By Jack Reaney ASSOCIATE EDITOR
On Saturday, Oct. 7, the Lone Peak High School Big Horns played their final home match of the season against Manhattan High School. Before the match, the home crowd celebrated five seniors.
Head coach Bailey Dowd read a statement to personally thank her seniors for their dedication to the team, which she called “the hardest working group of girls that I have ever coached.” She said it’s been a joy coaching each of them through all of their careers, and highlighted the team’s playoff push in 2022—the winningest season in program history, Dowd said.
During that season, current senior Ella Meredith set a Lone Peak record for most blocks in a single game (11) and single season (72). Current senior Vera Grabow pushed to third all-time for kills in a single season, and second all-time for aces in a single season.
Assistant coach Brian Dowd, Bailey’s father, added that while the season did not go as well as anybody hoped in terms of wins and losses, “every single day they showed up, they worked hard, no complaining… these girls are true leaders.”
Younger teammates read notes of gratitude to each of the five seniors, honored individually on the court.
After senior Abby Meredith sang the national anthem, the game began.
Unfortunately, the Big Horns were not able to pull off a victory on senior night. As they have during numerous matches this season, they lost the first two games, but showed resilience and won the next two. Saturday’s best-of-five match advanced to five games, but the Big Horns fell in the shortened, winner-take-all fifth game.
“I’m incredibly proud of the way our team played,” coach Bailey Dowd wrote to EBS. “We did everything we needed to do and showed great improvement from the last time we played them.”
Senior stats
Meredith had her best game of the season, Dowd said. She tied her own single-game record with 11 blocks, and had eight kills with only one error. Grabow, returning at a limited capacity in the past two weeks after a broken ankle, played her first full game. She had eight kills and 12 digs.
“Her experience adds a calming presence to the team,” Dowd wrote.
Dylan Klein added 22 digs and three blocks, and Emerson Tatom had two kills, one block and seven digs. Greta McClain remained sidelined due to injury.
“Overall the seniors gave it their all and their teammates were there to support them in the hard-fought battle. I’m very proud of the whole team’s performance,” Dowd wrote.
The Big Horns finish their season with four matches on the road, and will automatically qualify for the district tournament, after their final regular season match on Oct. 21 in Three Forks.
