The seven seniors on the Ballard volleyball team will play their last home game tonight. It will be a bittersweet night as the seniors will be honored but also take one step closer to their last game together.
“They’re a very special group; I’ve been with them for awhile,” headcoach Tami Reese said. “We’ve bonded.”
Reese stated that most of the girls on the team have played all four years. They’re so close that during their practice on Thursday even the injured players showed up.
“We don’t always get to see each other at school,” said senior Annie Allen, one of the teams three captains. “We’re different people at practice.”
Along with Allen, the other six seniors are: Co-captains Monique Marquez and Deanna Myers, Cara Tomlinson, Miranda Eriksen, Kaila Lafferty and Katie Kennedy.
At least two of the seven seniors plan on playing volleyball at the collegiate level. Allen will be playing for Humboldt State in Northern California and Marquez will also play, but hasn’t committed to a school just yet.
The game on Tuesday will be important not only because it's Senior Night, but because it's a key conference match-up. The Beavers will take on the Newport Knights who are second in the conference with a 5 to 1 record. A win would move Ballard to .500 in conference play, and 7 to 4 for the season.
The game starts at 7 p.m. and there will be a big turnout on this special night.