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11/8/2009
Seniors Go Out In Style
Reprinted with permission from The News Dispatch
Nick Dettmann
The News-Dispatch
MUNCIE, Ind. - Scream or cry?
That was the dilemma facing senior Rachel Hillmann with the Class A state championship reaching its conclusion. Each of her senior teammates - Amber Cerrillos, Sarah Lutz, Rachel Cox, Morgan Bowen, Ashley Edmond and Brianna Gannon - faced the same problem.
Hillmann stood on the sidelines in front of Marquette's bench at 24-19 up two games to one. She took a peek at the Blazers' fan section as Lutz stepped up to the service line.
Then it happened.
The ball sailed over the net from Wes-Del's side to Marquette's side and landed just beyond the service line.
First screams. Then jumping up and down. Then embracing each other.
Then tears.
Tears of joy? Yes.
Tears of sadness? Most definitely.
Wait, sadness? They just won the sixth straight state championship. Why sadness?
That's because this group has known each other for years. They do and did everything together.
But this time next year, they'll be college freshmen somewhere.
That's heartbreaking to them.
When the ball landed on the hardwood floor for match point, a ton of memories oozed out.
"I thought about everything we've been through," Edmond said.
Coach Troy Campbell called this group one of the most talented he's had between the seven of them, and one of the most successful.
"They're great supporters of each other," he added. "... Being each other's teammates, sisters and friends, helping each other through so many different situations.
"... It's a fantastic feeling to know that we've been able to put out another solid class of seniors."
The dawn of an era began five years ago.
Campbell recalled watching an eighth-grade Parochial Athletic Conference championship game between Queen of All Saints and Notre Dame School. That match featured many of these seniors.
"This is what we have coming up?" Campbell recalled.
He was impressed because the skill level at that age was remarkable, and the intensity was there, too.
As they got older, they bonded on and off the court, which led to the relationship they have today.
"All these girls, they're like my best friends," Edmond said. "I love them all. It's great to celebrate (the state championship) and have this moment with them.
"... These girls helped me become the person I am today."
When they walked off the court after embracing each other for a job well done on another state title, that's when the tears emerged. It wasn't for the state title anymore. It sunk in. This was it. The tears escalated when they walked onto the stage in Worthen Arena.
Each were asked what they'll remember about this senior class. The common response? Goofiness. But that seemed to be a loose description.
"We are a crazy group of girls," Edmond said. "... When I was a freshman, I was so shy. ... They got me out of my shell."
They had no clue what to think of 24-19. Some couldn't bear to watch.
"I was about to explode," Bowen said.
Even before the game, the tears rolled off cheeks in the locker room as the seniors embraced each other before their final match.
"This is the last game I'll every play with these girls," Lutz recalled with her face still red from crying moments after the awards presentation.
Hillmann added, "Being on the floor, being on the team with all your best friends is cool. We worked through all this together."
Gannon, a varsity member since she was a freshman, saw previous classes depart with tears. On Saturday, she discovered why they did.
"You really don't know what it feels like until you're senior," she said. "This is the last time playing with these girls."
They didn't want this to end. It is bittersweet in the best sense of the word.
One thing's a guarantee: This is the way they're supposed to end their high-school careers, with tears soaking into the shoulders of their best friends after a fourth state championship.
Contact sports writer Nick Dettmann at ndettmann@thenewsdispatch.com or 874-7211, Ext. 447.
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