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For the LCHS junior varsity, "it" happened this last weekend.
"It" was becoming a championship-caliber team. And for those who
got to see it, it was beautiful.
It is no secret that when any new season begins, athletes who
have never played together before are not a team. Whether they ever
become a team is up to their coach, each of the players and others
around them who influence their attitudes. Some groups of athletes
that play together never become a team. The ones that do are a
special breed.
It is also no secret that the Railer junior varsity has had some
sporadic struggles this young season. Those struggles show up in the
7-9 record they had BEFORE last Thursday night, when they took a
trip to Sacred Heart-Griffin. Since Thursday, through the "magic" of
"team," some of those struggles came to an end. As a result, the
Railers went to their homecoming dance on Saturday night sporting a
record of 13 wins and nine losses.
The junior Lady Railers first rose to the challenge of playing at
Sacred Heart-Griffin. With a mixture of good serving, good net play,
an improving defense and... teamwork, the Railers defeated the
Blazers by a match score of 25-17 and 25-21. Coming away from SHG
with a victory is no small accomplishment at any level. Having done
so, it appeared the Railers' confidence level went up a notch. The
proof would either show up or not, come Saturday, when the Railers
would spend the day at their archrival's place. That place would be
the confines of Champaign Centennial High School.
Saturday came early, as it was still dark when the LCHS bus
pulled out for the trip to Centennial. Five matches faced them. If
they were to be the champions, they needed five victories. If they
were to get five victories, they would have to be a "team." Nothing
short of that would get them there. Nothing short of that would help
them for the rest of their season.
In pool play, the Railers first faced a fair, but not great, team
in Decatur Eisenhower. The usual Railer starters and substitutes
played in game one, and those not playing did a great team thing --
they enthusiastically and sincerely cheered every Railer
point. After a first-game rout by the Railers, by a score of 25-10,
Lincoln's coach Crawford used the second game to give some
well-deserved playing time to the entire squad. Giving significant
playing time to those who work hard every day in practice is
one of the ways a coach builds "team." Commendations go to Crawford
for continuing to recognize this. In addition to this, I saw another
great "team" thing going on -- the regular Railer starters cheering
enthusiastically and sincerely for those who were on the
court for their time in the sun. The Railers prevailed in game two
by a score of 25-13.
I thought the next match was the turning point for the team. As
long-term Railer fans know, Champaign Centennial has a long history
with the Railers. Most of that history has been about good old
hard-fought competition. Some of that history has been less than
cordial, to say the least. That history was about to be extended on
Saturday. The Railers would not only have a knock-down, drag-out
with the Chargers in pool play, but the two teams would see each
other in the championship game. The pool game came first.
Why the Chargers and the Railers were in the same pool, no one
except the home team scheduler knows. (I have my own opinion but
will withhold it) It was the same scheduling a year ago at this same
tournament, and it made no sense then either. The Railers and the
Chargers seemed pretty evenly matched as they began the match;
however, the Chargers prevailed in game one, 25-17. Then, it seemed,
the Railer "team" came alive. A spirited game two found long volleys
and battles, with the last team standing being the Railers at 25-20.
Game three was another hitting battle as the team exchanged points
one after the other. The Lincoln girls seemed unwilling to lose and
unwilling to let their teammates down -- another team concept was on
display. The Railer team prevailed 15-11 to take round one against
their rivals.
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After lunch the Railers took on a team from Mahomet-Seymour that,
according to their fans, played the best match of their season
against Lincoln. It was a tough match. The most unusual part was
that this pool match meant "nothing" to the Railers in terms of the
team championship. If the Railers lost, they would have ended up
first in their pool due to the tiebreaker rules, and if they won,
the result would be the same. But you couldn't tell the Railer team
that. To a team, winning ISN'T the primary motivation for playing --
pride is. Against Mahomet, the Railer pride shown brightly. After a
three-game, hard-fought battle, the Railers ended up undefeated in
pool play by scores of 25-18, 26-28 and 15-13. As the championship round began, LCHS faced off against a good
squad from Bloomington Central Catholic. But BCC was no match for
the improved Railer team, as Lincoln blasted their way to 25-22,
25-16 win. The Railers looked a little tired at times during the
second game of the match, but overall their team spirit and
consistent play got them to the final round. As expected, Centennial
took care of their business and beat a good Effingham team to
advance to the finals.
With the wins, the stage was set for the rematch with Centennial.
But this time the stakes were higher -- the tournament championship.
The Railers were warned that Centennial would be playing at a
different level in this final match of the day. Apparently, though,
no one really could fathom that the Railers had their own new
"different level" of play. It was a team level I hadn't seen before.
The Railers played at a level that resulted in them dominating their
hardest match so far this season, which they pulled out at 25-23
and, even better in game two, at 25-15.
To say that the Railers were
awesome would be an understatement. I saw defense like I had not
seen before, blocks of Centennial's best hitters that ended up in
their face and not on our floor, and kills that were untouchable by
the Charger defense. And when the Railers got up, they never let up.
I also heard players encouraging each other in good plays and in
not-so-good plays. I saw players helping each other off the floor
after a dive to save a point. I saw Railers going to any length to
get to every ball, every time. I saw appropriate celebrating on the
floor and from the bench as points were won. I finally saw some
smiles on faces of players who were having fun. I saw enthusiasm. I
saw and heard the sounds of team. In the end, I saw a first-place
trophy held high as a result of the team effort.
"Team." It's a beautiful thing when it happens. I'm thankful I
got to see it. Thank you, ladies, for showing it to all of us. You
are champions in many more ways than just on the volleyball court.
Congratulations!
GO, RAILERS!
Charger tournament statistics
Kills -- Hilary Hobler, 49; Hannah Sheley, 23; Emily Sheley, 19;
Laura Aughenbaugh, 18; Felicia Jackson, 18
Assists -- Amy Kelley, 42; Kayla Riggs, 37; Emily Berglin, 16
Service points -- Hannah McShane, 35, including 5 aces; H. Sheley,
27, including 6 aces; Kayla Jenkins, 21, including 5 aces; Kelley,
19
Digs -- McShane, 46; Hobler, 23
Blocks -- E. Sheley, 7; Aughenbaugh, 4
SHG game statistics
Service points -- Berglin, 10; Hobler, 6, including 5
aces; Riggs, 6
Assists -- Riggs, 7; Berglin, 5; Kelley, 5
Kills -- Hobler, 5; Berglin, 3; H. Sheley, 3
[Rick
Hobler]
Respond to the writer at
rhobler@lccs.edu.
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