At 5 p.m. on Monday, May 19th, the Boys’ Varsity Volleyball team walked through the double doors of the Finn Gym one last time to recall their years of playing such a fulfilling sport. The bleachers were filled with anticipation and excitement as they watched the seniors take their final steps toward the gym floor.
As music filled the gym and both teams warmed up, it soon came to a pause with Coach Daniel Jurkowski coming down to the center of the gymnasium. He held his microphone and began to congratulate and honor the students who contributed to the program of Malden High School Volleyball. From the girls’ team to the middle school program that slowly developed, and his past year’s players, his words were organized with empathy and gratitude. After those tributes, he moved toward the main event, his boys’ team and the seniors leaving.
First, it began with Joe Pidakala, then Bill Fang, Alex Van, and also Saul Yaffee⏤ending with captains Kenton Nguyen and Edward Mei. Each senior was gifted bouquets, photos with their loved ones, and words of acknowledgment from Jurkowski, expressing his experience with each player and wishing the best for them on this night to enjoy. “It felt unreal that my four years of high school volleyball were coming to an end,” expressed Nguyen during the speeches, “it was a little sad that it had to end, but at the same time, I had a great time playing this game.”
As the photos ended and the crowd’s congratulations slowly began to calm down, it was time for the anticipated game against Lynn English to begin.
The first set began instantly, however, there was a twist. All seniors were given the spotlight, being the only ones allowed to play on the court. This included them playing different positions. With evident mistakes and laughs from players and fans in the stands, Malden was up in the first set. “It didn’t feel real at first, but I couldn’t care less,” stated Yaffee-Lee, a senior who originally played Defense Support and was switched to Outside. “I was having fun and scoring points with my team, which was all that mattered at the moment.”
With each team battling through long, exciting rallies, Malden took the first set, winning 25-22. With energy radiating among everybody about the way set one ended, the idea was to execute the same way they did in set two. The same line-up was in play for the game, and the Lynn English Bulldogs were not going down without a fight. With the beginning to serve, it was evident that they wanted revenge, and Malden wasn’t expecting such a change in playstyle from the team. Lynn English’s aggressive play style caused a few changes with the players on count on the Tornados’ side. Players such as Nicholas Lee, Lynkolnn Silva, Ethan Yang, and Ethan Nguyen were substituted on the court to try and help the Bulldogs advance. Lynn English took the second set with the score being 25-19.
The third and fourth set was filled with intense rallies. Each team tried to prove who wanted it more than the other and wanted to close out the suspense within the night. Chants such as “What do we take? Those,” and “See-You-Later,” from the bleachers and sidelines raised the energy being felt among players and spectators to see what would be the result of this night. The third set ended with Malden in the lead 25-18, but Lynn English stole the fourth set, ending 26-24.
The fifth set started with a serve from Lynn English, and each team played from there. Malden was able to get the point back and continued to show dominance in the game as each hitter was spiking the ball to obtain more points, getting blocks, and aces on any player possible. It was game point, 14-9, and Malden was given the ball to serve.
As the serve went over, the game was live, and Lynn English returned the serve with a free ball, giving Malden the perfect opportunity to win. With the ball passed, Ethan Nguyen set the ball toward Edward Mei, who spiked the ball. With a shanked pass from the Bulldog’s back row, the Tornados were deemed winners.
As cheer and excitement filled the gym, people from the bleachers rushed down to form a tunnel for the players to run down from after shaking hands with the opposite teams.
At the end of the game, families, friends, and underclassmen gathered quickly to take photos with their favorite seniors and enjoy the exciting win against Lynn English. Looking ahead, they are preparing for their first state tournament game that will hopefully be played at home.
