BY JESSALYN KIRCHHOFF
Tuesday was Senior Night for the TMP Lady Monarch volleyball team. TMP played the Hill City Lady Ringnecks and the Oakley Lady Plainsman. As fans and athletes alike know, high school volleyball looks a little different this year.
The players on the bench, managers and coaches will all be wearing masks as well as practicing as much social distancing as possible. A second change in volleyball this year is at the end of the game.
Teams used to shake hands to show good sportsmanship; however, now as a game comes to an end, members of each team wave to each other instead of the cordial handshake. This different application of sportsmanship keeps the games civil while following social distancing rules.
A third major difference fans can expect to see is social distancing and mask mandates or recommendation in the stands. Fans from all teams followed rules adequately while respectively watching the games.
Though some things have changed, the game itself has remained mostly unchanged. The Lady Monarchs started the night with a win over the Lady Plainsman (25 – 9, 25-13).
As the night continued, the Lady Plainsman played the Hill City Lady Ringnecks with Oakley winning 2 sets to 1 (25-23, 20-25, 25-23).
Before the last game of the night, the TMP Lady Monarchs celebrated senior night with their five seniors. Emilee Augustine (2), Jadyn Gottschalk (10), McKenzie Linenberger (22), Sophia Mickelson-Coulter (23), and Sasha Wasinger (28).
The group reminisced on their favorite volleyball memories — most being a shared memory of Coach Greving hitting an owl in the new school suburban — and gave their younger members of the team some heartfelt future advice. It was touching for the crowd to see these young ladies be commemorated for years of hard work and sweat through this celebration.
After the Senior Night Celebration, the Lady Monarchs defeated the Lady Ringnecks in two sets. The first being (25 – 23, 25-18).
Through the new standards of volleyball, the Lady Monarchs had a great night walking away with two season wins and a handful of happy seniors, who, aside from the state of the world, got to spend another game on the court with their teammates.