The Luverne Cardinals were just starting to find their footing when the state of Minnesota put a halt on all youth sports due to Covid-19.
The Cardinals were on a four-game winning streak and owned a 5-5 record. They appeared to be picking up momentum as the section tournament neared.
Then the emergency order came and the surging Cardinals never got to see their season through.
“The last game of the season was really hard,” Luverne senior Gracie Zewiske said.
“It was hard knowing that it was my last time playing on the court with my teammates. It’s hard to realize that I will never know how far we could have gone. We were finally getting comfortable on the court and playing our game. We were on a winning streak and it makes me sad that we couldn’t keep playing and show our talent.”
With all the different Covid-19 protocols in place, it made for a unique season. Teams didn’t get their normal offseason to prepare for the season.
There was a limited number of spectators at the games. Zewiske said it may not have been the season that they envisioned, but she is grateful that she got the opportunity to play this fall.
“It wasn’t the same as previous seasons,” Zewiske said. “We didn’t get our normal preseason. I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to have any of my family or friends watch me play my last season. Luckily we were allowed two tickets per game. It was still super quiet in the gym without our student section.”
She said they practiced every day with masks, which made it difficult to communicate plays on the court.
“A couple of times we had a game get postponed because of other teams being quarantined,” she said. “Those postponements made for long weeks of practices without games being played.”
Zewiske was one of four seniors on Luverne’s roster that didn’t get one final chance at postseason play.
While she’s disappointed she didn’t get to finish her career the way she envisioned, she’ll always cherish the relationships she created while playing volleyball for the Cardinals.
“I will miss the bonds I got to make with my teammates,” Zewiske said.
“I will miss the excitement of my team with every point and the energy and support from our crowds. We grew very close as a team, and I’m going to miss each and every one of them.”