By Lena Flamm

On a windy night at Purchase, 95 attendees crowded into the gym, nervous and excited to watch the faceoff between the 11-6 Farmingdale State Rams and the 2-11 Purchase Panthers. Some people might have viewed it as a task too daunting, a devastating loss they didn't want to witness. But Purchase fans always view it as an underdog story, and as the whistle blew, only time would tell if it turned out to be a victorious one.

Right off the bat, there was no need for a grace period for the Panthers to warm up. They held their own in long rallies, displaying ferocious energy that matched the crowd in the stands. When a rally ended with Rams setter Sarah Rende diving for a ball she couldn't return, the bleachers exploded into cheers and chants. Rams outside hitter Sarah Kollarik wouldn't make it easy on them, though, quickly establishing herself as a star player off the court, with strong serves and hyper-accurate form that the Panthers struggled to respond to. Panthers center Natalia Leite's strength was in her mobility, not afraid to run, dive or slide to return any volley. When the first time out was called and the Rams were leading 10-7, both sides of the bleachers felt confident that their team would be the first to reach those coveted set-winning 25 points. As the first set continued, though, and the Rams broke 20 points, the Panthers once again faced the challenge of coming back up when they're trailing behind. As Rams middle blocker Alana Henry ended a nail-biting volley with a lightning-fast serve straight to the floor of the Panthers' side, the Rams took the first set 25-12.

Over on the sidelines, the Rams' head coach, Kellie Block, was anxious to keep the winning energy alive. "We're just working on building our standard and to keep getting better, our passing and our defense is strong," she said. "They [the Panthers] bring a lot of balls back, so we just wanna be ready." On the other side of the net, Panthers head coach Dean Bennett needed his team to keep their head in the game. "Our energy was high, our players definitely know how to rally," he commented. "If we're having a strong start, sometimes the fatigue may get the best of us during the match early on."

But as the second set commenced, it was clear that Bennett's guess was correct, and the fatigue was wearing down Purchase players, causing them to lose rallies and serve out of bounds. They never let their heads hang low and remained fully committed to the game. When their libero Maya Brown won a long rally, they cheered raucously, and when their outside hitter Adrianna Pinzon fumbled a ball at the net, she simply laughed it off and got back into position. The Rams once again took the set 25-12.

As the third set went on, it was becoming clear that the Rams were playing at a level the Panthers, on that night, couldn't meet, and with much disappointment from the many Panthers fans in the audience, though they were rowdy until the end, the Rams clinched the third and final set 25-9. 

Although sometimes a loss like this can feel complex and confusing, it seemed the Panthers recognized exactly what they needed to work on as well. Bennett recognized how much it was a mental game for the players as well. "If we know they're passionate about playing the sport, then guess what?" he said. "It will translate into their will to perform at attacking, setting the ball efficiently, and defense, recognizing their cues on the court. If they're confident in themselves, it will transfer into their overall playing ability."

Though for some it might've been a difficult topic to broach, Panthers captain Sadie Weiss knew she needed to address the Panthers' now 2-12 record. If there's one thing about Purchase pride, it's that it never fails, even when a win seems so far out of reach, and Weiss viewed her team's season the exact same way the fans did: an underdog victory story in the making. "I think being underdogs gives us motivation. We wanna create an upset for the other team, have them be like 'Wow, Purchase is actually something', we're good." There would be no sulking or grieving for the Purchase Panthers; they are moving forward with their heads held high. "Our energy just needs to stay up," Weiss said, "and everything will follow from there."