Fans, players and coaches mourn the loss suffered at Barlow last Tuesday. The severe defeat that the team experienced turned into tears on the court.

The first showdown between the rivals ended favorably for the Gophs winning the game, 4-1. According to junior Alex Frazier, the team did really well the first time but struggled the second game.

“At the home game, we had so much more confidence going into and during the game, whereas at Barlow, the fans got into our heads,” Frazier said.

At the Barlow game, the score remained close throughout the first two sets, however, the Bruins came out victorious in both. During the first set, the score wavered back and forth between the two teams. It was unclear who would pull off the win until the very end when Barlow achieved a 25 -18 win.

Barlow kept the momentum throughout the entire second set, but Frazier and seniors Haley Crouser and Abby Bryant did have a couple big plays. Bryant states that the game shall not have a lasting impact on their overall goal.

“We definitely didn’t play our best, but that game did not affect our ranking in the conference at all, so we just put that game behind us and are now preparing for State,” Bryant said.

According to head coach Lori Anderson-Cook, there was a certain lack of discipline when it came to playing defense.

The players had a hard time controlling the tempo, which resulted in Barlow pulling off the win once again in the second set.

“I feel like we did not control the tempo of the game very well and made some crucial mistakes on both sides of the ball,” Anderson-Cook said.

Barlow won the third set 18-25, but it was the most spirited set out of the three. Super fans were ecstatic up to the very end of the set, cheering non-stop.

According to sophomore Garrick Heine, it was a pretty disappointing game because it was clear that the team’s talent was much better than that of Barlow’s. Barlow walked away winning the set and the overall game.

“The Super Fans were ecstatic through all three of the sets of the gym,” Heine said. “Gresham’s Super Fans never disappoint.”

Many players were emotional about the loss.

According to varsity player sophomore Cassidy Richardson, the mental strength of the team was not very great, and once they got into a rut, they stayed there.

“In the end this will make the players stronger, and this devastating loss will be a learning experience,” Richardson said

According to Anderson-Cook, they are upset at this moment but this loss is fuel for their fire and they will be ready to come back and be ready to train for the next team they face.