The fans in the Dome roared with excitement.  The women’s volleyball team (4-3) had persevered against the NDCL Lions, winning their first home game on Tuesday, September 12.

The Lady Warriors’ spirits were high and adrenaline streamed through each and every girl as the home season started.  NDCL had always been a very competitive volleyball team, and this first home game could set the tone for how the remainder of the WJ season would go.

The Warriors started out with an impressive lead but slowly began to let up. They took a hard fought first set 26-24; however, in the second and third sets, they fell short and lost 25-14 and 25-19.  The girls took a timeout to regroup and were more determined than ever to win. The Warriors ended up taking the Lions to a fifth set, triumphing 15-12.

After the game Head Coach Brad Seislove stated, “We started off the match very uptempo and with a lot of passion. We went through a learning experience and fought through a great deal of adversity. I was very proud of the resilience and leadership as we moved forward in the match to take control and play to our full potential.”

Senior libero Maryn Shinaberry commented, “Even though it was rough at times, we came back together and finished strong.” Asked if the Super Fans were helpful in advancing the Lady Warriors to victory, she said, “The student section helped immensely in increasing energy out on the court.”

Outside hitter and senior Jillian Reich added, “The only thing I would change about the game is the ups and downs that our team goes through. We need to learn some consistency in order to push through and finish games.”

Clearly the ladies always display passion for the game and know exactly what they need to work on to improve throughout the remainder of the season. They will continue to rely on strong senior mentors and young talents like sophomore Megan Merril and juniors Jackie Deininger and Dana Dull. This was proven to be true against Beaumont on September 14 when the Warriors won in straight sets (25-17, 25-15, 25-14).  The Warriors took a victory over Lake Catholic (25-8, 25-14, 27-25) on September 19 and Hoban again in straight sets (25-12, 25-23, 25-16).