The Lady Blazers played at the championship game for conference on Oct. 28 against Eastfield’s Lady Harvest Bees at the Eastfield Campus.

The game ended with Eastfield winning (25-15) and North Lake finishing second overall in the conference and the nation.

The conference game lasted 4 out of 5 sets, and the Lady Blazers worked hard despite the adversity they faced throughout the season.

“We had an outside hitter that was having back issues, another with a concussion, which led to some adversity,” head volleyball coach Cathy Carter said.

Love Riley, a returning player and outside hitter, had her challenges with being a little sick that week and having to push through.

“It was my team that helped me get to this point and push through [the challenges], the chemistry and our goals from the beginning [of the season],” Riley said.

The outside hitter was named co-Most Valuable Player of the Dallas Athletic Conference.

Coach Carter ensured her players pushed to be and do their best before the season started.

Carter said she built a tough preseason schedule in order to teach the girls how to play their best and compete well at any level.

Jocelyn Blassingame, another outside hitter, said the preparation wasn’t only about being physically and mentally prepared.

Blassingame said: “Having the want and desire motivated us to go to the championships. We worked this hard and took all these wins, which led us to where we are. It was a mental game,” Blassingame said.

In the winning set for the Blazers, the ladies felt like they were gaining their momentum back, according to Blassingame.

“The feeling of winning a set during the game was a bittersweet moment with us realizing maybe we can win this,” Blassingame said.

The Blazers made it clear that they had no regrets about their decisions throughout the game; the Coach even said that she wouldn’t have done things any differently.

“I never want to do anything differently; I coach with my gut and how I see the girls working, which led to the season playing out very well,” Carter said.

While there are no regrets about decisions made during the game, the players learned more about themselves and the game of volleyball.

“I learned that [the game] doesn’t fall on me like I can count on my teammates to help me up,” Riley said.

“No matter how much you think you have a disadvantage, you always have a chance of winning. I have no regrets about the game,” Blassingame said.

For any future players considering joining the team, Coach Carter has some advice.

“Do it for the love of the game; you gotta want to put in the work,” he said. “You have to be dedicated to your team and creating confidence is key.”