Selma High’s Girls Volleyball team played its last game of the season against Kingsburg on October 23rd, ending the season with an overall score of 3-23. Not only was it the last game of the season, but it was also senior night to commemorate the seniors’ volleyball journey coming to an end.
To celebrate the seniors, they were each given a sash to wear on their special day. There was also a breakfast held for them on the morning of their senior night.
Senior Jesslyn Barreno, who has been playing volleyball for four years and plays as a right side hitter on the team, shares that the breakfast was a bittersweet experience.
“It’s something the other seniors and I had been looking forward to, but it came quickly, and it was a realization that the season has come to an end,” expresses Jesslyn.
Jesslyn’s favorite part of the breakfast was being with all of her teammates and having the best time together while enjoying each other’s company.
Senior Emma Jaylee, who has been playing volleyball for six years and plays the positions of passer, hitter, and setter, states that her senior night was amazing.
“I’m glad I had my family and friends there to support me. I’m sad about it coming to an end because of how much I love volleyball, but I’m grateful to have been able to experience it,” says Emma.
Although Emma’s volleyball journey in high school has come to an end, she is deciding to pursue the sport in college. Jesslyn isn’t planning on playing volleyball in college, but if the opportunity presents itself, she will take it.
Outside of the sport, the girls learned a lot about teamwork, leadership, and never giving up.
Even though the season record was not what they expected, the team never lost hope and kept persevering until the end.
“Our season was a tough one this year, with a lot of injuries affecting our preseason and players playing new positions they’ve never played before. With that being said, the girls never gave up, and are motivated than ever to continue to get better to be competitive for the following year,” shares Coach Caylin Lopez.
Coach Caylin Lopez says the hardest part of coaching volleyball is developing a “volleyball” mentality in players. In comparison to other sports, every mistake in volleyball costs a point, which can make it very difficult for the players to get out of their heads and move on to the next play.
However, she does enjoy seeing how much the girls grew throughout the season, and the energy they brought to practices.
“Watching the seniors grow has been so heartfelt. This group was so special not only because my sister was a senior, but because a lot of them made strong friendships with the underclassmen which made a memorable year for all the players,” expresses Coach Caylin Lopez.
Although volleyball didn’t have a perfect season record-wise, it was meaningful. The girls built strong bonds, learned from every game, and gave it all they had.
Lastly, Coach Caylin Lopez is excited to see how the returning players will continue to grow and how new players to the program will positively impact the volleyball program.
