Most teenagers spend their summer sleeping in until noon, but these six are determined to have a winning season. Since the beginning of June to the end of July, these girls have been waking up at seven in the morning to attend volleyball camp. The girls worked on being a well rounded player. They improved their setting, serving, spiking, and especially team work. On the last day of volleyball camp, they huddled together. “Let’s make this the best season we’ve had,” said Hannah, their team captain of the varsity team. The girls nodded their heads in agreement.

This was their last year as a varsity team. Next year, they would be freshmen in different high schools. The years of middle school would just be a memory to them.

It finally came to the day of their first game. Like all athletes, they were nervous, but they didn’t let it get to their heads. They began to warm up, as they watched the other team. They didn’t let the opponents’ strong stature intimidate them.

“Now I know this is your first game, but I want you to pretend it’s your last. When you see that you’re losing, I don’t want you to give up. I want you to keep trying.” said the coach.

The girls assumed their positions as starters, as if they were going out to war. “Go Cougars!” the crowd cheered. First serve, Cougars. The ball bounced back and forth over the net, finally hitting the ground, Saints-1, Cougars-0. After that, the Cougars began to get more serious, hitting the ball with rage every time it came to them. “Game point,” the ref called. Gabi, a player for the Cougars breathe out a sigh of relief as she served the ball. The gym fell silent. She hit the ball and ran to her position. A player on the opposing team ran to hit the ball and missed. The Cougars won. The players ran to each other jumping up and down with excitement. “We won, we won!” the exclaimed.

Since then, they practiced and practiced, trying to achieve their goal of winning every game. They tried not become cocky, knowing that that may affect the way they will play. For now, they didn’t want to think about what high school they were planning on going to or the fact they may soon be separated.

Games came and went. They focused on winning each game, but because they are not perfect, they lost a few of the games. 10-3. This hurt their pride, but they kept going.

It finally came to the day of the last game against St. Anne’s. The Cougars insisted on winning this game, to remember their last year as the varsity volleyball team. “This is our last game as a team,” the coach said, “Even if we win or lose, you girls still did your best this year and you should be proud of that.”

They once again assumed their positions for the last time, having a sense of determination on their faces. First serve, Cougars. The ball volleyed back and forth over the net making the crowd wonder who will score the first point. Finally the Cougars made the first point, and the crowd cheered. Soon St. Anne’s scored points and then the cougars. The game became a nail biter, 24-24. “Game point,” called the ref. Kristen, a player for the Cougars went up to serve. She took in a deep breath as she decided where she wanted it to land. She hit the ball, as the crowd followed it with their eyes in amazement. It landed short, just touching the net. The cougars cried as the other team cheered. The Cougars had lost their last game.