Lady Lobos Side-out for the Season

High school sports have taken an exceptional toll in the face of COVID-19. From quarantined players to canceled games, this year’s volleyball team went with the flow and worked harder than ever to ensure they would have a good season. 

Volleyball is typically a fall sport, starting mid August and ending in late October but the 2021 season began in early March and their final five games were on Saturday, April 24. The coaches were holding pre-season practices during summer but unfortunately could not continue those practices into the school year due to restrictions.  

There was a schoolwide quarantine in mid November but luckily, volleyball was able to return before school went back in person and began holding practices again. Tryouts occurred in early March, though there were many players quarantined during that time which resulted in confusing teams for the first few weeks. 

Once teams were established and practice times were finalized, the players had only a week to prepare for their first game against Conifer Lobo’s respected rivals, the Evergreen Cougars. From then on, there were multiple games each week, though many games throughout the season were canceled due to quarantines and poor weather. Despite this, the coaches were persistent on getting their teams games and rescheduling canceled ones.  

Lady Lobos are a 4A program and they played a total of twelve games the 2021 season; seven wins and five losses. Varsity had a 0.58 win percentage and amazing stats for the season despite underclassmen swinging up due to quarantines and benchings. Oddly, due to the struggle to find games, Conifer was playing repeat games; they played the Golden Demons two days in a row, same with the Stanley Lake Gators. 

The coaches and teammates arranged for a banquet at Ebony and Vine on Monday, May 17. Head coach Laura Eddy said at the banquet, “This is a great group of girls. And we have a group of respectful, wonderful girls who are good to be around and like Drea was saying, they’ve created a culture that’s really positive and a healthy culture and I couldn’t be more proud of you guys and varsity you have really set the pace, so thank you for that.” 

To further display how great the season was, guest coach and volunteer, Andrea Eddy added “I just really enjoyed being in the gym with you guys you’re incredible with your skill level and more importantly you’re awesome young ladies and I’m really proud of every one of you.”

Despite the 2021 season being awfully chaotic, it was a wonderful season. The players and coaches bonded and had fun at each and every practice and game. This year’s stats were incredible with many of varsity’s members ranking in the top three in the entire program and Elena Eddy, Faith Hemerly, and Marina Cadilli ranking second in the team all conference.   

Lady Lobos couldn’t have asked for a better season under the circumstances of the pandemic. Being a part of the lady lobos volleyball program is a memorable honor that has served as a sanctuary for many of the players. The program, coaches, and players are looking forward to being part of many more seasons to come, hopefully with less complications.