“N! D! S!” students screamed as the volleyball team bumped, set and spiked over the net. Dressed as animals for the Noah’s Ark theme, it was just one of the many cheers that filled the gym during the Varsity Volleyball’s loss against St. Teresa’s Academy Wednesday night. Additionally, part of the school’s mission statement– creating a world of peace, hope and love– was displayed by senior volleyball player Ali Odermann’s senior service project, Samaritan’s Feet.

“It’s an organization that raises money for kids who are in impoverished countries and places that can’t afford to find a sense of hope through sports,” Odermann said.

Athletic shoes were collected before and during the game, and both Sion and STA coaches participated in a barefoot night to show their support. As an extension of her project, Odermann has been selling shirts for $15 during lunch. These ideas were inspired by junior varsity coach Sarah Johnson.

“Coach Johnson has been a really big influence since she got here my sophomore year, and she played for Coach Ib, who helped found the volleyball aspect of the organization,” Odermann said. “So she told me about it and I got really interested.”

Odermann has enjoyed being able to work directly with the organization and being able to impact so many children in need. She and the rest of the team also enjoyed the support of the students during the game.

“I love it when people come,” she said. “You can really just see the change. When people come to our games we play a lot better and we just have a little bit more of a fight.”

The team did fight, and even though they lost in two games, the school supported and cheered for them the whole time.

“I thought we played good,” Varsity Volleyball player junior Ellie Chaffee said. “We have things to work on definitely like defense and offense, but we just need to work on being aggressive and believing that we can play with the best.”

Off the court and in the stands, students enjoyed a low-stress no homework night that could be spent cheering on their team. They dressed up like animals on Noah’s ark and tried to outperform the STA students, who wore all denim. Leading the group was this year’s newly selected scream team leaders: seniors Angela Neunuebel, Elizabeth Jackoboice and Maddie Marquardt.

“I liked leading my school, getting them pumped up and just leading them well,” Marquardt said.

The leadership of scream team and spirit of the student section is appreciated by the volleyball players because they use it to keep their motivation, energy and confidence up.

“Every once in awhile when we have a bad play it’s fun to look over at the crowd and they’re just like ‘you got it next time,’” Odermann said. “It just really helps having people there.”