When senior Brenna Hasey stepped behind the service line on Senior Night, the scoreboard didn’t matter. Her teammates on the bench were watching the player who had spent months cheering for them finally return on the court. Hasey’s serve wasn’t about competition, but about her love for the game and the Benjamin girls’ volleyball team.
Junior Lila Brodner has been friends with Hasey for longer than she can remember. Brodner talked about how the moment perfectly captured how much Brenna means to the team.
“I was so excited for Brenna to serve. She worked so hard for her PT, and I was so proud of her,” Brodner said. “She is such a crucial part of the team. Although she isn’t on the court, she is the one who never stops believing.”
Coach Clarke watched Brenna evolve from a captain on the floor to a mentor on the sidelines.
“Seeing [Hasey] in a coaching role was really impressive,” Clarke noted. “She is a great leader. I love how she leads by example. She is setting up the net before every practice, first one getting the girls riled up before a game, and she brought the energy every day,” Clarke remarked.
For Hasey, the injury became more than just a physical setback, but it reshaped how she viewed the game and her role within it.
“This injury has taught me to never take things for granted because it’s not always guaranteed. If someone told me after my junior season that I would be out for nine months and miss my senior year, I would’ve told you that would never be the case. It’s helped my love for the game grow a lot, and it gives me a goal to get back during PT,” Halsey stated.
Her teammates felt that dedication every single day, especially Sophomore Kiki Duffy.
“I can tell Brenna wants to play so badly. She is at every practice, always helping, no matter what. She is the first to get there and last to leave. I really appreciate everything she does for the team,” Duffy explained.
Coach Clarke saw this full-circle moment as something that the entire team will remember.
“Coming back from her ACL injury, this was the date we had circled on the calendar for her to get back on the court again,” Clarke said. “It worked out perfectly that we got to serve first so that she could get out there, but she wasn’t supposed to get back out on the court after she served, but she did, and she got to dig a ball. It was awesome to see.”
For Hasey, that serve represented everything she had worked toward. It wasn’t a farewell, but a symbol of her connection to the sport she loves.
“The serve meant so much to me. It was a little emotional because it marked the beginning and ending of my senior season, but I couldn’t have asked for a better moment,” Hasey said. “If I could decide to serve that night or not, I would 100% serve.”
That single serve wasn’t just the end of a season, but it was the perfect example of what it means to play for something bigger than yourself.
