“Soaring Times” is a student publication, featuring articles written and edited by students of JPII.

Written By Sam P. – JPII Sophomore

On Monday, September 18, 2023, the Pope John Paul II High School girls volleyball team brought home yet another win. The players’ game with Quilcene was delayed by an hour-long roadblock. “We were waiting on the bus for around fifteen minutes… our coach decided to try to see what was going on. Coach told us we would probably be there for a while so we all got out of the bus, passed around snacks, joked about how all of us would have late work, and watched as a truck drove through a ditch to avoid the stop,” said Sophomore Sam P.

That wasn’t the only eventful occurrence of their trip. The Eagles raced into the gym to see a team who had had an extra hour to warm up. Despite this misfortune, the Eagles weren’t discouraged by their late start nor by an injury that happened in the first few minutes of the game. Junior Addie H. helped guide her teammates to a 25-17 win in the first set.

The next two sets were taken by the Quilcene Rangers, leaving the Eagles with what seemed to be one last chance. In the fourth set, the Eagles were down 18-23; Quilcene only needed two more points to win the entire match. Nevertheless, the Eagles weren’t willing to give up just yet. Junior Lindsay K. and Freshman Jenna D. helped to close the gap with their kills while Addie H.’s serve brought the team a 26-24 win in the set. The Eagles had earned themselves one final chance to turn the tides against the Rangers, and they knew that they would have to make the most of it.

Tension in the air, the team united into a quick huddle and prayer. Lindsay K. said to her teammates, “it’s in God’s hands now,” and the team began to pray. Their prayer started as a quiet Our Father, but turned into a call and response that echoed through the air. “All the time!” “God is good!” Finally, the Eagles began the fifth and concluding set. In a tense, final fight, the Eagles clinched a 15-12 win, securing their victory. The cheering of the Eagles filled the room as the final ball slammed against the court.

Here are some memorable moments from the players themselves:

“My favorite moment was when we all prayed in a team huddle right before the start of the fifth set!” – Senior Jada B.

“My favorite moment from the Quilcene game was when we won the last point in the game, and everyone on the team was celebrating on the court.” – Junior Anna L.

“. . . My favorite moment has to be when we were starting the fifth set and we did a team Our Father. It was so amazing to see everyone come together and acknowledge God’s presence on the court and His role in our victory.” – Junior Lindsay K.

“My favorite moment from the Quilcene game was when we rallied hard to win the fourth and fifth sets. We had such high energy and positivity and really believed we could win!” – Junior Addie H.

“When we were praying right before the last set, our voices got louder and louder. We were really praying, not just saying the words, and we were excited. I’ve never had that on a team before now.” – Sophomore Sam P.