Staff claimed victory over students, 18-16, in Palo Alto High School’s annual student-versus-staff game on Thursday during lunch in the Peery Center Big Gym. 

The staff quickly jumped out to a 4-0 lead. The students responded by leveling the score at 4-4 and briefly shifting the momentum. Despite the students’ efforts, errors and a foul widened the gap, bringing the score to 11-8. The first set concluded with the staff’s victory at 18-16. The second set ended abruptly with the staff’s victory at 3-2 when the lunch bell rang.

The volleyball match sparked friendly competition between the staff and students while fostering a stronger sense of community. According to Campus Supervisor Mayerly Short, the friendly rivalry helps to make teachers seem more approachable.

“This student-vs-staff volleyball game makes it so that the staff doesn’t seem as authoritative, it’s just more fun for everyone,” Short said.

According to freshman participant Nicolo Resmini, a lack of communication was a reason for the students’ loss.

“The team was not communicating well, and our services were not hitting the correct areas the coaches were calling,” Resmini said. “We just need to improve that for next year. I thought our offense was okay, but our defense was not so good.”

According to Spirit Commissioner Arabella Guinle, events such as this lunch event are important to reduce pressure on students.

“It’s [rallies] are important, especially during the second semester, as school gets tough, especially for upperclassmen,” Guinle said. “I want people to let loose enough and just have fun. The school pressure is a lot, and through these events, it raises awareness that we’re all human, and it’s important to take and have fun.”

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A Sheridan High School Volleyball player isn’t going far to continue playing the sport she enjoys.

Haylie Patterson has signed a written offer of athletic aid to compete at Rocky Mountain College in Billings.

This past season as a junior, she helped the Lady Broncs qualify for and finish 3rd at the 4A State Tournament.

It marked the first time in 8 years the team played in the tournament.

She explains what it was that the Rocky Mountain College coaching staff saw in her and adds it’s a relief to get this decision made and out of the way, even though she has 1 more season at the high school level.

“I think I’m a really versatile player. Anything up on the net, I can play it. I’m going to play it tough, I’m going to play it aggressive. I can score when my team needs me to and I can get hype and I can be a good leader. I’m really excited to get to play in college and not have that decision weighing on me in senior year. I’m excited to play without that weight on my shoulders.”

Patterson says she is considering a major in psychology.

The sun beat down onto Santa Monica Beach last Friday, April 25, at the beach volleyball West Coast Conference (WCC) Championships as the LMU beach volleyball team accomplished a now familiar goal for the program: winning the conference championship. The team won their semifinal and final matches against Pepperdine University and Santa Clara University, respectively, in dominant fashion and clinched their sixth consecutive victory at the championships. The Lions have also earned the No. 4 seed for the upcoming NCAA Tournament, where they will face No. 13 Florida Atlantic University in the first round

“Everyone was really excited to play and for me … it was my first time playing [in the WCC championships] because I transferred,” said beach volleyball player Magdalena Rabitsch. “Of course, everyone was expecting [to win] but still everyone was excited, and I think it was really positive vibes the whole week before.”

While the Lions had anticipated a win at the championships after a controlling regular season that finished with an astonishing 35-6 record, they made sure not to underestimate their opponents coming into Friday. “I think those teams are always the most scrappy ones — if you go against UCLA [University of California, Los Angeles] or USC [University of Southern California] you know what you are going to expect, but sometimes going against the lower ranked schools … they have nothing to lose, but I think we were all prepared,” said Rabitsch.

The Lions opened their tournament with a match against Santa Clara University on Thursday, which they won 5-0. They then moved on to the semifinals where they faced Pepperdine University, a team who they have seen and beaten once before the tournament.

“Pepperdine is usually pretty good, especially when we go to the beach and the wind starts picking up,” explained beach volleyball player Isabelle Reffel. “We knew both teams were going to use the wind to their advantage, and we game-planned knowing that they’d do that. We knew they’d hit into the wind or serve towards the wind, so we made sure to shift over to that side.”

With solid 3-0 wins over both No. 2 Pepperdine and No. 4 Santa Clara, the Lions appear more prepared than ever for the main event this upcoming weekend — their first-round matchup against Florida Atlantic University (FAU) in the NCAA Tournament on Friday, May 2. FAU and LMU did not play each other in the regular season, but have faced off in the NCAA tournament four times, with LMU holding a 4-0 record against FAU.

“This year is such a special year — we know we can go all the way … we haven’t played Florida this year, but any team that’s in the tournament is going to be a good team,” said Reffel. “It’s a fun year to be a part of the tournament — I think any of the top 10 teams could win it, and the strongest team will come out and win it.”

This year, the parity across the top teams in the tournament is especially notable, and it looks like it’s bound to be an exciting postseason. The Lions have been looking towards the nation’s biggest beach volleyball tournament in Gulf Shores, Alabama, since the beginning of the season, and now the time is here.

“I’m super excited. I think [any of the] top 5 schools could win it,” echoed Rabitsch. “Today, we talked in practice about how there’s just no room for negativity this entire week. I think if we approach it like that, we can only win and I think we know that.”

Catch the Lions in action on Friday, May 2 at 6 a.m. PT on ESPN2 or ESPN+.

Gorawara is the 2024-2025 Sports editor on the football, men’s basketball and NIL beats and a Copy contributor. She was previously an assistant Sports editor on the men’s volleyball, men’s tennis, women’s volleyball and rowing beats and a contributor on the men’s volleyball and rowing beats. She is a third-year economics and communication student minoring in professional writing from Hong Kong.

Tarleton Softball Complex hosts action for the final time in 2025 before the Texans travel for postseason competition.
 
TEXAN SOFTBALL is back in the Tarleton Softball Complex for the final time of the 2025 regular season, hosting California Baptist in a three-game series that begins Friday with a doubleheader. Game one of the doubleheader is set to begin at 3 p.m. There will be free, Texan branded mini bats given away to fans while supplies last. The series and regular season finale will be at 11 a.m. on Saturday. This will also be Senior Day, with all senior members of the Texan Softball team set to be recognized postgame on the field. Following regular season action, the Texans will travel to Riverside, California, for the WAC Tournament May 7-10.
 
TEXAN BASEBALL brought out the broomsticks against Utah Tech last week, sweeping the Trailblazers in the Tarleton Baseball Complex and outscoring them by 20 runs over the span of the three-game series. This moves the Texans to 8-7 in conference play, winning their last five games against WAC opponents. They begin the week at Houston Christian on Wednesday at 6 p.m. Following that, they will travel to Riverside, California, for a three-game series against California Baptist, starting on Friday at 8 p.m. Game two will be Saturday at 7 p.m. and the series will wrap up at 1 p.m. on Sunday. The Texans remain on the road May 9-11 at Abilene Christian for a three-game series and will wrap up their regular season at home against Grand Canyon May 15-17.
 
TEXAN TRACK & FIELD hosted the second annual Joe Gillespie Invitational last week and walked away with three school and seven facility records broken by numerous Texans at the Tarleton State Track Complex. In total, the Texans crowned 12 event champions across the two-day event. They travel to Dallas on Saturday to compete in their final regular season action at the SMU Invite. The Texans get an extra week to perfect their skills following this, as the 2025 Outdoor Track and Field Championships is set for May 15-17 in Arlington, Texas.
 
FOLLOW THE ACTION with links to live stats, live video, and live audio (when available) for every specific game on the schedule page at TarletonSports.com and within the match day preview stories each week.
 
TICKETS are available for all of the upcoming home events online at TarletonSports.com/tickets. The ticket office is open from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. at Memorial Stadium. Student tickets are available for free to Tarleton students from any campus with a valid university ID number but must be ordered in advance at TarletonSports.com/tickets.
 
ABOUT WEEK AT A GLANCE
‘Week at a Glance’ presented by Mustang Ranch will be posted on the official home of Tarleton Athletics at TarletonSports.com in addition to its usual location on our social media channels. Each week will provide updates of the upcoming games for the week, as well as promotional information, game changes, ticket information, and anything else Tarleton fans will need to know to prepare for a week of competition.
 
ABOUT MUSTANG RANCH
Mustang Ranch Apartments is proud to be one of the top Luxury Student Housing in Stephenville, conveniently located two miles from campus perfect for your commuter route. Mustang Ranch offers unparalleled quality, amenities for your enjoyment and peace of mind. Mustang Ranch is the ultimate living experience for Tarleton students.