The varsity team played its district game against DuBois High School on November 3 at Elk County Christian High School. They got second place with the final scores of each match being 22-25, 13-25, and 9-25. The last time the Clearfield volleyball team went to districts was in 2012, so this is a great accomplishment for the team. The team’s competition schedule in the Mountain League is challenging, and it is one of the top leagues in the state, so each victory must be fought for.

This volleyball season has come to an end, but the team has faced triumph and loss that shapes them as players. Head Coach Sandy Bailor voices, “We are proud of all our victories this season, but if I am being honest with you our District Semi-Final game vs St. Marys was the proudest. The girls played their hearts out and they never quit nobody gave us a chance to win that much, it is a feeling I believe the girls will never forget.”  The Semi-Final game in St. Mary’s had a beneficial impact on the team because they gave it their best effort and persevered throughout the whole game.

The most rewarding way to earn points in volleyball is to have a “kill”, which is when a ball is spiked so the other team cannot receive it successfully. According to Coach Bailor, “Ruby Singleton had 13 kills in the semi-final game vs St. Marys, and she had 5 kills vs DuBois in the District Final game.” Making kills would not be possible if the whole team did not work together and work with all of their heart.

The girls on the volleyball team learn new lessons each game, but making it to districts gives them a new perspective on things. For instance, Coach Bailor expresses, “I am hoping they realize that when you work hard in the off season and during the season your efforts pay off, they now know what it feels like to play in the district playoffs and they will keep working harder to get back there next season.” Now that the girls have experienced going to districts, Coach Bailor hopes it has pushed them to strive for a return in the next season.

Unfortunately, there is a bittersweet goodbye for a few of the team’s seniors who will not be able to follow the team on their journey to districts next volleyball season. Coach Bailor notes, “We are losing 3 amazing young ladies, Olivia Bender, Kayla Reed, and Lauren Ressler. These young ladies were very pivotal in our success this year and we are going to miss them immensely.”

The volleyball program is still active and there are club practices and other small programs that branch off. Coach Bailor adds parting information, “I want people to know that the Volleyball program is up and coming. We now hold a 6 week elementary program  to get the younger girls interested in the sport, we have a JH program with two amazing coaches, Mrs. Danver and Mrs. Thorp, who have developed a great program at that level, which helps the JV/Varsity program. These players come to practice every day and practice hard, they play every match with the mental state of winning that match against some top notch teams in the state and they never quit. We know winning is a tradition here at Clearfield and there are several sports that have been very successful here, but my philosophy is if you work hard, you are committed, you are a team player and you give 110% on that court you will always be winners no matter what the wins/losses are. We appreciate the support we received  this season from our student body, it meant the world to the girls. To the teachers and the administration, we also appreciate your support. This season was a memorable one for us and we are only hoping for many more.”