Senior Night for the Ransom Everglades Girls Varsity Volleyball team was full of intensity and nerve-racking gameplay for the audience at Henry H. Anderson ’38 gymnasium on Thursday. It was “a battle of the ages” as a spectator jokingly described during the warm-ups. And with the Junior Varsity team taking the win 2-1 against Carrollton an hour before, the pressure was on for Varsity to follow in their footsteps. They went up against RE’s next-door neighbor Carrollton School of the Sacred Heart. It was a moment the seniors on the team had been waiting for all year, and it ended in success for their last game on RE soil. 

In a year that with consistently strong performances from Juliana Williamson ’22, Juju Simoes ’22, and Valentina Londono ’22, Simoes shined throughout the game with powerful kills that racked up many of RE’s points. Londono had a strong performance as well with some very crucial digs on the defensive side of the game. Unfortunately, Williamson was still recovering from an injury, but she still cheered on her teammates from the bench for support. Freshman Julia Lewkowitz ’25 also stood out defensively and offensively, leading the game with an array of saves and kills.  

The first set started off very strong for the Raiders, who scored five consecutive points without a single point from Carrollton. Continuing to the halfway point of the set, RE remained on track to take the set’s victory. But Carrollton quickly started to pick up speed, turning a ten-point difference into just a four-point difference towards the end of the set. Spectators saw an incredibly long volley between the teams as the set was wrapping up, with incredible spikes and clutch saves from both teams, ending with a point to Carrollton. Thankfully, it was too late for Carrollton to gain enough momentum, and RE took the first set 25 to 19 points. 

With a 1-0 lead to RE, the second set launched a close battle between the two schools. The Raiders soon took the lead by five points as the halfway point of the set approached. Carrollton did start to creep up on RE, managing to tie them at 19 points each. With only six points left until the set was over, The Raiders brought it home and won the set 25 to 21 points. 

The next third set summed up to a two-point difference between the two teams for most of the set, with Carrollton managing to inch ahead. A rough set for RE, who struggled to keep up with Carrollton’s back-to-back kills. Continuing into the end of the set, Carrollton finished it off strong and took their first victory 25-20. The Carrollton supporters in the audience expressed relief after winning the set. As one Carrollton parent put it, “Finally we won one…” 

The fourth set was do or die for Carrollton: they needed the win in order to tie the score and prevent a convincing RE victory. The audience and players watched from the edge of their seats, with Carrollton supporters questioning calls made by the referee that caused a loss of a few points for Carrollton. Yet even with those disputed points, Carrollton’s hope dwindled. The Raiders played phenomenally in this last set, taking a substantial lead around the halfway point and closing off the set 25-16 to take the match victory from Carrollton 3-1 in terms of sets. 

After the game, the seniors were honored for their accomplishments in the RE Volleyball program and celebrated a stellar victory along with a perfect end to their last home game. A RE parent who attended the game noted that “it was something to look forward to the entire season, especially for Seniors, and I’m glad they did so well. The other girls were also so supportive which was amazing to see.” The RE Girls Varsity Volleyball team continues a lead of 8 wins to 5 losses in the season, and with a few more games before playoffs are on the horizon, they’re on the right track for a very strong performance this season. Volleyball’s next games are October 8 and 9 at 2:30 pm and 9:00 am respectively at Westminister Christian.