Girls Volleyball Concludes Season with Loss Against Pine Richland

Ellen Hanks, Staff Writer

November 10, 2025

Junior Joslin Adams stands as she prepares to receive the ball from the other team. Despite State High’s 3-0 loss to Pine Richland, Adams is proud of the way her team played. “I think we played the best we have all season by far, and every single girl gave it their all. I don’t think we could have done any better, to be honest. … So I think we’re all just really happy because I think we did everything we could,” she said.
(Ellen Hanks)

The stands were packed with fans, including the State High student section. The students showed their school spirit with enthusiastic cheering and participation in a white out. Head Coach Audrey McDonough reflected on her appreciation for the student support: “The student section was amazing. … I’ve been part of this coaching staff for 11 years, and there have been years where there haven’t been any students in this gym. So the fact that students are here to support students in all aspects of your school, in soccer and football, right? It’s like, keep cheering each other on, because teams are working hard to do something special.”
(Ellen Hanks)

The team celebrates after scoring, cheering, and giving each other high-fives. This support demonstrates the team’s strong ability to work together. Assistant coach Jocelyn King highlights the emphasis placed on working together. She explains that a goal they had was to, “have fun and play with confidence and play together as a family. I think that was really, really important, just piecing it all together in order to succeed. Like, you can’t play individually, so I think we really harped on playing together.”
(Ellen Hanks)

Assistant coach Jocelyn King and the rest of the team watch the game from the sidelines. Although most of the players on the sideline did not play in the game, their enthusiasm and support for their teammates on the court was clearly evident. King describes the supportive team environment: “I think the atmosphere both from our bench and just in the gym … was great to have. It just felt like we had so much support and we had so many people behind us.” (Ellen Hanks)

The six players on the court embrace after a play as libero Camryn MacNeely approaches with a smile. No matter if a point was scored for State High or Pine Richland, the teammates gathered for a quick embrace after each play before assuming their next positions. This pattern gives the players a chance to reset, carry momentum to the next play and build team cohesion.
(Ellen Hanks)

Senior Camryn MacNeely steps forward to hit a powerful serve over the net. As the team’s libero, a defensive position that specializes in passing or “digging” the ball, MacNeely was quick and agile during the game. She dove to save low balls and was swift on her feet. (Ellen Hanks)

During a time out, the team embraces in a circle. Assistant Coach Jocelyn King expressed her gratitude for the team’s close-knit community. “It’s probably the best environment with the girls that I’ve ever coached in. Just felt always so welcome, so loved, so valued by the girls. And I don’t know, you don’t get that with every single team. There wasn’t a whole lot of divides. It just, we truly were a family,” she said. (Ellen Hanks)

The ending of the game was close and intense with both teams battling to score, but Pine Richland came out on top as the first to win three sets. After the final play, the teams and coaches lined up and high fived the opposing team in a demonstration of good sportsmanship. Despite the loss, Head Coach Audrey McDonough expresses her pride in the team’s strong performance: “Over the course of the season, you could see that these kids got better, right? So seeing them give their best, even though we fell a few serves short, seeing them step into a big dig in a moment, right? And … seeing them rally back from a miss-hit or a miss-dig, it’s like ‘hit me again’, wanting the ball, being hungry for it, that is something that each of these girls carry.” (Ellen Hanks)

After high fiving the other team across the net, the girls gathered together to give hugs and offer comfort. The loss marked the end of State High Girls Volleyball’s season, making the result of the game an emotional one. Head Coach Audrey McDonough captured some of the emotion felt by the team as their season comes to an end: “Every year your team changes, the team is never the same. You really have to stop and take in the moment. And so for me, stopping and taking in this moment was taking in every game, knowing that at some point the season was going to come to an end and this team would no longer be this team.” (Ellen Hanks)

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About the Contributor

Ellen Hanks

Ellen Hanks, Staff Writer

Ellen Hanks is a junior at State High entering her first year in journalism. She joined journalism to spend more time writing and to strengthen her writing and communication skills. In her free time, she enjoys running, playing piano and flute, backpacking and hiking with her family, and drawing.