“We wanted to give the student section a show,” said Ally Austin, a senior captain for Skyline Varsity Volleyball. Put on a show is exactly what they did. The Skyline Eagles defeated Tecumseh 3-1 on senior night, Oct. 28. Austin led the way with an outstanding performance, accumulating 25 kills and 15 digs. Community High School senior hitter Claire Fendrick also had a double-double with 13 kills and 17 digs. CHS senior hitter Jenni Clancy added 6 kills, 2 digs and 9 blocks.

Skyline found themselves down 15-9 in the first set but fought back to tie it at 15. After a few unforced errors, they found themselves down 20-16, but once again rallied back to go up 22-20. Tecumseh fought back to take the lead at 22-24. The teams traded points but a kill by Megan Freitas of Tecumseh finally sealed the first set at 31-29, putting them up 1-0.

Tecumseh carried the momentum into the second set, getting out to an early 15-4 lead. An ace by Austin sparked a 5 point rally bringing the score to 15-9. Later, finding themselves down 16-24, five straight kills by Austin, a spike by Celia Arsen, and a diving save by Fendrick brought the score to 24-24. A block by junior hitter Arsen capped off an incredible 10 point rally, giving Skyline a 26-24 win, tying the game at 1-1.

Skyline’s momentum did not carry over to the start of the third set, however, with Tecumseh taking a 5-1 lead. Later, a big block by Tyffani Bryan put Tecumseh up 10-3. The teams traded points until a sprawling save by  Fendrick sparked another rally for the Eagles. Three straight kills by Austin tied the score at 20-20. A block by Clancy and a kill by Fendrick finished off the set at 25-22, putting Skyline up 2-1.

The teams went back and forth in the fourth set, with no team leading by more than three points, until  Austin killed one past two Tecumseh blockers, winning the set 25-21, giving Skyline a 3-1 victory.

Skyline’s early troubles were accredited to unforced errors. It seemed every time they tied the score, they would commit an error, putting them back behind.

“We just really focused on laughing at each other’s mistakes,” said Deanna Day, the head coach of Skyline. “Volleyball is a game that you’re not going to be perfect, so you have to accept the mistakes. As I said, we do better when we laugh things off and that’s what we got back to and just relaxed.”

When asked what helped turn the game around in the second set, Coach Day said, “Ally going out and scoring. That set the pace for the rest of the match.”

Coach Day was proud of the way the seniors played through the emotions of senior night.

“I think they put a lot of pressure on themselves to play their best volleyball,” said Day. “They finally relaxed and just did what they normally do, and that’s play volleyball. At the end, that’s when they played their best.”

She also spoke highly of the way the seniors have matured as leaders throughout the season.

“We lost the close games in the beginning of the season,” said Day. “We had a hard time getting behind and fighting back. Somewhere in the middle of the season, we learned to fight, whether we were up, whether we were down, whether it was tied. We learned to stay consistent and they started believing that they can win.”

She said that all started when they beat cross-town rivals Pioneer and Huron in straight sets, followed by winning a tournament.

“It made us learn how to win and that’s the legacy that these seniors are leaving for the ladies behind them. This program is here to win, we’re here to fight,” she said.

Going into districts, Coach Day is hoping for the best from her team. “ [I’m] looking for the seniors to be positive leaders on the court,” she said. “I’m looking for their big kills, especially from Claire, Ally and Jenni. I just want them to leave no regrets.”