The Gold volleyball team gathers into a pre-game huddle before their victory.

The first athletic event of the College Night season was women’s volleyball on Saturday, Jan. 31 in Myrick gymnasium. Both Purple and Gold Side had a fair turnout of support from students and parents, all in their sportiest purple and gold apparel.

Each side came out playing strong, alternately scoring point after point. For a while, it looked like it could have been anyone’s game, but Gold Side quickly pulled together for the win and ended the game 25-21. In the words of Gold Side leader Madison Imbusch, “The first battle has been won.”

Some of the girls on the Gold Side team had actually played against each other on their high school teams. According to Miriam Argote, a junior speech pathology major, the fact that most of them were used to playing with the pressure of a big crowd was their advantage.

Despite their loss, Allison Watts, a senior social work major, felt that Purple Side played much better than they had in previous years and has the potential to grow in the next few years.

“The biggest factor in our loss was our mentality.” Watts said. “I think that we beat ourselves mentally more than our technical mistakes did.”