Bump, Set, Life...

by Dayton Flannery

Student-Faculty competitions are always exhilarating. On Monday, April 27, the entire high school had the pleasure of watching student-teacher volleyball as a part of “spirit week,” sponsored by the Athletic Council. Seniors and teachers from throughout the school teamed up to showcase their athletic talents and hopefully prove to Bronxville that they were the best student-teacher volleyball team.

The festivities began at around 1:30 as all of the spring sports teams paraded into the big gym. The teams were all given recognition by their fellow classmates before dispersing into the crowd. It was now time for volleyball enthusiasts across the town to get what they came for. It was now time for the seniors and teachers to put on a show.

After several close games of veracious bumping, setting, and spiking, it came down to two teams who completely obliterated the competition during their journey to the top. These teams proved merciless. Their domination was unyielding. In the words of Coach Herman Boone they ruled like titans. Interesting enough, the audience astutely observed that the two teams vying for the championship were primarily made up of varsity baseball players. For example, on one end there was the team lead by varsity baseball coach Anthony Vaglica and player Luke Devlin while the opposing team on the other end include players Joe Byrne, Brad Taylor, and Michael Sargent to only name a few.

The game proved to be thrilling. It started off with Mr. Charles Ippolito preparing to serve. With total disregard for the human beings on the other side of the net, Mr. Ippolito ripped a serve to the opposite side of the court, making a statement. His team was not going to go down without a fight.

Playing to 15, win by two, (as officiated by Coach Tatarian) Brad Taylor’s team found themselves with a three point lead (10-7) over the opposition. Adding to the lead was Joe Byrne, or as his teammates called him “The Swag Machine”, who, with the dexterity of a tiger, pulled off a Spinning Triple Lindy Spike that earned his squad an additional point. After another point played out in Team Brad’s favor the score was 12-7. But this dance was far from over.

Through a combined team effort, Team Vaglica began to show signs of life. The tables turned and soon enough the score became an astounding 12-12. No one saw it coming but Vaglica and company came to play. Without giving up any more points, Team Vagilica, which included key players Paige Grand Pre, Bobby DeJoy, Bob Anderson, and guidance counselor Mr. Jim Agnello, pulled through for the win, demonstrating to the entire school and community that they were the best student-faculty volleyball this season. Other than the screams of anger and disappointment from the distraught player on the losing team, all were speechless.

Every student in the high school squeezed into the gymnasium on that fateful afternoon, hoping to witness some great volleyball. None left disappointed. Both the teachers and students put on a spectacle that was certainly worth the missed class time. “The Game,” as it will surely be remembered, kicked-off spirit week nicely and has raised the bar for generations of seniors to come.