After their state send-off on Thursday, November 16, the Prairie varsity volleyball team traveled to the Yakima Valley Sundome to compete in a state championship.
The team is evenly distributed into 3 vans where they will spend the next few hours together. To pass the time, some of the girls took naps, listened to music, chatted, snacked, and played on their phones. Since it was the senior’s last high school van ride, they all rode together with coach Jen and Kacey.
After a 3-hour drive to Yakima, the Falcons have a practice at the dome where they would be competing the following morning. Their first game of state would be taking place at 3:30. The coaches had a solid practice plan prepared for them to come out and secure their first win. Head coach Jen Palmer says, “I love the excitement and the nerves. Going to state is a privilege that we have earned.”
The team showed grit when coming out strong with a win against Gig Harbor, promising them a game on day 2. This gave the team confidence going into their next game, starting at 10 pm that same night. Senior captain, Eme Cecil was asked how she sees the team performing at state, and she responds with, “If we all just play our game physically and mentally, I think we can win it all. We are unstoppable.”
Unfortunately, the Falcons fall short of a chance at first place when they lose to ranked #1 North Thurston in 4 close-fought sets. The scores were, 23-25, 27-25, 24-26, 23-25. With the game ending at midnight, the girls were discouraged by their loss and the late night. Nonetheless, they had to get rest because they had an early morning, determining if they would even place at all.
Fortunately, the team doesn’t give up, going into day 2 winning both their games in 3 sets, bringing home a 5th place trophy since their last placement in 2018, and highest since 2012. The Prairie Falcons may not have met their goal of first place, but they still persevered and ended the season with a successful run at state.
