The entire gym was filled with love as the Bishop’s Girls Volleyball team held their senior night on October 18th, celebrating their three seniors: Captains Lyla Beamer and Sierra Lever, and Evelyn Walker, at their home game against Classical Academy. The high energy, shown both by the large student section and the players, was a perfect way to honor them.
The girls played a total of three sets against Classical, winning them all. In the initial moments of the game, the players were still warming up to their opponents which led to a close first set. This, however, was not because of skill, but more so because they “got a little nervous at times,” according to Lyla Beamer (‘25). Regardless, they were able to pull out a 2-point win, making the score for the first set 25-23.
In the second set, the girls came out stronger and took more control of the game, winning 25-16, with almost a 10-point lead. By the third set, they had built up their confidence and were dominating in all aspects of the game, asserting a 25-8 win over them, and finalizing an overall score of 3-0.
Since it was senior night, the seniors got the opportunity to play positions they usually would not be placed in. Libero and Haverford commit, Sierra, even got the chance to play front-row. She noted that “getting a kill” while she was up there was her “special highlight” of the night.
Similarly, Evelyn reflected on the special game, saying, “My favorite part was when all three [seniors] were on the court at the same time for game point.” Together, they secured that “nice, crisp, sweeping win”.
Even though they “were expecting to win,” Lyla noted, “I think there have been senior nights where we have been much more stressed about the game itself; it was nice to be able to just take that day to reminisce instead of being so stressed.”
Looking back on her time in the program, Lyla explained that her senior season was “reminiscent of all the other seasons.” She finds herself comparing all the experiences of this year to her experiences from past seasons and how she’s “grown in the program, establishing a new role for [herself] each year.”
Their incredible coaching staff, including Head Coach Todd Mattox and Coach Katie Meyers, “have put so much thought into the team and fostering a competitive culture” which is one thing Sierra will miss the most about the team.
Additionally, Evelyn elaborated that the coaches have helped the girls understand that “being challenged is important” and “you won’t ever grow or appreciate getting better at something without struggling with it first and challenging yourself while in the process.”
One of the most cherished aspects of the sport of volleyball for all three seniors is that “You can never get too self-centered,” as Evelyn put it. “You can’t really get absorbed in what you’re doing because you’re playing for everyone else on the team,” she added. “That’s a really important thing BIVB [Bishop’s Indoor Volleyball] shows us because it teaches you to be selfless and make sacrifices for everybody on the team.”
At the end of the day, the hours and hours spent together will be what they will miss most. Evelyn adds, “I am really going to miss our time together. Having shared experiences, like scheduled practices and lifts together, really bonded us because they were both character building and challenging”
Unfortunately, the team’s season came to an end when they lost their second round of State Playoffs on Thursday night against Windward. However, the girls had a great season overall, making it into the open division for CIFs, and have a lot to look forward to in the years to come.
