The Tigers ran into the gym with swagger. To show their support for the fight against breast cancer, they wore pink socks and pink hair ribbons. This match was special for the Tigers; it was the last game the seniors will get to play for Tigard. There was a quick recognition for the seniors and their countless effort for the team.
Senior Kelcy Mullaly #8 said, “It’s sad but I’ll always remember this season. It was amazing and fun.”
The game started with the Tigers scoring first. After five points to nothing, Forest Grove called in their first timeout for the set. After the timeout, the Tigers glory did not last long. Forest grove got their head in the game and began to catch up. The game got more intense and Tigard’s sophomore Jenna Horton #8 did the first dive of the game. The game was even 7-7. Junior Sasha Hershey #11 proved multiple times that she could be a single woman wall; she kept blocking spike after spike the Vikings hit. The Tigers managed to stay in the lead as forest grove called their second timeout. The score 18-15. The Tigers proved themselves in the final minutes. The final score 25-16. Tigard won the first set.
As the second set began, The Vikings began to feel the heat. This set was neck and neck. Forest grove then Tigard scored. No one could tell who was going to win this set. The scores were even for most of the set: 8-8, 13-13, 14-14, 15-15, 17-17. Forest Grove called in a time out; they were desperate to win this set. Forest Grove called in their second timeout with the score at 22-22. Neither team giving up. A team must win with a minimum lead of two after reaching 25 points. With the score at 24-24, the tension in the room was building up. The Vikings managed to outplay the Tigers. 26-24, Forest Grove won the second set.
The third set began with Tigard scoring the first point for the set again. Looking for redemption in this set Tigard managed to score five consecutive points before Forest Grove called in their first timeout. The Tigers gave no mercy to the Vikings. Forest Grove, frantic to make a comeback, called in their second timeout. By this point, it seemed obvious Tigard was going to win this set, the score being 11-3. The Tigers dominated this game, keeping a ratio higher than 3.00. The Final Score 25-6, Tigard winning the third set.
The fourth set began as usual Tigard scored the first point for the set. The game began pretty even. Tigard, however, did not want to extend a home game; they were looking for a crushing victory. Tigard called in their first time out of the entire game; leading 10-8. This was going to be an intense match. Forest Grove called in their first time out when they managed to catch up with Tigard, 13-13. Forest grove wanted to ensure they took the lead and kept it. However, the timeout did not help much against the mighty Tigers. The crowed showed so much spirit, that it rocked the gym and the players. Many people were cheering for senior middle hitter Michelle Simmons #6. The gap between Tigard and Forest Grove kept getting wider: 16-13, 18-13, 23-16, 24-16. Not surprisingly, Michelle Simmons #6 served and scored the last point.
The overwhelming victory was in part by the, massive crowd spirit. Senior Ernest James (Ej) Albaugh said, “They always come out and support the football games […] this is the least I could do [to support the volleyball team.]”