The Kaneland High School varsity volleyball team hosted the Morris Community High School Redskins for their annual Senior Night on Oct. 22 at 6 p.m.
The Knights started the evening with their Senior Night festivities, including the introduction of the seniors with announcements about their future plans and the players throwing toy volleyballs into the crowd and running onto the home court one last time.
“While the sophomores play, all the [nonsenior varsity players] will make blankets and senior baskets,” senior team manager Alexis VanDerVoorn said. “We come back to school and look at our baskets and take pictures with everyone. Then we get ready for the game together, and it’s good for bonding.”
The Knights and the Redskins battled the three set game out, with Kaneland eventually winning 2-1. The Knights starting rotation included senior outside Audrey Peters (2), senior libero Emma Mannia (3), senior right side and middle Kayli Loonam (5), junior setter and right side Abigail Carter (12), senior outside Olivia d’Escoto (14) and junior right side and middle Grace Remsen (6).
Due to a concussion, senior middle Morgan Beam (10) was unable to play, but she cheered the team on from the sideline.
“I’ve suffered through injuries and have had to constantly fight back from them, and then for [this] to happen to me the night before [our Senior Night] was just heartbreaking,” Beam said.
Although Beam sat out her Senior Night match, her team spirit, enthusiasm and motivation didn’t go unnoticed. Beam cheered on the team throughout all three sets and supported them through the entire night’s ups and downs.
Kaneland lost the first set 14-25 before taking the second set 25-16. The third and tiebreaking set was played extremely close and back-and-forth throughout most of the set. The Knights, however, defeated the Redskins 25-19.
“After losing the first set, it was kind of like a reality check. Like, ‘We gotta get our [game] together.’ Like, this is a real game. This is an important game,” Beam said. “No one wanted to lose on Senior Night. So I think everyone found that drive from that and pushed [on to the] second and third sets.”
They finished their Senior Night with their home win tradition of listening to Sweet Caroline by Neil Diamond. The team shook hands with their opponents, circled up and put their hands together to celebrate.
Kaneland played LaSalle-Peru High School on Oct. 24, losing 0-2. This would result in Kaneland placing 2nd in conference with a record of 7-3. Even though they didn’t keep their what would have been five-year streak of winning the conference, they are still proud of how they did this season. Their biggest highlight was the Kaneland Volleyball Invite held at Kaneland High School.
“Winning the Kaneland Invite was definitely [our] proudest moment as a team,” junior setter Emma Gatz (4) said. “It was the most exciting and unifying moment in our season.”
They’ll play their first Regional match at Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy (IMSA) on Monday, Oct. 29, at 6 p.m.
