“This is a terrible idea, but I always say yes [to students’ requests],” said Upper School Science Teacher Dr. Ryan Skophammer when asked to participate in the first-ever faculty vs. varsity volleyball game. 

After an eventful three months, the varsity volleyball team closed out its season, as all sports do, with Senior Night. Typically, Senior Night takes place on the team’s last home game. 

During a Senior Night game, teammates and friends make signs and posters to hang in the gym or hold up in celebration of the seniors. Players take a couple of minutes to honor the seniors and reminisce on the time they have spent together by giving speeches to the seniors. After the speeches, the game begins, with Westridge typically playing a neighboring school. However, this year, due to a three-way tie in the league, Westridge had to reschedule its normal Senior Night.

Desperate for ideas, Volleyball Program Director Jenna Wong turned to her team to ask, “What could we do instead?” Seniors Lucia F-R. and Isabel D. suggested playing a game against the teachers. Their idea prompted the very first Westridge varsity vs. faculty Senior Night.

The game took place on October 22.

At 5 p.m., long and heartfelt senior speeches, which were intended to be 30 seconds per person, went on for over half an hour, causing the game to begin later than planned. Although Coach Jenna urged her players to keep it brief, the generosity of their comments was so genuine that athletes and spectators alike began to cry and laugh simultaneously. Bennett T. ’28, a varsity volleyball player, said in her speech to Sydney E. ’26, “You have this calm, warm energy that makes the whole team feel more grounded, and it’s going to be so strange without that next year.” Once everyone had wiped their tears away, the game started.

When asked about their thoughts going into the match, Marcus Randolph, the Campus Safety Lead Officer and a member of the faculty team, said he was “fired up and ready” while Cross Country Coach Alyssa Vaughn was “content with being on the bench.” As the game began, you could feel the overall excitement of the crowd ramp up. The stomping of feet on the bleachers, combined with the tiger cheers from friends and teachers, created an energetic environment. While a typical senior night is often filled with anxiety because there is an intense pressure on the seniors to win, the competition against faculty members made for a more care-free but equally electrifying game. 

The faculty team got off to a strong start with six-foot-six Mr. Dan Perahya tipping the ball over the net for an easy point. The faculty team’s scrappy play actually worked in their favor because it made the game unpredictable and confused the varsity team. In a panic, Coach Jenna would slide to the floor, while other faculty members would frantically use any body part they could to keep the ball up. Coach Jenna and Lexie L. ’26 were the liberos for their teams, keeping the ball in the air for Skop and Bennett to spike, respectively. It wasn’t long before varsity fought back with aces from Chloe S. ’27 and a spike from Isabel D. ’26, making the score of the first set 25–23. 

Unfortunately, because the game started late, the second set was only played to 10 points, and the tensions between teams were so high that the final score was 10–12, with the varsity team winning overall. The energy of the crowd and the humor the teachers brought to the game made for a unique night of senior celebration.