By Quinlan Gray ’25
On Monday, Nov. 4, after finishing their regular season on a hot winning streak, the Derby High School Red Raiders girl’s volleyball team went on to compete at East Haven High School against the North Branford High School Thunderbirds in Derby’s first-ever state tournament. The team has been working hard since July in hopes of making the state tournament this fall, and completed the regular season with a 10-10 record. Though the outcome of the game resulted in a loss, it was a hard-fought battle and a great experience for the second-year team.
The girls arrived at the gym around two hours before the start of the game to warm up and prepare for what was one of, if not the biggest, game of their season. During pregame there were definitely nerves circulating through everyone as for many, this was a first time experience. Head coach of Derby Volleyball, Tara Dering, shares, “We were in a unique position because even though we had six senior players, no one on the team had played in the state tournament for volleyball before because it was just year two.” Varsity starter, Melanie Fearon ‘27 says, “Before the game it was like a mix of like nervousness and excitement, but mostly excitement, because you know, it’s states.” Luckily though, the fan bus brought a great student section for Derby and helped to keep the girls’ energy up.
As warm ups concluded, the crowd supporting Derby brought great energy to the gym. Quintin Simjouw ‘25, a popular fan at games, says, “The atmosphere was great as always with Derby being the loudest despite being outnumbered.” Another returning member of the Derby crowd, Kevin McGuire ‘25, shares, “During the game, as always, everyone always erupted with cheer when we scored and the atmosphere was very tense.” For the girls playing, it was amazing to have a fan base supporting them at an away game that held so much importance to the team. Dering says, “Having a fan base was great! We have awesome fans who create a fun environment and I think the team really feeds off it when they show up.” In the coming years, the girls volleyball team hopes to grow their fan base and continue to have the amazing support they had this season.
In the first set, Derby started the game off strong with a defensive block by Quinlan Gray ‘25 in the first play and the serve was given to Shea Gray ‘27. For the remainder of the first set, the girls were battling back and forth with some amazing plays from all who were out on the court, but sadly they lost 11-25. They went into the second set more focused and with less nerves and were able to bring the final score to 15-25. By the third set, the girls put everything they had out on the court knowing this was most likely going to be the last set of the season. The girls ended the third set with a score of 17-25.
The girls were devastated by the loss, knowing that they worked all season and made it so far, but they were all thankful for the time they experienced with the team. For the seniors, it was very emotional knowing this was their last time playing together and potentially their last time playing volleyball in general. Dering says, “The girls were heartbroken because they fought so hard this season and it’s sad to see it come to an end and not be able to play with your teammates who’ve become so close. It was really hard to see them upset, and as a coach I was really sad to not be able to coach my seniors anymore.” Fearon says, “After the game, it was sad since our season was ended right there. I wish things could have gone differently.”
Even though the Thunderbirds took down the Raiders in the state game, it is amazing to see how far the girls have come this season. From winning only one game in their first season last year to entering states with an even record this season, the improvement is easy to see and the anticipation and hype for next season is already beginning.
The Raider Press 