Emotions were high at the Ironwood girls volleyball game Tuesday, as the Eagles finished off their regular season with a huge home win against Raymond S. Kellis ahead of the playoffs.

Head coach Lisa Lopez described the 3-0 senior night win on Tuesday as emotional and memorable. 

“I felt very emotional,” said senior outside hitter Mya Jones. “We had a letter that we had to read from our parents and it definitely put an impact on how I felt during the game. It helped me play throughout the game.”

The Ironwood girls played for their parents, friends, family, and their large student section.

The Ironwood student section was loud, energetic and encouraging throughout the whole game, and it helped the Eagles out tremendously. 

 “Our big student section really helped us win,” said Jones. “It put a good mentality in our heads and it really pushed us to win and not lose any sets.”

“That energy just brings more than the 12 of us can,” said senior setter Tessa Young.

The Eagles played not only for the crowd on Tuesday but for themselves, and more importantly, their teammates.

“They were playing for the team for sure,” said Lopez.

The effort was 100 percent there for the Eagles. They were not afraid to hit the ground, diving left and right. They were determined, and they never gave up.

Jones said she felt the emotions were a part of the effort that was given, especially for the team libero, Mallory Rich.

“All the younger girls put their heart into [the game] knowing that it was our last,” said Young. “They put a lot of effort into [the game] to make it special for us.”

The team’s effort was visible on the court and in the stats. The Eagles tallied 44 digs, averaging just under 15 digs per set, and had 27 kills total. 

The Eagles also showed improvement with their serving, as they only had six serving errors. They tallied 13 aces. 

“Serving has improved every match really,” said Lopez. “That is something the girls have been working on and something we continue to improve on throughout the season.”

Serving will be one of Ironwood’s strong points as the team enters the first round of the playoffs Thursday.

Senior middle blocker and hitter Jessi Moeschl believes Ironwood’s hitting is another strong suit. 

“We do have very strong pin hitters,” said Moeschl. “If it’s a good set and the block is not there, it’s a kill every time.” 

“I feel if we actually keep pushing, we definitely will make it all the way,” said Jones.