The Lady Panther varsity volleyball team won their last regular season home game last Thursday night against the Lovell Bulldogs 25-13, 25-19, 25-14.

It wasn’t just the last regular season game of the year, but for some it was the last regular season home game for volleyball altogether. The seniors were celebrated by their teammates and the rest of the gym in attendance.

“As teammates, it was sad knowing that this would be our last night playing together at home, but we all wanted the win for each other (considering we were all seniors) and to end with a victory on that court,” senior Aubrie Stenerson said.

Before the game, seniors were acknowledged as they walked through the gym with their parents/families and were met with presents from their team. Seniors included were Rachel Bonander, Devon Curtis, Jazlyn Haney, Ashtyn Heny, Jasmyne Lensegrav, Becky Mcconahay, Natalie Ostermiller, Aubrie Stenerson and Hartly Thorington. Each senior also had a spot in the hall for anyone to leave notes or presents.

The game started quickly after the ceremony and the crowd was filled with blue to raise awareness for Autism, the color for which is blue. Shirts were sold beforehand and 50 percent of the proceeds were donated to the school’s Life Skills Department.

“It makes me feel so happy to see so many people give back to such a great cause,” Thorington said. “My brother is in the special education program, so seeing how much money we raised that will, for example, go toward buying new sensory equipment or technology to help him in school just touches my heart.”

The varsity team got off to a good start, winning the first set 25-13. The team kept their momentum up, and won their second set by 6 points, 25-19.

“We had really good communication,” Heny said. “We were constantly talking and that contributed to our success.”

As the Lady Panthers entered their third set the gym got louder, cheering for this year’s seniors one last time. “Uno mas” was echoing throughout the gym as the girls played their last point at home. Cheers filled the gym as the final score of the third set was 25-14.

“It was really uplifting,” Stenerson said. “The crowd showed how supportive the community is, especially the student section. They never fail to get our team fired up.”

The Lady Panthers varsity team will be traveling to Mountain View this weekend for their regional tournament. Their first game will be against Big Piney. If they win two games, they qualify for the state tournament.

“If we keep up the momentum we had at our win against Lovell I think we will be rock solid going into regionals,” Thorington said.