The volleyball flies fast through the air, shoes squeak on the floors, and loud whistles blow while the Lady Raiders encourage and help each other to beat their new opponents.

Playing in the new environment of the northwest Arkansas conference had its challenges as the ladies went up against Fayetteville, Bentonville, Springdale, and Rogers, AR.

“I wasn’t ready for the intensity other teams compete at,” Elaine Hays said.

Roselyn Garcia found the competition to be the highlight of the season.

“We got to see how other teams played,” Roselyn said.

Personality clashes made the season difficult.

“At times, the team couldn’t get along, and the girls would get stressed,” Selena Uribe said.

For Roselyn Garcia, losing was hard.

“We still tried our best and kept going,” Roselyn said.

The most challenging part for Leah Facio was that their opponents were more athletic and had better strategies.

“What made it hard was that our team had trouble trying to break their strategies and get points, but in the end, we worked together to break them,” Leah said.

Despite the obstacles, the team worked together to make points against their opponents.

“When we were on the court, we backed each other up if the ball went the wrong way,” Roselyn said.

Derieona Johnson believed that working hard, being confident, and lifting each other up helped secure points.

“We had some ups and downs, but we never gave up on trying to win,” Derieona said.

Kaylee Khantharinh liked how the team communicated on the court.

“We made sure we were on the same page during the game,” Kaylee said.

Kha’Madri Goodwin acknowledged that it was a hard season.

“We still built our team chemistry and communicated on and off the court,” Kha’Madri said.

Essence Wilkerson knew that their serves were good.

“We made sure to get our serves over and in to gain points to win,” Essence said.

Despite the setbacks, the ladies had favorite moments.

“When me and my team got to the championship, I realized how much we could accomplish,” Genesis Monteroza, 7th, said.

Kha’Madri loved getting her first block.

“Playing middle is a huge spot so scoring just that one point meant a lot,” Kha’Madri said.

Audrina Phoumivong enjoyed the bus rides back home.

“We took pictures of everyone sleeping and sang on the bus,” Audrina said.