On Tuesday, October 29th, the varsity volleyball team faced off against Bellevue East for a chance to play in the district finals. In an emotional win, Westside claimed their chance against Papillion La-Vista for first place. Wednesday, October 30th, at 6:00p.m Westside played against Papillion-La Vista. Westside’s first set was lost 12-25, their second set another loss of 11-25, and their third and final set a loss of 12-25. Despite what the team considered a sad loss, Westside still claimed 2nd place as class A district A-1 runners-up. Head Coach Korrine Bowers explained the pride she has for her team.

“I am [proud]. I think the girls were upset, and I was like ‘guys, we have some hardware’. This is something to be proud of. It’s a huge accomplishment for this team. Not only having a winning record, winning our match last night [was really] emotional,” Bowers said. “Especially for the seniors. Coming out tonight, all you can do is put everything you have onto the court. It didn’t fall our way, but were runners-up in the class A district. That’s something to be proud of. I am, and I’m pumped.”

Sophomore Madilyn Siebler said she feels the same pride for her teammates.

“I feel good, especially coming in last year we were fourth seed and this year we’ve made so much progress. We have a winning record. We were second seed coming in. Honestly, I’m really happy where we ended up, compared to last year, as long as we keep growing and keep getting better,” Siebler said.

At the end of the match, all the Westside volleyball teammates and coaches joined for one last, emotional, post-game huddle.

“I, personally, was closer to seniors and I think a lot of us were, and it’s always sad to see them go,” Siebler said.

Coach Bowers explained her team’s tearful emotions and the legacy her seniors have left.

“I think they were flowing, mainly because of our three seniors. Last year. they were juniors, but they were a huge part of building our foundation,” Bowers said. “I relied on that group just because they’re tight [and] they had [a] competitive edge. I told them that they’ve built the foundation. Wherever we go next year, or the year after, or the year after that [those] three are our foundation. Marissa, Kenna and Izzy. That’s something to be proud of.”

Katrina Nahayo, who is the mother of senior Izzy Nahayo, explained what it was like to watch her daughter play for the very last time.

“Makes me proud as a mom to know that they worked hard. They made a lot of great improvement this year and staying together as a team [and] not giving up. She was a non-volleyball player and [has] grown tremendously,” Nahayo said.

In Bowers’ second season with the Warriors, Westside finishes with their first winning record since 2011.