The varsity girls’ volleyball team went on its first travel tournament of the season over the weekend and played in Festus, Missouri, losing in the consolation championship game against Sullivan.

The girls said they were very pumped and excited about the tournament and were ready for the challenge.

“I was super excited about the tournament and ready to play some teams we’ve never seen before,” Madison Rigsby said.

After the tournament, the excitement turned into disappointment because of the way they played and in the outcome of the matches.

The Pirates lost 2-0 against Sullivan in the consolation championship match, but Helen Nelson said it was a tough loss

“We lost to Sullivan 25-21 in the first game which was a hard game, and we came back in the second game with a purpose,” Nelson said. “We came out aggressive, but in the end, we lost that game 27-26 because there was a score limit in the tournament.”

Outside hitter Keeley Peters said it was a good playing opportunity to see how the team compared to other squads.

“The games didn’t turn out the way we expected,but there where some hard fought games,” Peters said. “We ended up going 2-3-1 which isn’t too great, but also not terrible.”

For weekend tournaments, the team dedicates the entire day to playing volleyball.

The girls have to be at school to ride the bus by 7:30 a.m. on Saturday morning, even though their first game isn’t until much later.

“I wish they would just let us drive to the tournament even though it is pretty far away,” Natalie Wildberger said. “I would rather drive there and get up a little later.”