"Senior Moments" Worth Reliving As We Wrap Up The Class of 2020

This is the weirdest May….ever. Understatement of the year, of the century, and ever can be used literally. May is scattered with proms, confirmations, graduations, awards ceremonies, and everything important that seems to be crammed all into one month. Although this month looks drastically different, it doesn’t mean we can reminisce a bit for some of these “Senior Moments” that have resonated with me throughout this past school year, going back to the start of the season back in August of 2019. Here are some “Senior Moments” to relive. [caption id="attachment_92546" align="aligncenter" width="470"] Northfield[/caption]   Northfield vs. Wayzata - SW Minnesota Challenge The Southwest Minnesota Challenge in Marshall, MN at Southwest Minnesota State and Marshall High School is one of my favorite tournaments to attend. With top teams across Minnesota as well as teams from South Dakota, North Dakota, and Wisconsin there are so many great teams getting a chance to battle it out early in the season. One of my favorite matches to watch was the Wayzata vs. Northfield championship match, featuring two of the top teams in the state and ones who had seen rankings among the tops in the nation. Wayzata had a loaded Senior class that was so fun to watch while Northfield was the team that just come out with a blaze to start the Senior. Northfield was knocked off by Lakeville North to get to the state tournament while Wayzata would be the eventual state champion knocking off an undefeated Eagan squad to raise a state championship trophy. I always feel like the SW Minnesota Challenge showcases some of the top teams from all classes in one weekend which makes every court entertaining to watch. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> Can’t say enough about both teams - gritty, passion, and a whole lot of heart. <a href="https://x.com/RedHawkVB?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RedHawkVB</a> wins the match with a set two score of 28-26 over <a href="https://x.com/SkuttCatholicVB?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SkuttCatholicVB</a> <a href="https://t.co/v2mqrBId9L">pic.x.com/v2mqrBId9L</a> — Chris Fitzgerald (@PrepDigChris) <a href="https://x.com/PrepDigChris/status/1180598106468929536?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 5, 2019</a></blockquote> Experiencing the Asics Challenge I knew going into this tournament which is hosted in Chicago at Mother McAuley would be one of the top tournaments I would see at the high school level. I was not disappointed. I was in awe of these amazing athletes and high school programs from Illinois as well as Wisconsin, Iowa, Kentucky, and Nebraska. Seeing [player_tooltip player_id="61387" first="Camryn" last="Hannah"] of Marist jump was unbelievable, she is such an electric player. Watching the match between Skutt Catholic out of Omaha and Nazareth out of Chicago might be one of my top matches from this whole past season. The Kentucky Showdown between Henry Clay and Assumption was a power-packed match that we were so lucky to see in Chicago. The championship between Skutt Catholic (NE) and Marist (IL) was a battle of some of the best players and best high school programs in the country. Ultra competitive, great sportsmanship, and such clean volleyball after a long weekend. A must-see for any volleyball fan.   <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> Beautiful view. 10 Bucks for 12 matches. 10AM to 10PM - <a href="https://x.com/IGHSAU?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@IGHSAU</a> <a href="https://t.co/UGrkR3K1Ci">pic.x.com/UGrkR3K1Ci</a> — Chris Fitzgerald (@PrepDigChris) <a href="https://x.com/PrepDigChris/status/1194697455004258304?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 13, 2019</a></blockquote> The Iowa State Tournament Experience The moment you walk into the Iowa State Tournament, everything is pink and black, from the “pink” carpet reserved for the teams as they walk in, to the banners they pick up their passes and the huge logo where families can meet with their teams to take pictures after their matches. The pink and black floors to the line judge flags, everything is planned to the smallest detail. The athlete experience of the state tournament is something I don’t think you can find in other states. The IGHSAU goes the extra mile for these teams. The crowds are in full force and for these athletes, they feel the energy of playing in a loud arena which just elevates the overall play. Minnesota is another state tournament where the student sections are like none other. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> We’re going to five. I have never been part of an atmosphere like this for high school volleyball. <a href="https://x.com/AN_MensVB?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AN_MensVB</a> takes set four 25-23 over <a href="https://x.com/KimberlyBoysVB?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@KimberlyBoysVB</a> <a href="https://t.co/m15VfBXbd0">pic.x.com/m15VfBXbd0</a> — Chris Fitzgerald (@PrepDigChris) <a href="https://x.com/PrepDigChris/status/1190767617562304512?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 2, 2019</a></blockquote> The Double Dual Sectional Final - Wisconsin Wisconsin did something a little different this year with combining the boys and girls state tournament to be on the same weekend and also did a doubleheader sectional final where the boys matches would be at 4:00 and the girls would follow at 7:00 - an effort to help bring some more exposure to the boys game. I know everyone has their two cents worth on this, but my experience in being on the sidelines for this was like none other that I had experienced in high school volleyball. The stars aligned for Appleton North and Kimberly. Two top notch programs in the state for boys and girls volleyball in Wisconsin. The road to state for both teams tend to go through each other and for the sectional final, it had the boys starting the night off with a five set thriller going in favor of Kimberly and the girls match maintaining the energy through the night with the match in favor of Appleton North in five sets. This was nearly 5 to 6 hours of high school volleyball in a packed gym which included student section seating along the baseline. I know the Class of 2020 have had way too many things taken away from them, but the athletes involved in this match, this is something very few kids will ever have an experience close to this in high school sports. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> A quick recap with "All The Feels" from a sectional double header between <a href="https://x.com/AN_MensVB?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AN_MensVB</a> and <a href="https://x.com/KimberlyBoysVB?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@KimberlyBoysVB</a> along with <a href="https://x.com/anorth_vb?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@anorth_vb</a> and <a href="https://x.com/KimberlyGVB?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@KimberlyGVB</a> - I will have social media updates all throughout the boys and girls state tournament! <a href="https://t.co/5l7g93PCf1">https://t.co/5l7g93PCf1</a> — Chris Fitzgerald (@PrepDigChris) <a href="https://x.com/PrepDigChris/status/1191057695694041088?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 3, 2019</a></blockquote>