Seniors Go Undefeated in RowdyRuff

Selected from a draft, hustled during practice, and set up elite game plans all for… boys volleyball? Yes, the annual Blacksburg High School Seniors vs. Juniors boys volleyball RowdyRuff game commenced on Wednesday, March 19. Through blood, sweat, tears, and a suspicious amount of kicking in a volleyball match, the class of ‘25 pulled off their second consecutive victory in the RowdyRuff match. Not only does this let them leave BHS with an undefeated record, but also gives them a lifetime of bragging rights attesting to their volleyball skill. I got the special privilege to coach the Seniors team, and can definitely say they played some volleyball. The match as always was a hard watch, but super fun nonetheless. 

“Oh yeah. We have this in the bag. The Seniors are going down.” Parker Dunn (11) said before the game. (So who’s gonna tell him?) The Juniors appeared intimidating at first, as three of their ten players played club volleyball. This gave them false hope that they would win… sorry, Parker. 

Quite simply, the Juniors got absolutely slaughtered. The Seniors won in straight sets, sweeping ‘26 3-0. Not even the sets themselves were close, with score breakdowns such as 25-12. Better luck next time? If they ever recover? 

While the Juniors are broke, the Seniors are up. “There was this one ball that I absolutely slammed into one of the players. That [stuff] was awesome.” Tanner Zoellner (12). The Seniors were out on the court making plays, embarrassing the Juniors, and having a good time. “I bounced a ball off my head one play. It was sick.” Jonathan Joyce (12). The Seniors went out on that volleyball court and did whatever they wanted, truly. 

Not only was the class of ‘25 dominating on the court, but also in the stands. The Seniors student section was easily double, many even triple, that of the Juniors student section. ‘25 was starting chants and taunting the other side to no comeback. I mean come on ‘24, show up and step out. 

Nevertheless, I believe that the Juniors can have a redemption arc next year. Unless some tragedy befalls ‘25 and they all reclass to take RowdyRuff again… then they might be screwed. But that’s not going to happen! So, I think as long as the Juniors keep their heads up and brighten their school spirit they’ll be golden for next year. 

However, the Seniors took home the gold this year. Personally, I’ll probably polish my RowdyRuff mini plastic trophy from the Dollar Tree at least once a day. The Seniors left it all on the court in a positive way to finish off their RowdyRuff experience, and are leaving BHS the undefeated champions of the boys volleyball court. Congrats Seniors! And sorry Juniors, there’s always next year. Big win for ‘25 in RowdyRuff, and all Seniors can sleep peacefully.

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Written by Molly Nelson

Photography by Elayna Weatherspoon