Millie Manring
Anthony Sanders
English Composition I
12 June 2018
The Last Chance
“BUMP, SET, SPIKE!” shouted the Andalusia Bulldogs head coach. “If you want to be the best, you have to beat the best.” –Eric Mangini. Our volleyball coach, Angie Grimes, repeated this exact quote to us before every game. It was my senior year and we were packing our bags for the Regional Tournament. My team and I had one goal all year and that was to make it to state one more time. Two games and two teams stood before us and they held the key to our future success.
It was in October of 2017 when the weather was cool and multi-colored leaves covered the branches on every tree. We all scrambled onto the old, yellow bus, or the “cheese wagon” as we called it, with our long-sleeve shirts and sweat pants in excitement for the tournament. We were all smiles and giggles because we were headed to Montgomery, Alabama. The second we arrived we grabbed our mizuno court shoes, knee pads, and uniform. The parking lot went on as far as I could see and cars were parked in almost every spot. I was thrilled to finally be there, but my stomach started to churn as I got closer to the door.
My hands started to sweat and my heart rate quickened as I walked through the glass, double doors. The cold, bone-chilling air slapped me in the face the second I entered the arena. I glanced to my right and held up my charcoal gray jers...
