Wapahani defeated Speedway in their Class 2A State Championship game at Worthen Arena Saturday, Nov. 7, 2015.
MUNCIE — Before Skyler Van Note and her Wapahani teammates could take the court Saturday, there was one thing they had to wait on.
The finish of the Class A match between Lafayette Central Catholic and Christian Academy of Indiana.
The first match of the day went a full five sets, meaning the Raiders could do nothing but sit in their locker room and wait, letting nerves build before their biggest match of the season.
“We all wanted to be out there and start playing as soon as possible, so the wait felt really long,” Van Note said. “But we were ready to go as soon as we came out. I would have been ready to play at 8 p.m. if I had to.”
The wait didn’t have a negative impact on Wapahani, coming out and taking the first set 25-17 before winning the match against Speedway in four sets.
“We just listened to our pregame songs and made sure we stayed loose and focused,” Van Note said.
Providence dads have wacky getup
Although the crowd was full of colorful characters throughout all four matches, some of the most noticeable outfits belonged to a group known as the Providence dads, who sat in the first row behind the scorers table.
About a dozen men dressed in full boxer outfits, complete with bright robes, boxing gloves and headbands. The group looked more like they were ready to step into the ring for 10 rounds against Muhammad Ali than cheering at a volleyball match.
They started dressing up for their daughters’ volleyball matches four years ago. This year’s theme was Rocky, while previous themes have been Blues Brothers and Duck Dynasty.
Providence brought a large contingent of fans, but they were some of the most audible and animated supporters during the match.
“We get the kids on board, we have a lot of fun with it,” Providence dad Mike Libs said. “We’re going to cheer our hearts out.”
Shondell loves his volleyball
About an hour before Wapahani’s match against Speedway, Don Shondell was escorted to his seat, where he’d watch the Wapahani and Yorktown matches.
Shondell helped bring about Munciana Volleyball, founded and coached the Ball State men’s volleyball team and was instrumental in bringing men’s volleyball to the Midwest.
He currently coaches Burris middle school volleyball and is still active with the Munciana community.
Contact prep sports reporter David Polaski at dpolaski@muncie.gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @DavidPolaskiTSP.