Thursday night at the Armory Gymnasium was a special night for the MSU-Northern Skylights volleyball team. The team came together for their annual “Pink Night” in recognition of people who are currently fighting or have won their battle with cancer. On the side, the team also defeated No. 10 Montana Tech, three sets to one.
Head coach Jerry Wagner said to New Media Broadcasters what he has been saying for weeks; that his team is capable of beating the best of the best in the Frontier Conference and Thursday night was the culmination of that.
“I never thought we weren’t capable of beating any team in this conference,” Wagner said. “It’s easier to prove once you finally do it. I never felt like we were out of it, not with the heart and the work ethic that this group has.”
Wagner also touched on collective play to secure the victory.
“I did not want to single out any person; I want to single out the team,” Wagner said. “That’s the only way we are going to get it done.”
“We have nobody that can go out there and do on their own,” Wagner continued. “That’s all these kids hear from me (and) that’s all they hear from each other.”
“They just encourage the heck out of each other and motivate each other with doing their job and doing it extremely well together,” Wagner said.”
When asked about the end of the match and the thoughts running through his mind, Coach Wagner became emotional. He said how much his players care about him and how much he wanted to reciprocate those feelings after one of the biggest wins of his career.
“I’m tearing up a bit because I know how much these guys put into it and we’ve been that close, in my mind, all the time.” Wagner said.
“To see these guys break through, I’m going to be fired up for them,” Wagner continued. “If I jump up and down, it’s because I know I still can. They know how highly I think of them.”
Now, the Skylights have to turn around and play against the University of Providence on Saturday. Coach Wagner said the team has been enjoying last night’s result, but knows that it is the foundation for more success that starts with the next match.
“Yeah, we’re going to enjoy this thing because we have a day in between,” Wagner said. “(UP is) playing (Friday night).”
“This isn’t a one-time thing in my mind,” Wagner said. “This is something that’s been building. (We f)inally broke through and we were rewarded for it.”
