The tension rose, and the excitement turned into nerves as the Lady Raiders put on their game faces. The volleyball net seemed to get higher. The court felt smaller. The game was close, but Kimmons took the WIN.

Even with the wins, the ladies did not always play perfectly, and they tended to focus on every little mistake they made, which led to problems on the court.

“During the Volleyball season, we made the mistake of not taking practice time seriously, which then affected our games,” Natalie Estrada, 9th, said. “The team tended to shut down early in the game when we wouldn’t do the best.”

Teila Tran, 8th, agreed.

“Whenever we missed a point, we’d get upset at each other, and we’d give up and dig a hole that we couldn’t get out of,” Teila said.

I’Niyah Shaw, 7th, saw the results of giving up.

“Some girls didn’t call the ball, didn’t move their feet, and in the beginning, we didn’t work as a team,” I’Niyah said. “We got used to not being perfect.”

Not focusing also led to problems.

“Some players did not know their positions or talked, and this would make the team frustrated,” Marcela Martinez, 8th, said. “Coach helped us know that we are not quitters and should try our best to finish.”

Lack of communication also caused issues.

“We got attitudes with each other,” Kelya Moss, 9th, said.

Salarah Logan, 8th, also noticed the personality clashes.

“People let the ball drop, got embarrassed easily, and a lot of us got angry and would yell at each other for not doing exactly what the team wanted,” Salarah said.

Daira Iraburo, 7th, found a positive spin.

“The team got upset, but it didn’t stop us from trying our best,” Daira said. “Coach taught us to keep a positive attitude and not bring down our teammates.”

When she saw her girls giving up and letting the errors take over, Coach Heyn advised her team to go “one point at a time” and not dwell on mistakes.

“Coach’s advice is important because when we did go one point at a time, we eventually reached our designated goal of 25,” Dynasty Andrews, 8th, said. “Even if we did make a mistake while trying, we still had to remember the motto to be able to finish the game with a win.”

Stephanie Delgado, 7th, realized that it’s not always about winning. Sometimes it’s about the life lessons learned.

“Everybody makes mistakes, and from mistakes you learn,” Stephanie said.

Kirsten Alvarez, 8th, appreciated Coach’s advice.

“Thinking we were too behind made us mess up even more,” Kirsten said. “With hope, we could go up slowly.”

Jaylei Bolton, 9th, saw the advantage of letting go.

“If you see that you are digging a hole, then forget the mistakes and start over with the energy you had at the beginning of the game,” Jaylei said. “Then you can come back and win.”

Coach Heyn’s words made a long-lasting impression.

“We all make mistakes, and if we dwell on every little one, when we do something good, we would not be able to appreciate it,” Omunique Thomas, 7th, said.