“One thing about championship teams is that they're resilient. No matter what is thrown at them, no matter how deep the hole, they find a way to bounce back and overcome adversity.”
- Nick Saban
The last time we left the court as a team, we left with a state championship trophy.
Gathered again at the first practice of the new season, I was excited to finish the season with this group of best friends and team of seven seniors. We were excited for the season, but the pressure was still undeniably strong from the previous win. Would the Lady Cavs be able to defend their State title?
This past fall, our team came in the season excited yet rusty and, honestly, still full.
What do I mean by this?
Once any team reaches the top, it is as if your hunger for winning is satisfied. I mean, you just won a state championship! Every team has to overcome adversity in order to reach something worth having, and our team’s adversity consisted of fullness and lack of cohesion. Regardless, we continued to work hard and stay diligent, trusting our coaches’ lead. We got knocked down a few times, forced to overcome injuries and losses. After losing to our cross-town rival, SCPS, our hunger was renewed. The team, as a whole, was starving. The Calvary Day School Lady Cavs volleyball team became the underdogs of the league again. What a beautiful place that is to be.
As the underdogs, the Lady Cavs had no one but themselves to prove anything to.
The post-season run of competitive wins and off-court victories of team bonding revived the team and attracted spectators from all over. With the blessing of God and the support of the Calvary family, the Lady Cavs were off to the State Championship once again.
This was it. The final school volleyball game for seven seniors, the last game as a team, the last time wearing a Calvary volleyball jersey. As we came together for one last meeting before the game, we all decided we owed it to ourselves, God, and our school to give every ounce that we had together and lay our hearts on the line for our final game. So we did just that. We came together and became a team of strength and resilience. After splitting four games with SCPS, it was time to go into the fifth and final game to determine who was the winner of the match, and ultimately, the 2016 state championship team. Tensions ran high, nerves were going crazy, and emotions were wired; all the while, Calvary fans everywhere watched and supported us. We came together and decided all of the hours, sweat, tears, drives, tournaments, and practices would not be in vain; we would not lose our final game. We decided, point by point, that we were going to win.
Just like the famous line in Calvary’s alma mater, we chose to “stand together- Calvary Day School- side by side.”
The satisfaction and pride our hearts still feel are, without a doubt, the biggest reward from our second State Championship win. Although the victories of the past two years are sweet, nothing will compare to the bond we have made because of the adversities we had to overcome to become back-to-back champions. The Calvary Day underdogs proved themselves and earned not one, but two, state rings. Resilience, fellowship, and humility all were brought together to bring home a victory for all of Calvary Day School, Savannah, and Georgia.
