The bright lights in the East Gym shine onto a chilly volleyball court. The chatter of the players begins to fill the room. They are eager about the pending game, but with a final breath, in and out, they know they are ready. On Tuesday Oct. 1, Huntley High School lost 22-24 to the McHenery Warriors girls volleyball team.
“Today was pretty good,” said senior Jocelyn Erling. “We had a bad practice yesterday and I think that transferred over, we weren’t really playing together.”
In volleyball, the game usually plays best of three sets. Whatever team is the first to 25 points wins that set. McHenry won the first set quickly, however, during the second set, Huntley put up a strong fight. The score was then tied for the second set.
“We know McHenry is always a competitive team, and they are scrappy on defense,” Coach Karen Naymola said. “We will have to fight now for our conference spot, so hopefully this will be a turning point for our season.”
Even though Huntley did not win this game, that does not mean they did not fight for the victory. Throughout the entire game, both teams were very high-energy. If one teammate made a mistake, the others encouraged them.
“I felt like I stayed composed during that game even though it was rough,” junior Abby Whitehouse said. “My favorite moment of the game was probably setting Georgia that flare that she crushed straight down. It was a good moment because we all cheered and that kind of brought the energy back.”
Volleyball is a game of cooperation and laser focus. If one of these falters, it could cost them the game. While Huntley lost and many players admitted that their energy was not as high as usual, they still gave it their all and put up a fight.
