The Shamrocks beat Greenfield on Saturday, Oct. 31 at sectionals in Appleton City. The New Haven volleyball team headed to state on Thursday, Nov. 5. After this big win, the girls packed their bags to travel to Cape Girardeau to play in the 2020 MSHSAA state volleyball tournament.
The volleyball team beat Greenfield in three sets. This sectional win led the Shamrocks to a ticket to the state tournament.
“Beating Greenfield was amazing; knowing that I was going to state, even better,” senior Maria Sheible said. “Going to state was something that I had dreamed of when I first started playing volleyball, so I am glad that I made it happen, especially during my senior year. I was also very lucky that I had the opportunity to even play this year due to COVID-19.”
On Thursday, Nov. 5, the New Haven students sent off the girls to state by cheering them on outside as they left.
“I loved it! It was great to see everyone cheering us on and wishing us luck,” Sheible said. “It definitely still puts a smile on my face when I think about it. It always will. It's a great feeling knowing that you have so many supporters and people that wish you the best.
”The team’s first state game was on Friday, Nov. 6 against Advance High School. The Shamrocks lost in three sets against the back to back state champions.
“I think that we had a lot of unforced errors. Advance was a good team and they played really well, but if we had cut down on our unforced errors, then it would have been a closer game,” Sheible said.
Due to the loss against Advance, the Shamrocks then played Midway on Saturday, Nov. 7 at the Show Me Center in Cape Girardeau.
“The game against Midway was a lot better. We played a lot more aggressive and gave all of our effort. However, Midway did the same thing. It was a very close game,” Sheible said.
The match against Midway was the last game of the season. The team hit .122 for the match with 31 kills on 12 errors and 156 attack attempts.
“After the last game, I was absolutely devastated,” Sheible said. “It was the last time playing my favorite sport. I made some memorable bonds with my team and love every single one of my teammates in many different ways. If I was ever having a bad day, they always made me forget about it.”
The New Haven volleyball team finished fourth place at the state tournament. It had been three years since New Haven had made an appearance at state in volleyball.
“Volleyball is a mind game. You have to be mentally in it just as much as you are physically,” Sheible said. “Of course there is always room for improvement. You just have to tell yourself that you can do it.”