(story by Albion student-athlete Kit Maher)
On Saturday afternoons, the Bernard T. Lomas Fieldhouse inside Albion's Dow Recreation & Wellness Center is typically unoccupied.
However, on Saturday, April 18, the gym was in a state of organized chaos. Fourteen Special Olympic volleyball teams from different areas of Michigan came to Albion to compete in a day-long tournament. Three different courts were set up alongside each other with rows of chairs for spectators and scorekeepers. Members of the Albion volleyball team volunteered as line judges, and sat in their elevated chairs with whistles.
Walking inside to watch the games, I found the Area 19 team warming up for their 1 p.m. match on the middle court. Dressed in red and white jerseys, they practiced bumping and spiking the ball with two of their coaches: Melissa Walton, Albion’s senior associate athletic director, and Melissa Wilson, one of three seniors on the Briton women’s lacrosse squad.
The first serve of the game was an ace by Area 19, and the team quickly took a 5-0 lead against their opponents. It was clear that they were the more skilled team, but they played with a positive competitiveness. High fives were seen often, and when one teammate fell down trying to return a serve, another quickly helped her up.
The atmosphere was consistently supportive and encouraging; when the teams got into volleys back and forth the crowd would erupt in cheering and applause. The athletes had their game faces on and used teamwork, with Area 19 ultimately winning the game.
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