On Thursday November 10th, juniors and seniors faced off in a three set volleyball game to benefit Breadlift, one of PN's annual community service projects. This year, Breadlift is collecting funds for West Michigan Cancer Center.
The game hosted a large number of junior fans, with the junior student section being packed full of excitement in support of their peers. The senior section also hosted a large amount of fans cheering on their classmates for some senior fun.
Through the first set of the game, the juniors and seniors were head to head and never 5 points apart. The energy was electric and the crowd would cheer at every serve. Towards the end of the set, the seniors fell short. After their strong start, the loss of the first set was surprising. “I think some decision making during the game would have helped us," said senior player Turab Alam, "because we were the better team to begin with.”
The juniors won the first set, keeping their hype through the whole game. “Our team had a lot of depth and quite frankly we were comfortable with anyone going out there," said junior player Avery Kucharski. "That definitely gave us an upper hand on the seniors.”
The second set commenced much like the first, with both teams going head to head. Taunting and laughing filled the court as both the juniors and seniors enjoyed the rivalry. The second set featured longer and more intense volleys, and in the end the seniors took the round being the stronger team. This 1 to 1 set count stirred up for an intense last set to determine the winner of the game.
The last set kept emotions high both in the stands and on the court. The seniors and juniors competed for every point and stayed close throughout the whole set, overtaking one another many times for the lead. Despite the intense rivalry, the game had a fun vibe through the Igloo as everyone came together to support a good cause. “My favorite moment from the game was a set winning spike right off of Turab Alam,” said Ty Tomlinson, a junior.
In the end of the last set, the juniors were able to hold their lead as the seniors fell short with many failed serves and misses. While the juniors were excited to capture the win and get bragging rights for their class, the seniors still had a fun time playing in the game. "Every point was great for us," said senior Kain Rodriguez. "It felt good, getting that point." The game was an opportunity for high school boys to play a sport they typically aren't included in and have fun doing it while also supporting a great cause.
Credits:
Abby Hosler