packed plays, we were ahead for the first time with a score of 15 to 12. Kristie Hudson, number 2, ran onto the court and immediately started firing outstanding jump serves. However, set two was getting a little messy on both ends until the student section stood as one of our girls went to serve and raised their arms in anticipation. Through all the arms, a proud athlete bear could be seen. Number 9, Lauren Vargo, hit serve after serving like she could do it sleeping. The scoreboard read home: 18, guest: 14. We had this in the bag. The crowd knew it too, for the enthusiasm was raised more and more after each play. We won the second set after an overshot from the Falcons. 

Unlike her opponents, Hope Matschner would run from the net to the back of the gymnasium to save any stray ball. We earned point after point, easily. Only an hour had passed, and we were almost through with the third set. Excitement rippled through the room. Then, the score was home: 19, guest: 15. The student section, for the umpteenth time that night, raised their arms and awaited the sound of a hand smacking the ball. We only needed one more point. The student section began a melody: “Na na na naa, na na na naa, hey hey hey. Goodbye.” The singing was soon drowned out by loud cheers- not from the bear parents. The Falcons scored a point. At the end of the night, however, that single point did not matter at all because we won the game. Our team just won the Regional Quarter Finals. 

The coach of the boys’ basketball team and most passionate adult in the stands, Coach K, said, “I’ve always been like that [passionate]. Our purpose is to fire up the team as much as possible. It drives them to do better.” A couple of players were kind enough to share their post-game thoughts. Maddy Johnson said, “I’m pretty excited that we won the Quarter Finals. We need to keep playing each game like it’s our last.” Sara Curran called herself  “ecstatic,” before saying, “I’m hoping we can play as a team and win the semi-finals.” Sophomore Deanna Ward described our players in one word: “extraordinary.” A player from the boys’ volleyball team Andrew Knorst could be heard louder than everybody else throughout the game. His reason for expressing his spirit so loudly was explained by him when he said, “I just want everyone to know about my support. Even when we’re down, we come right back up. There’s all-around good playing, especially on our part.” He paused to laugh before saying, “ Go bears.”