The Archmere volleyball team officially played its first official home game in the gym, with the newly renovated floors, on Friday, October 18th. The team faced the top 3 in the state, St. Marks Spartans and battled in 5 sets, ultimately losing the 5th set 15-11. Although the team was not victorious, the night was about more than just the game. This special game was in memory of the late Michael Johnson, a beloved teacher at Archmere whose energy filled the room with smiles. All freshman, JV, and Varsity players wore special Archmere volleyball navy blue warm-up shirts and navy blue ribbons in their hair to honor Johnson’s legacy. These shirts were also being sold outside in the gym lobby, and all funding went to colon cancer research. The students also sported navy blue, while team captain Abby Im shared Johnson’s story and the positive impact he imprinted on Archmere’s campus before the game. “The energy was electric. It allowed the team to feed off the energy which helped us in the long run” said libero Kennedy Harrington, and she was right. In the 2nd set, Claire Mgonigle fed off of the energy going on a 13-point serving run. The students continued to chant MVP as she was subbed in the next 3 sets. The energy in the gym was unmatched, both teams fought back and forth the entire game! The student section did not disappoint, helping the team make further strides against the Spartans. “Even though the outcome was not what we wanted, we are honestly just so happy to be back in our gym and look forward to playoffs.” said senior captain Abby Im. The volleyball team will play First State Military away on Thursday, October 24th, and then will wait to be seeded for the playoffs.