After coming from a hard year online , the ILS JV volleyball team had an away game against Our Lady of Lourdes Academy September 9 where the team did not lose the determination to play and give the sport their all, no matter the sharp edge  pressure from the scoreboard.

The freshmen did their best to leave their mark on the court that night impressively picking up balls Lourdes threw with no mercy.  The pressure was also on for sophomores who had to keep their technique and leadership  going as well the coaches who are working with an entirely new team. Sadly, the team did not come out victorious, ending the game in a 2-0 set loss but they came out more united than ever.

Before the game Sophomore Lucia Gonzalez, a strong member of the team, said “This is one of the biggest games of the season”.

She continued  to mention how Lourdes is one of their biggest competitors, and that they will be proud of themselves, win or lose. They still came through with a shocking total of 86 kills, 63 assists, and 137 digs. Freshman Amara Cepeda made 19 of those kills, 35 digs made by Freshman Sunshine Garcia, and 34 of those assists made by Lucia Gonzalez.

“You could feel the tension in the air and  it even got so loud from the cheering that you wouldn’t hear yourself think,” said sophomore viewer, Mariandrea Robelo.

The competition was high and mighty and the JV team is just starting. Each and every one of the girls has a long season ahead of them.

“We gave the game our heart, we are proud of what we did together and we will keep pushing ourselves for the sake of our team,” said sophomore team member

She added it was a game of pride which could be seen by how the ILS supporters who came to watch would chant, scream, and stomp until the bleachers created an earthquake-like vibration. The ball went as high as to touch the ceiling which still did not stop the Royal Lions from passing the ball across the net.

The insatiable faces from the crowd, the yelling from the coaches, and the sweat rolling down the players’ cheeks completed overall what was a battle of chants under the Lourdes Academy roof . Heads would turn towards the scoreboard nervously until the very last bittersweet moment. It was an aggressive and intense game  which brought leaps of joy every single point the team made. No matter what, the team would join at the end of each play and show compassion towards their teammates. There is no triumph without loss and the obvious triumph in this case is and always will be  team unity.