As the volleyball season comes to an end, there are many mixed emotions. Both Coach Justine Howell and senior Briar Collins said that throughout the season the team kept working hard to get better at everything they did.

“ Even though the scoreboard did not always show it, the team was improving all season,” Howell said.

Howell said that even if the crowd was not able to see it, all season the team was improving on the little things. The team was working on their spot serving all year and Howell noticed a great improvement. Other things that Howell saw improvement with defense and playing smarter as a team.

This years senior night was slightly different than years in the past. Collins was the only senior honored on senior night, as she was the only senior volleyball player.  The other girls on the volleyball team referred to this particular night as “Briar Night.”

Junior Taylor Geotz has played with Collins for three years and said that she liked only having one senior because they were able to focus the entire night on her and she thinks that this made it very special. Geotz has enjoyed playing volleyball because of the bonds that she builds with the team and the memories that she makes on and off the court.

“I think we became closer as a team as the year went on.” Geotz said.

Collins said that she was having so much fun this season that her senior night came faster than she had expected. Collins said that even though she was sad high school volleyball was almost over for her, she was glad that she had the opportunity to play and get to know all of the younger girls.

“The other girls on the team made me feel like, even though I did not want it to, this was a good note to end on,” Collins said.

Howell said that this was also a difficult night for her. Howell has coached Collins the entire three years that she has played volleyball. Something else that made this night different for Howell was that this is the first time since she has been head coach that there has only been one senior.

With all of the new underclassmen volleyball players this does not look like something that is going to happen again anytime soon. The underclassmen now have a lot of very involved students that all of the coaches are looking forward to having.