~by Dustin Teays for The Scranton Journal
The Greene County Rams volleyball team concluded their season with a match against the Des Moines Christian Lions.
The Rams traveled to Urbandale to face off against the Lions and ultimately fell by a final score of 3-0 (7-25, 22-25, 21-25), ending their season in the 3A Quarterfinal round. The Rams finished their year 12-17 overall with a 5-3 conference record. While their season ended, they fought tooth and nail all year long.
“We ended the season doing things we couldn’t do at the beginning of the season. Seeing the growth is very satisfying,” head coach Chris Heisterkamp said. “This group had a competitive fight in them. We’ve had teams in the past that would mentally give up when they fell a little behind, but not this group. They had a drive that kicked in whether we were ahead or behind.”
With the conclusion of the 2024-25 season, the Rams are saying goodbye to six seniors: Emma Shipley, Ella Shipley, Hailey Carman, Violet Reedy, Payton Kokenge, and Emma Ewalt. All six will be hard to say goodbye to.
“It is hard to say goodbye to this year’s seniors. They played in a way that expressed their love of the game on the court and a love for their teammates, which was so entertaining to watch. They approached every day with a steady, competitive drive but in a calm, determined way. Our seniors were highly respected by the rest of the team,” Heisterkamp added.
While the team will wave goodbye to six seniors who meant so much to the program, they have younger players who will look to return next year for the Rams, and they know what they should work on in the offseason.
“I feel extremely proud of this team and how they represented our school wherever we played this year,” Heisterkamp concluded. “We made great strides in reading the ball better and adding variety to our hitting options. It would be great to continue growing in those areas in the future.”
This Rams team has plenty to be proud of; Reedy finished the season with 442 assists, good for a Top Ten spot in the Heart of Iowa Conference; Emma Shipley finished with 48 total blocks, also in the Top Ten; Emma also finished with a .323 kill efficiency, good for a top spot in the conference and Lila Osterson had a 95.1 percent serve efficiency, also near the top in the conference.
