The varsity volleyball team played against Grapevine at Keller Central in the first playoff round. After a game of “fighting hard,” as senior Miley Massey said, the playoff run came to an end this year after a loss 3-2.
“Every season, every game is different,” head coach Kenley Buckholt said. “We can’t rely on what we did last year.”
Although the final game was tough, she believes all the players can take something important from it.
“As hard as it was, I know that game will make a lot of my girls better players and people for the future,” Buckholt said.
Throughout this season, the bonding among the team helped them get through their ups and downs.
“The strong bond we had kept us together,” sophomore Abbie Yochum said. “We all once had a slump throughout the season. I think we had each other to keep us pushing through.”
Yochum said losing nine seniors will bring big changes next year.
“The seniors’ spots will be hard to fill,” Yochum said. “They’re all very different, and it’s like they all played a role in this team.”
Sophomore McKynlee Walden said confidence had also played a major role in this program and how the season has played out.
“Attitudes and people’s mentality is a really big deal,” Walden said. “Once you start losing your confidence in yourself, that is just gonna change your whole mentality.”
Senior Massey said one of the team’s proudest moments came in late August when they traveled to Hawaii with a six-hour time difference.
“I am so proud of my team being able to pick everything up and travel to Hawaii on an insane time difference and winning the whole tournament,” Massey said.
Senior Heather Lockridge said pressure affected the team more than they expected in the playoffs.
“All of our fears combined,” Lockridge said. “I feel like we should have won, but we let our fears get in the way.”
Looking back at this season, Lockridge said that she wishes she had appreciated the everyday parts of the season a little bit more.
“Cherish all those moments,” senior Heather Lockridge said. “Sometimes we were at practice, I would just not want to be there, but I feel like I should’ve cherished those times that we had.”
Leaving this team and heading into college is emotional for Massey.
“I am going to remember the friendships on this team the most,” Massey said. “All of us moving off and going to college is definitely going to be hard.”
This playoff loss gave motivation that this program didn’t know it needed at the time.
“From here on out, I’m going to fight so hard to never feel that sort of pain ever again or that kind of sadness of losing,” Massey said. “That should be a good mindset that the girls below me should carry out.”
