On Thursday, Oct. 29, at 5 p.m., Horizon Honors’ varsity volleyball played their rival Valley Christian. The game was intense and kept you on the edge of your seat throughout the whole match. The players had a huge amount of support throughout the entire game from all the pink clad students participating in School Spirit Day, while also supporting Breast Cancer Awareness.

As the whistle blew for the game to begin, the ladies were on their toes. It started slow with the Eagles in the lead. Juniors Alexa Smythe and Alexis Gomes worked together to block many volleyballs from coming over the net with the help from senior Rachel Van Gorp. With the whole team working together, they were surely going to be unbeatable. The final score for the first set was 25-23, a close and competitive start.

The heat began to build up in the gym with fans shouting from all directions. The ladies had won the first set and were not going to lose this advantage to the other team. Gomes was on a unstoppable streak with all of her blocks, and junior Giuliana Castronova had many assists through this set. The ball kept going back and forth, making all the fans cheer and get loud, and it felt like the game was never going to end. Giuliana Castronova was always there to help the Lady Eagles when it came to digs and assists. It finally ended with an awesome kill with a score of 25-23.

The Eagles had incredible saves through the third set, with Erica Kendree digging for that volleyball with no fear. Giuliana Castronova kept it going with those assist in this set. All the ladies worked together and everyone had a shot help out on the court. Though the ladies were unbreakable, Valley Christian made their way through. Even when the opponent was in the lead the ladies would not give up without a fight. As hard as the ladies played, they lost the third set, 25-16.

However, they came back with teamwork and resilience, winning the fourth set. Valley Christian played very well but not enough to beat Horizon Honors. You could feel the tension build up in the room with everyone shouting and on their feet. Freshman Gabriella Castronova was serving with all her might, staying on an unbelievable streak. All the Eagles jumped and high-fived each other as they were successful with all their plays. However, they would not have done so well if it were not for all the fans in the bleachers, who never stopped cheering for them, everyone supported them by wearing pink. The Eagles won their last and final set 25-22.

All of the sets were played hard, all the ladies giving this game all they got. The Eagles are now 30-5 for their record. This game was full of surprises, all the ladies did a wonderful job and played until the end. Hopefully, they do well as they travel to state competition next weekend. Go Eagles!