Henno Kublin, Staff Reporter
Originally published November 4, 2015

The inaugural boys volleyball game was juniors vs. seniors and was a best of three match, each game to 25 points. Buff Puff was a highly anticipated game that was put together by the girls volleyball team with the help of Athletic Director Carrie Burr and was looking to become an annual event.

With a commentator and referee, the game was much more regulated than the Powder Puff girls football game that occurred this summer from which the Buff Puff title was based on.

The game started out with the juniors taking the lead. Juniors Valentin Boyanov and Max Berner-Hays led their team to the first game win at 25-17 by multiple spikes and blocks, enabled by their athleticism and height up front. In the second game, the seniors started to play more as a team and were able to rally late and win 25-20.

Tying the match at 1-1, the seriousness in the room swelled. Both teams had a dramatic increase in focus, skill and teamwork. Additionally, both the teams and the audience were more involved in the game.

Halfway through the final game, senior Fua Ta’ase made a strong move for the ball and landed harshly on his ankle.

“Fua got a little hurt their for a minute, so we wanted to finish strong for him,” senior coach Hunter Kulik said after the game.

What seemingly started out as just a playful game soon broke down into a highly competitive tie breaker, as both teams fought their hardest, trying to represent their class with pride. The score of the final game was eventually tied at 25-25. “I was really in the zone and on my toes,” Kulik said.

“It was super intense, and it really got me and my team on their feet,” junior coach Megan McAllister said. The game kept going back and forth as no team could lead by two and win.

Finally, the game came up to 31-31 when junior Max Berner-Hays had a ground breaking spike. The juniors cheered but looked up to realize that the seniors had taken the point. This created an uproar at the referee and a large debate on the legality of Berner-Hays’ spike.

“That last call should have just been a redo,” McAlister said about the controversial call. “Plus the referee was a senior, so we should have said that was a bad idea at the beginning.”

The game continued all the way to 31-32, when senior Tyler Hoogendoorn hit a fastball to an vacant area on the juniors’ side to win the game. The seniors went crazy as many of the juniors dropped to the floor, upset from the loss.

“We were just super happy with everyone’s effort and teamwork,” Kulik said.

The seniors won pink champion shirts and “bragging rights,” as stated by the sports announcer. Overall, the game was a success.