Tigers Volleyball Season Recap: Tigers Finish 8th in the State for Class AA

The Harrisburg High School Volleyball team ended the season with a 14-12 record that put them in eighth place at the State Volleyball Tournament, located in Brookings, November 19-21. Coaches Ronette Costain, Kaye DesLauriers, Alyssa Chambers, Chelsea Murphy, and Tanya Ramstad all guided these players through a successful season. The team has practiced since the middle of August and their hard work paid off.

State AA Volleyball Tournament

When the Tigers went to play at State, they played three games. Though the Tigers fell short, they put up a fight against some of the best teams in the area. Devanie Andre, who was one of the six seniors on the team this year, had this to share: “We played the number one seeded team very close, and overall played well together. Although we did not place as high as we wanted to, we still played well and learned a lot. It was great to get to compete with some of the best teams in the state, and it was a wonderful experience for the entire team.” Overall, the Tigers went to five sets against the number one State AA Tournament champions, O’Gorman Knights, three close sets against the Aberdeen Eagles, and five sets against the Brandon Valley Lynx.

Corona Virus Effects on the Season

Another senior for the Harrisburg Tigers season, Hannah Healy, lists all the ways this volleyball season differed from passed years: “This year, we were not allowed to switch sides of the court. We were expected to wear masks at all times unless being physically active. We had to sanitize every time we went on and off the court. We couldn’t even get our own water during the game.” The girls still made the best of the situations that they experienced. When the team faced roadblocks, they persevered to get to the end of their season. Mercedes Covrig, another senior member of the team, expresses, “My least favorite part of the season was constantly worrying about who could possibly be affected by COVID and the effects it could have had on the team.” Many of the girls felt the same way; the team tried their best to remain as safe for themselves and others by wearing their masks during school and in public.

Seniors’ Last Say

One of the saddest events of senior year is saying goodbye to friends and teammates. Since the season was rather unconventional, the team felt grateful for their time to play. Andre reveals, “I have learned to never take anything for granted because we were thankful to get to play every game. Covid gave us several uncertainties this year, and we are very lucky to have gotten a full season. I am also very thankful that I got to play with my amazing teammates for one last year.”

All in all, the Harrisburg Tigers Volleyball Team pulled through to finish the season at the State AA Volleyball Tournament. Though the seniors will move on to new adventures, they will not be forgotten at Harrisburg High School for many generations to come.