Murray NE- On Tuesday, Oct. 17, the Conestoga Volleyball team played their last home games of the 2023 season. The Cougars honored breast cancer survivors with the theme of the night, pink out, and honored parents and seniors before the game.

Cougars competed in Reserve, JV, and Varsity games versus the Fort Calhoun Pioneers. The first game was a tough battle Conestoga lost 2 sets to none. In the JV game the Cougars got out to a fast lead in the first set and quickly won the first set. The second set was a little more back and forth but the Cougars took a late lead and the Pioneers couldn’t recover.

Parent and senior night took place before the Varsity game. Each player was called and their parents stood in the stands to honor them. The seniors and their parents walked out together and the seniors were honored for their accomplishments and were given gifts from the team. “The seniors were very good teammates and always cheered us on,” freshman Chloe B said.

After parents’ night there was a paragraph read about breast cancer survivors. Anyone with a family member impacted by cancer or if themselves had been impacted stood to be honored.

Cougar mania, band, and the cheerleaders were showing out at the game. The student section was bigger than ever and they showed their support through the pink out theme. Band was rocking through the game with their fire and ice songs. The cheerleaders led the crowd with cheers through the game.

At 7p.m. the varsity game started. The first set Fort Calhoun had the first serve. Conestoga had to quickly side out and play went back and forth between them being tied most of the way through the game. The Cougars stepped in front late in the set with a four point lead and won the first set 25-20.

The second set Conestoga had the first serve. Midway through the set the teams were neck and neck tied at 10-10. Late in the set the teams were tied 21-21 but the Cougars went on a 4 point run and finished off the set 25-22.

The last set the Cougars received first and the battle was back on. The Pioneers and Cougars had a close fight the whole set and Conestoga got the win 25-22, sweeping the Pioneers. “Having faced this team before, the girls came in confident and knew what they needed to do to be successful,” Coach Abby Plihal said.