The Warriors volleyball team took down Millard South last night in a battle on both sides of the net. Westside defeated the Patriots in five sets and closed out their regular season at home with a win. More important than the win, was the occasion. This game served as Westside’s senior night. An event in which the seniors on the team are highlighted and honored for their four years of hard work and service to the school. This year, the Warriors say goodbye to five seniors, all of whom are captains. Middle hitter Liv Odvody shared her emotions as she played through this emotional game.
“The emotions were surreal,” Odvody said “I don’t feel like a senior at all. I’ve gotten to celebrate the team’s seniors for the last two years, so now that I am one of the seniors being celebrated, it feels weird. I expected to be sad and cry, but I was happy and couldn’t get a smile off my face. The only times I cried was reading the girls’ letters after the game.”
After four years as a Warrior, there was plenty of time for memories to be made. The bond that was formed among the five seniors over their time in high school accompanied these memories for Odvody.
“There are so many amazing memories I have,” Odvody said. “My favorite one so far from this year was our first game against Millard West. It was a super tight game and the adrenaline was high. The student section was so loud, the energy was amazing, and everyone was hugging and having so much fun between sets.”
6 ‘3 ” outside hitter and Creighton commit, Ashlyn Paymal, was a relatively recent addition to the team. Transferring in at the start of her junior year, Paymal hasn’t had as much time to make memories compared to some of her teammates. That being said, Paymal was able to find her spot and create some lasting friendships with her teammates.
“I transferred in my junior year,” Paymal said. “Being on this team helps me realize what being a team is all about. We are very united and supportive of each other. It’s a group of girls you couldn’t find anywhere else.”
Paymal has been indispensable for the Warriors this year and senior night against the Patriots was no different. With 20 kills and kill percentage of 38%, it was nothing short of a dominant night. Throughout this, Paymal couldn’t help but feel the emotions that came through senior night.
“Obviously being a senior can bring a lot of emotions,” Paymal said. “I mainly just felt happy to have the chance to be a part of this program and have the opportunity to leave an impact on those continuing to play here next year.”
Defensive specialist Kathryn Gaughen has played a pivotal role this year at multiple positions. In addition to managing the team’s defense, Guaghen is a veteran setter. Just recently, the team traveled to Arizona for a tournament in which they played exceptionally. Gaughen cites this as one of her favorite memories from her years as a Warrior.
“My favorite memory would be going to Arizona for the Nike Tournament of Champions,” Gaughen said. “It was all around a fun experience and getting to share that with my team made it special. I think being able to bond with my teammates outside of volleyball made us all a lot closer.”
Similar to Paymal, Gaughen transferred in her junior year. In the shortened time she had with the team. Nonetheless, Gaughen found the Warrior environment very easy to become integrated in.
“I transferred in as a junior so this is only my second year at Westside,” Gaughen said. “When I got here all of the girls were really welcoming and made my transition very easy. I bonded really quickly with the girls on the team last year and this year. It is a really amazing culture that I would not be able to find anywhere else.”
Moving on from this team will be hard for all involved. With this there will obviously be things that the players will miss. Next year Paymal will be moving on to play at the University of Creighton. Making the move to college is a huge transition and while playing Division One athletics is a huge opportunity, there will be things that Paymal will miss.
“I will miss all the jokes between everyone in practice and games,” Paymal said. “We know how to lighten the mood and make any stressful situation feel better.”
As for Odvody, the rituals that the team has developed will continue to be what she thinks most fondly of.
“I will miss game days the most,” Odvody said “Getting ready together, making Tiktox, and doing chants in the locker room are some of the most fun things that I will miss so much.”
Finally, Gaughen will miss the bond she has made with the team. She believes that she will carry this bond on to whatever she does next in life.
“I am going to miss all of the girls that I have bonded with this season,” Gaughen said. “It will be really hard knowing that I will never get to play or practice with them again. They have become some of my best friends so having to leave them will be very difficult.”
Looking forward to this event, the second ranked Warriors will look to take down Pius X before they mount a run towards the state championship.
