Night of volleyball honors the retirement of a coach

Students and staff came together to support volleyball coach Kris Hasty. Athletic director Doug Mullaney congratulates coach Hasty.

By Hector Cervantes, Reporter

When head volleyball coach Kris Hasty saw gym teachers sporting Hasty Night t-shirts, she knew something was up on Tuesday.

The girl’s volleyball team dedicated Tuesday night’s game to Hasty to honor her final year as a coach as she is retiring. Hasty has been coaching the boys and girls varsity volleyball teams since 1994.

Hasty did not find out about her night until the day of the match.

“I did not find out about Hasty Night until my colleagues came in with the Hasty Night shirt during gym class,” Hasty said.

The girl’s volleyball team sold Hasty Night t-shirts for $10.

“We had to keep it a secret as long as we could about Hasty Night. We sold shirts for people and the squad to wear at the match. It was a pretty big success in hiding the fact that there was a Hasty Night,” junior Maggie Smith said.

Chamber choir sang the “Star Spangled Banner” before the match while the poms performed a halftime show in honor of Hasty night.

“It has been an honor to be able to coach such a wonderful group of girls. They really surprised me and touched my heart,” Hasty said.

The squad was packed with students wearing blue.

“It is pretty awesome how I had a night dedicated to my retirement. I had a lot of friends and family up in the stands and it is a special feeling with lots of people,” Hasty said.

After the match, the volleyball team spent time with Hasty in the commons where refreshments were served.

“She was really surprised and thankful. We definitely brought in a lot of people who she wasn’t expecting, like her college roommates and her family and lots of people she knew that weren’t coming,” junior Laura Katarzynski said.

Besides honoring Hasty, the girl’s volleyball team played Geneva. West Chicago lost the match, 18-25 and 13-25.

“We played respectable especially the first match. I thought it was nice for the team to come together. I know Geneva is one of the hardest teams in the state so it is kind of hard to hang on when they are in division one,” Hasty said.

As the season begins to wrap up, the girls are focusing on regionals.

“We are preparing to play our best at regionals so we can peek at our best time,” Hasty said.

The team’s next competition is an away match against Lemont on Friday.