Neon night kicked off as the lights dimmed in the gym and the varsity boys volleyball team ran onto the court surrounded by the cheers of the Winter Springs student body. The announcer read off the starting lineup and each of the players took turns waving to the crowd and throwing shirts into the bleachers. The team then warmed up and got loose, taking turns practicing spiking and setting the ball. The guys looked sharp and eager to start playing. Once the pre-game came to a close, the Bears were ready to battle it out with the Seminole High School Noles. 

The Bears started the first set slowly, but with some predominant spacing and saves, the Bears had a solution. The boys were able to control the front of the net, backed up by their big men Keno Bournes and Aiden Calderon. The Bears also had won what would be multiple critical points from outside hitter Felipe Chavarriga to tie up the set 12-12. The court movement looked very fluid and it seemed like they were really hitting their stride midway through the first set, setting up kills all across the court. The Bears won the first set by a big margin of 17-25. 

The Bears had come out of their short break between sets to put on another show in front of the home crowd. Teacher and girl’s volleyball coach Ms. Mallard made her way to the stands to get the crowd hyped and ready to cheer for the team. It seemed to help as starting off the second set, the Bears pulled ahead with a 7-2 lead. The Bears continued to dominate in the second set as they had never lost their lead. Everyone on the team was contributing with the Bears serving game staying extremely consistent throughout. The Noles got the game closer towards the end of the set but the Bears held strong and stayed in control. With multiple kills by outside hitter Patrick Akins, and middle blockers Bryan Carcamo and Keno Bournes the Bears took their dominance to the scoreboard by winning the second set 23-25.

The third set began and the Noles jumped out to a slight lead, aiming to keep their winning chances alive. The Bears were still fighting though as midway through the set, they tied the score at 14 all with Aiden Calderon and Filipe Chavarriaga earning a pair of kills to swing the momentum in their favor. The game started intensifying and the crowd kept getting louder with every point scored, making it almost impossible for Seminole to stay consistent and hold a lead. Towards the end of the set, Seminole was up by only one point and they needed one more to win. Bears libero Landon Turner set up a great play where Patrick Akins hit an amazing killshot to tie the game up at 25-25. The Bears then got a quick point and were in position to take the win. Evan Kelly served the ball, Seminole received it and hit it back to Landon Turner who set up Filipe Chavarriaga who soared into the air to hit an outstanding spike that smacked the floor and gave the Bears the victory. The crowd rushed the court and everyone got together for a photo. Players and fans hugged and celebrated as the win propelled them to a 9-6 record. Senior Aaron Moore said he was cheering the whole game, especially when he recounted the moment stating, “We got to the final point of the last set. Everyone was so hyped up after we scored.”