Dreams die hard. . . It was an exciting night of volleyball, and the Pioneers gave St. Joes all they could handle, taking them to the wire in a thrilling contest. There were great plays on both sides of the net, and the crowd certainly got their money's worth.
I think it might be fair to say you can judge the success of a season by the pain exhibited when it ends. The six seniors who have lived and breathed Kirkwood Volleyball for the past four years were visibly crushed, and to me that says "It mattered". Not sure you can give a better compliment to a high school athlete. . .
Seeing them come back out on the court following the match reminded me of the final game of my high school basketball career. . . My evil nemesis, Frank Cusamano (of Channel 5 sports, and now a good friend) hit a half-court shot at the buzzer of the 2nd overtime to beat us in the district finals, and I remember sitting in the locker room just numb, not being able to process that fact that it was over, and I didn't have practice tomorrow. I went on to play in college, but it's fair to say I don't miss anything quite as much as the time spent with my teammates on that high school team, and wearing that Pattonville uniform. . .
I know it will be tough for these girls for the next few days, but they need to know how proud we are of them and what a great job they did representing Kirkwood High School and the entire Kirkwood community. They've created great memories for themselves and all of us who got to watch them play. They went down fighting. . .
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