The 7th grade Meteors 2024 volleyball season came to a close in the first round of the IESA State Tournament. They fell to the Triad Middle School Crusaders in a two set match on Friday afternoon in Normal, IL.
The Meteors played for the regional championship title against University Park Crete Monee at Michelle Obama School of Technology and The Arts in Park Forest on Wednesday, February 28. The team, third seed in the region, secured the title after winning in two rounds: 25-6 and 25-16. They advanced to the sectional championship game held the following week. On Monday, March 4, the Meteors faced Homewood Hart at Robbins Kellar Middle School in Robbins and brought home the sectional championship, after a set of heated matches.
The Meteors qualified for the State tournament for the first time since the 2019-2020 season. Before that, the last time the MJHS 7th grade girls volleyball team competed at State was in 2006. Qualifying for State was definitely a huge accomplishment for the team and coaches!
The students and staff at Mokena Jr. High organized a “Walk of Honor'' to send the team to the State tournament on Friday, March 8. The main hallways of the school were lined with cheering fans as the team processed down the athletic hallway and onto the bus. The Mokena Police Department then escorted the bus all the way to I-80.
In the State quarterfinals, the Meteors took on St. Jacob Triad and, despite their best efforts, lost in two matches: 25-15 and 25-18. The 7th grade girls volleyball team ended their season with a record of 11 wins and five losses. The journey to State might not have ended the way the team had hoped, but they should be extremely proud of how far they came as a team. The future 8th grade team is looking bright for the 2024-2025 season!
The Meteors had a bit of a rocky start to the season, but the team worked hard to move as one unit, play off each others’ strengths, and help to cover their teammates’ weaknesses. “After a few weeks of conference play, we started to become more comfortable with each other. That definitely gave us a confidence boost. And then after we won regionals, we were like, we can do this, we can win sectionals,” Tessa Garcia said.
It seems that the team’s favorite memory from the season is unanimous: the sectional championship game at their home turf. “At first the crowd made me nervous, but then it was really fun once the students got into cheering,” Addi Quinlan said. “That was the best game I ever played. It was so fun to have our whole class out to watch us!” Tessa added.
Reflecting on the season, Addi remarked, “It didn't end up how we wanted, but I still loved playing with this team. We grew as a team, from the beginning to the end. At the end of the season, we were such a different team. The friendships got a lot better, and we played better as a team.”
“The coaches were just so nice and they made practice fun. I wanted to be at practice every day. The coaches knew how to lift us up and help us fix what we needed to work on,” Addi added. “Having good coaches really makes all the difference.”
The Meteor volleyball success story continues with the 8th grade team. The 8th grade girls volleyball team clinched their regional championship matches against Lansing Memorial, winning in two matches: 25-12 and 25-18. Heading into the sectional championship game on Monday, March 11, the team had a record of six wins and seven losses. They took on Flossmoor Parker at Robbins Kellar Middle School in Robbins and came home with the sectional championship. Currently, the Meteors have a record of seven wins and seven losses.
The 8th grade girls volleyball team will play in the State quarterfinals for the first time in school history! They face Shorewood Troy on Friday, March 15th at 4:30 pm. If the Meteors win the quarterfinal game, they advance to semifinals held on Saturday, March 16th at 11:00 am.
The State series will take place at Morton Jr. High. Tickets may be purchased online at GoFan (iesa.org). Good luck to the 8th grade girls volleyball team!