Tuesday night’s volleyball game in the Highland gym was an event full of team spirit and fan pride. The Lady Scots Varsity team were up against the Como Cougars for a final game that determined conference position. Lots of fans were in attendance as well as parents, community members, other HPSH staff members, and the HPSH band. There was quite the crowd.

Around 6:55, Coach Kramer and the rest of the team gathered on the gym floor to honor seniors Emma Muter, Lydia Thompson, Edith Kamau, and Chelsi Her by presenting them with handmade blankets made by the rest of the team, as well as sharing kind words about each departing senior. It was a great way to send them off and to celebrate their hard work and accomplishments as members of the team.

After the honoring of the seniors, the long awaited event happened: the throwing of the candy. As each player was introduced, they would throw candy into the stands. It was much enjoyed by all, except if you were hit by an unexpected flying morsel, in which case… well, it could have be worse.

After all the introduction procedure, it was time for the game to start. The Lady Scots got off to a great start, but it was clear from the beginning that Como was going to put up a fight. The first game was close, however Highland pulled it off, scoring 25-23 to win the first game.

Moving into the second game, the team seemed energized, fired up, and ready to go. After Como made it clear that they weren’t going down without a fight, the Lady Scots knew they had to step up their game. After lots of intense back and forth, Como ended up winning the second game 25-22.

At this point, the crowd knew that since a team has to win three games, we would be there for at least another two games. Sophomore Ethan Aune took it upon himself to be the “cheer master” for the Highland student section. He did a phenomenal job. Highland student fans were in some serious need of some cheer organization so it was so awesome when Ethan stood up and took charge. Very well done.

Following the second game, the Lady Scots fought for revenge and succeeded by winning the third game with a score of 26-24. This win seemed to give Como the energy to ramp up their strength and to do everything they could to try to pull of a win. One notable part of the game was Sinead O’Duffy of Como’s extremely unique serve that had previously never been seen by many. It sure was interesting to observe. Como’s increased strength, along with the introduction of a seemingly power serve, lead Como to victory with a 25-13 win.

The fifth and final game fast approached. This was the deciding game to see which team would win the series of games that evening. On the fifth and final game, a team is only required to reach a 15 point threshold before being officially declared the winner. The Lady Scots put up an excellent effort but in the end, Como prevailed 15-7.

Despite the loss, everyone agreed that it was a great evening. The fabulous team oriented dynamic always displayed by the players and parents is truly amazing, even after a heartbreaking loss. As always, the Highland fans remained positive and continued to show their endless pride and passion for fellow scots. After every high stakes sports game, there’s always many tweets that describe an appreciation for the family like dynamic among the student body at Highland. That couldn’t of been more apparent last night. #ScotsNation always and forever.

Below are a few more shots from last night’s game: