On Tuesday, October 12, the Conifer High School Varsity volleyball team played Evergreen High School in a 3 game, high-stakes match. With Evergreen being Conifer’s biggest rival, and even friend in tough times, a collective moment of silence was taken before the beginning of the game for an Evergreen coach very near and dear to a lot of people’s hearts. Despite the fact that Conifer lost the match 3-0, Conifer’s volleyball team is confident in their abilities and played well.

     “We put up a fight…but we didn’t value the things we did well right, and let our mistakes get into our head,” junior varsity player, Abbi Moores, said. “I played well but I feel like I could have played 1000 percent better…but it comes back to the energy that it was just not there.”

     Though Moores and her team gave it their all and played remarkably well, they just couldn’t sustain the energy and hype they had at the beginning of the game the whole time. This sentiment is prevailing through other members of the team too. 

     “I think we definitely really wanted that game and we came into it really strong, and we were energized and we really had it together, but it’s just silly mistakes and just simple things like that,” senior varsity player, Chloe Ross, said. “It’s not like we are a bad team the skill is there…I really think it’s just silly little mistakes and nerves.”

     The team feels strongly about how they played and how they handled the game and the ultimate loss against their biggest rivals. Conifer has a determined team with lots of energy and athleticism, and with this close game, they feel prepared to beat Evergreen in any future rematch. It all comes down to the spirit of the players and whether or not they got what it takes to keep playing their best and giving it their all.

     “We weren’t keeping our energy really going throughout, and we can’t depend on it from the crowd, we can’t depend on it from somebody else, we’ve absolutely got to get that from within.” Conifer volleyball coach, Laurie Eddy, said.

     The next home game is happening on October 19 against D’Evelyn.

     “Sometimes our nerves kind of get the best of us and we start making mistakes…and we need to just get over it,” Eddy said