by Matthew Jenkins
The Patriots Unified volleyball team, in a fantastic display of teamwork, had a blast during Monday’s Unified Volleyball game. They successfully won their first and third sets during their matchup against the Cranston West Falcons. Composed of roughly 18 athletes and 14 partners, the Patriots entered this match in high spirits. After starting off 0-3, this Unified team was looking to pull out a win here and have a great time. The game commenced after a trombone rendition of the Star Spangled Banner by player Michael Bessette.
Set 1 ended in Pilgrim’s favor, with a score of 25-16. Cranston West tied it back up in Set 2, making the score even at 1-1 after winning that set 25-20. Set 3 could only be described as cinematic. The Patriots were down nearly 10 points, but then pulled off a late-game comeback and snagged the win. The crowd went wild, and the scoreboard read 25-23, Pilgrim.
After the game, I asked Coach Magee his thoughts about how the season was going so far and about the contributions of the seniors and the team as a whole. He started off by saying that this was the first victory of the season for Pilgrim, which added to the team’s already excellent attitude. He talked about how it was a fantastic group of kids and how there were some “great leaders on the team”, noting how hard the players worked. When asked about the team dynamic, he expressed how everybody on that team is always cheering each other on, and continuously supporting and encouraging each other.
There is such a high spirit of inclusion within this volleyball team, and this spirit always seems to keep the team’s morale in great condition. Coach Magee concluded the interview by saying “It’s a pleasure to coach this group of kids.” Through what I’ve seen, one thing is for certain about this Unified Volleyball team. They always keep their heads up, and they always have each other’s backs.
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