In a tough five-set loss in a district semifinal, Bearden volleyball’s season came to an end.
However, in the aftermath of that loss, the team’s focus hasn’t been on their run being cut short, but instead, on the loss of a family they spent so long building.
“When we lost the district semifinal, I wasn’t as upset about losing as much as I was about leaving this team,” senior Brooke Dawson said.
Looking back to preseason, the team faced early adversity by losing a large senior class the year prior. Having only five seniors in the 2024 season, the team had to confront the empty positions on the court.
“Losing such a big senior class forced some of the juniors to step into a role they didn’t expect to play,” Dawson said.
Junior Sophia Reichert was recognized for getting her 1,000th assist during the 2024 season, along with junior Alyssa Spradlin being awarded the district’s offensive player of the year.
“Even if we didn’t get the outcome we wanted, the progress we made was a win in itself,” Reichert said.
Added Dawson: “It’s hard to look back and not think that [the season] was disappointing, but looking at the season as a whole, it was really successful.”
Outside of the program, the Lady Bulldogs were not viewed as realistic contenders. Nonetheless, skeptics quickly feared Beaden’s impressive record.
“No one wanted us to win, which made us play better because we had something to prove,” Dawson said.
The team’s confidence did not come from their repeated success, but from the trust they instilled in each other. On a particularly off night for Dawson, Coach Kaitlyn Davidson reminded the senior of the importance of being a teammate, telling her, “You don’t have to be the best player tonight, but you do have to be the best teammate.”
“Our coach never let us get in the mindset of feeling we couldn’t bring anything to the table,” Dawson said. “If someone couldn’t give 100 percent, someone else would step up and give 110 percent.”
This team mentality rapidly fostered community amongst the athletes. Prior to the district semifinal, the players wrote “#family” on their arms to remind each other who they were playing for.
Although the team did not achieve the result they hoped or expected, there is no questioning how hard they fought.
“I didn’t walk away from Maryville [district semifinal] with my heart heavy because I was so proud of how we fought,” senior Makiyah Greenlee said.
Added Reichert: “I’ve never been on a team that fights as much as we do.”