Comics Review: All-Star Superman

I was making a quick trip to the Mall and stopped into Barnes & Noble for a minute. I saw this digest-ish sized trade of All-Star Superman on the shelf. I looked at the price and was shocked that it was $9.99. I snapped it right up and ran to the register before they came to their senses.

It’s a bit bigger than an Archie digest and more proportionally-sized like a comic book. The pages are pulp, but are bright white and of decent quality. (This likely won’t last with the passage of time.) All 12 issues of the series are here. I did get the first issue of the series in that Superman magazine, but I’m good with having that issue in an oversized format. There are other editions of classic DC comics available in this format (the DC Compact Comics line).

Essentially, this is a cheap reading copy. The artwork really needs to be seen full-sized on slick white paper. In places the print is a bit hard to read (ironically) from the compression, as is the artwork. The colors used are very bright, even in scenes where it’s supposed to be dark. The colors get muddled a bit from being printed on inferior stock.

I have read this whole series before on an “archive” site. I thought it was pretty good, but I was reading it pretty quickly online. This time, I wanted to sit back and read it more carefully. I actually started this review last month, anticipating that I was going to finish this a lot quicker. It’s not a dense read, but you’re almost studying it in places and deciphering it in others. Skimming this quickly won’t be rewarding, though it is drawn in the modern decompressed story style (which is the bane of comic books in general today).

I feel somewhat unworthy to review this masterwork, but I also want to pick apart some questionable storytelling by Grant Morrison. I want to admire Frank Quitely’s near Moebius-inspired European sci-fi artwork (an odd choice for the All-American hero), but so much of the time characters are drawn ugly and off-model.

I’m not going to pretend I understood everything I read in this, though some parts are crystal clear. You might need to be a Superman scholar to really get it. (How much of this story is pure invention and how much is obscure call-backs?) We have moments of irreverent humor and moments of quiet philosophical reflection. The story never wears out its welcome, even in twelve issues. In fact, it leaves you wishing for more. There are many threads to follow up on and unanswered questions, but we’re only allowed a glimpse into Superman’s world. The sun is simply too bright to stare into.

Here’s that iconic opening page. If there’s anything that qualifies as fine art in comic book form, this is it.

*****Spoilers (in case you haven’t read this, don’t read this part)*****

There’s a motif of the 12 Labors of Superman, but there’s not a slavish devotion to following it. This is really just about Superman being given one year to live after fatal solar poisoning from a scheme by Lex Luther. Batman is mentioned a couple of times, but there aren’t any guest star superheroes. The spotlight is firmly on Superman. While theoretically this is the modern Superman, in actuality this is the Silver Age Superman with almost no limits on his powers, physical or mental. Expect outlandish science and displays of power.

At the end of the first issue, Superman finally reveals himself as Clark Kent to Lois Lane. In the next issue, he shows her his Fortress of Solitude. In the next, he gives her superpowers equal to his own. A couple of super jerk rivals show up to ruin their date and to give Superman a warning: a newspaper headline from the near future that reads, “Superman Dead!”

The fourth issue may have been my favorite. Jimmy Olsen is put in charge of Dr. Quintum’s lunar base for a day. While there, Superman encounters black Krytonite and goes bad. Ever clever and resourceful, Jimmy has to save the day and Superman himself.

Clark gets a big scoop in the next issue by interviewing Lex Luther in prison, who is preparing for his execution, and meets Lex’s evil niece. Chaos ensues as a superpowered Clark comes into contact with Parasite. Next, Superman goes back in time with some Supermen of the future. He gets to spend a moment with Pa Kent before he passes away.

The world is then attacked by Bizarro World. Superman fends off the attack, but is stranded on the backward planet. With the help of the only sane Bizarro, he manages to escape.

Superman returns to Metropolis to find himself replaced by a pair of explorer Kryptonians, who survived the end of Krypton. They highly disapprove of him “going native” and urge him to help them take control of the planet. (Why does Luther never have anything to say about actual enemy Kryptonians?) In their conflict, the moon is cracked. (Where’s Dr. Quintum during all of this?) Before they can finish off Superman, the couple falls to fatal Kryptonite poisoning. Superman sends them to the Phantom Zone to establish some law and order there.

With his time running out, Superman writes his will. “To Clark Kent, I leave the headline of the century.” He finds a solution to the bottle city of Kandor. There’s an odd interlude with Superman creating a duplicate earth in a pocket dimension to see what a world without a Superman would be look like. I didn’t entirely understand this, but apparently it’s our world and without an actual Superman, we would invent one.

Luther not only escapes execution, but gains Superman’s powers. His ally, Solaris the Tyrant Sun, attacks and turns the sun red to further depower Superman. With allies, Superman beats Solaris. There’s some setup for this confrontation, but not much. There’s no backstory for this conflict provided.

Clark Kent dies as he presents his final story to the Daily Planet. Deceased, he meets his natural father, Zor-El, who gives him the option of returning, which he does. Luther attacks and Clark confronts him. Still maintaining his secret identity to the end, Clark is revealed to be Superman himself in disguise.

In the fight, Luther nearly beats Superman just as his power runs out. Luther suddenly has a personal revelation and understands Superman’s perspective on the world, right before Superman punches him out. Finally, Superman tells Lois goodbye before he flies off to save the sun.

I saw the animated movie version of this after reading the book. It’s pretty faithful to the original. (It only uses the iconic opening page as a voiceover by Luther at the end, though.) The movie does skip over the Jimmy episode (too bad), along with going back in time to see his dad and the whole Bizzaro storyline. The changes made to the story in general make it better. There’s a short, but very heart-tugging scene between Superman and Ma Kent. The ending is different with a repentant Luther providing a solution to the world without a Superman. They did maybe stay a little too close to the original in not setting up or explaining the ending very well.

*****End of Spoilers*****

Overall, this story does have problems. It’s silly in places, as an homage to the Silver Age Superman. Alan Moore’s Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow, the traditional coda of the Silver Age Superman, is deadly serious by comparison. The final conflict isn’t set up well. Lex is just a cartoon villain. It felt like Superman’s romance with Lois should have been more prominent. Here the animated movie maybe handles these two issues a bit better, which is an acknowledgement of the weakness of the original. Even then, it still had to stick to the basic plot.

All that said, All-Star Superman is a classic. Unlike Batman:Hush, which I was really disappointed by (except for the artwork), this story is mythic and could only star Superman. (Everyone who says Batman is their favorite superhero, hasn’t read his comics in a while.) I hesitated doing a full recap, because so much of the enjoyment of the story is turning the pages and not knowing what sort of surprises will be there. It may be a bit all-over-the-place in narrative, but it will delight you in the unexpected. Even knowing the story, you’ll still amazed by the details and imagination.

For $9.99, this is best comic book you can get. Definite purchase.

NM State Aggies vs UNM Lobos Women’s Basketball 11-16-25

Saturday started off with watching some NWSL, where unfortunately, my favorite player, Olivia Moultrie, was eliminated from the playoffs. I was distracted from the game while flipping around. On a Mexican station, they were showing Scooby Doo in space against Alien. They were all on a moon city. Hijinks ensued. (Should I say “Hi-jinkies ensued,” perhaps?) I had to see how that one ended.

I’ve mentioned Roni’s Mac Bar before. I went there for lunch. The place was full and standing room only. I had to wait like 20 minutes for my order and had to take it home, but the barbeque brisket mac and cheese was worth the wait. I listened to Aggie Football playing at Tennessee while eating. It was an unsurprising 42-9 loss in front of 101k, but the Aggies did cover and made a couple of interceptions. The team was missing kicker Ryan Hawk and quarterback Logan Fife wasn’t left in to play the whole game. The Volunteers were playing with their third string by the fourth quarter.

I did divert away for a bit to listen to a UTEP postgame show. They had two events finishing at about the same time. Their fans were reeling and tilted from a Football loss to Missouri State and a Men’s Basketball loss to Utah State. One caller was really envious of the Aggies’ teams. This guy needs to hit refresh on the browser. The hosts and another caller were praising the UTEP Volleyball team for this season’s run. They’re going to the NCAA Tournament.

In the evening, Aggie Men’s Basketball was playing UNM here. The Lobos lost Coach Richard Pitino after the NCAA Tournament, so I wasn’t sure how good their team is this season. Juice Mims was back with the Aggies, so they were at full strength. PA Ed was not there at the Pan-Am Center. The other PA, whose name I still don’t know, was doing a great job. He was actually praised by a caller after the game. (Broadcasters Jeff Matthews and Anita Skipper don’t know his name either.) There was a disturbing, “Let’s go Lobos!” chant before game, but most of the 8,100 fans were for the Aggies.

The Aggies went up 10 points early, but the Lobos came back and tied it at 27 at the half. The Lobos went up early in the second half, but Jemel Jones and Mims brought the Aggies back and eventually into the lead. The refs were getting overly involved in the game late. With a minute left and a 4-point Aggie lead, the Lobo’s star player, Deyton Albury, fouled out. He didn’t even realize it and was in shock. Juice blocked a 3 at the end and the Aggies closed it out, 76-68. In the postgame, I felt a bit better that Matthews was also having trouble with Anthony Wrzeszcz’s name. Anthony led the Aggies in scoring.

This brings us to Sunday and my Rendezvous with Destiny with Whataburger. I was going to be using that free Whataburger coupon I was given at Aggie Men’s Basketball on Tuesday.  It was delicious, one of the best hamburgers ever. You know it’s a good sign for a restaurant when you see two of their employees eating there.

I got to the Pan-Center a half-hour before the game and there was already good crowd there. Mia Fox and Jacqueline Corcoran were there representing Aggie Volleyball and looking casually glamorous. Several other members would come in later. Jack Nixon came in and had a word with Pistol Pete. He sat down at his usual spot at the Scorer’s Table. I did not see Mrs. Hubbard, but I saw a picture later that she was. PA Ed was still not here. I wonder if he’s sick. The other PA did a good job anyway.

The Aggies were on court warming up. They finished the session making a circle and clapping rapidly. The team exited down the tunnel yelling. Imani Warren stayed behind and took a few more foul shots. The UNM Lobos then came out of the tunnel howling. They had a section of fans behind their bench. One of their assistant coaches was really attractive. We need to recruit her.

There was a definite energy in the crowd. Attendance would be 1,408. It was a “White Out” game like last night. A lot of fans were wearing black 88 Aggie jerseys, which were a giveaway I missed out on. (I also missed out on a commemorative towel giveaway.) Emma Christiano led the Aggies back out on to the court. Coach Adams was wearing a white jacket with a sparkling “A” on the back. The Lobos were in cherry. The Aggies were wearing grey. I guess nobody wants to wear white for home games anymore. Emma would be starting, along with both Lucia’s (Yenes and Lara).

First Quarter

I missed one free throw on today’s scorecard. That was a reasonably nice comeback, after going 0 for 4 on Tuesday’s scorecards. Right off the tip, the ball went out-of-bounds. The Refs had a couple of minutes of confusion determining possession or who was defending which basket. The Aggies and Lobos missed their first couple of shots. The Aggies forced a shot clock violation on the Lobos’ second trip.

The Roadrunner Revue Band was super into it cheering and chanting, along with the crowd. Emma lost a rebound. She chased down the Lobo she lost the ball to and disrupted a layup and caused a turnover. Emma then made a jumper and had a steal. It was 2-4 Lobos with 7’ left in the quarter. Lucia L. missed two free throws after getting fouled, but got the rebound and made a layup. It was tied at 4 with 6’ left.

Emma made a bad pass, but the interception didn’t result in points. Both teams were really cold shooting. Emma took a charge in the lane and stuck her hand in for a steal. Imani tried for a layup off the turnover, but it was broken up. Lucia tried to get it in under the basket, but was fouled. She made the throws to put the Aggies up, 7-4, with 4’ left.

Emma wrestled for a tie up and Lucia stole the ball away, however the Aggies didn’t score and the Lobos made an easy layup. I’m sorry if this is sounding like “The Emma Show.” It’s just that nobody else was doing much. 9-7 Aggies with 1’ left. Marta Guilera came in. She got a rebound and was then fouled hard to the court. Marta converted on her free throws. The Lobos were fouled back and likewise converted to tie it at 9. Kiera Hudson came in and won a tie up with a much taller player. Lucia L. got an open jumper to fall, the Aggies’ first. It was 11-10 Aggies after 10 minutes.

Second Quarter

Simba Cam was activated. “Show us your babies!” said the PA. A girl behind me shouted, “I don’t have a baby!” I have no count on the number of beers she’d had during the game. If that number was zero, I really feel embarrassed for her.

Emma was on bench at this time. She was talking to the Coach. Like the other games when Emma was playing, she talking to the Coach Adams in every stoppage. The Lobos started with a layup. Lobo Alyssa Hargrove made a steal off of Kiera and made a layup. Anna Csenyi came back with a jumper. It was 11-14 Lobos and it finally looked like both teams had gotten over whatever stage fright they had.

Well, that was true for the Lobos, at least. Hargrove made a 3 and Destinee Hooks made a 3 on the Lobos’ next trip. Suddenly, it was 13-22 Lobos and the Aggies called a quick timeout. The Cheerleaders came out for a souvenir toss to the crowd. This included a cowboy hat that was given to a little boy.

Kiera and Emma were put on the floor together. Nayli Padilla hit the Lobo’s third 3 in a row. They finally missed on their next trip. Lucia had a fast break. She dribbled behind her back through the defenders. She made a pass behind her back to Imani under the basket, who then missed the layup. The crowd collectively groaned. It just wasn’t going to be the Aggies’ day. An Aggie fan behind me was booing and heckling in anger.

The Aggies started making a stand on defense. Lucia made a block on the Lobos’ next trip. Nikki Stanic and Iyana Beh came in. Perhaps the Coach was hoping somebody would have the touch. Lucia grabbed a rebound. Anna took a massive charge and went down. She was okay. Emma put in a jumper off the glass, 15-38 with 1’ left in the half. Nayli came right back with another 3 and Tyler added another before time expired. 15-38 Lobos.

I have to complain a bit about UNM Coach Bradbury. He was standing on the sideline waving his arms into the court like a sixth man on defense there by the end. Though it would have made no difference in the score, the Refs probably should have given him a warning.

Halftime

There was a “Grand in the Stand” giveaway for the students to start halftime. I saw the Hot Marketing Girl signing up for it before the game. A fairly happy student won it. A Mariachi band came out with Folklorico dancers for a performance. They were wonderful. It didn’t hurt that they began by playing the Aggie fight song. This was actually the highlight of game.

I took a quick trip to the bathroom. When I came back, a fan next to me asked if I’d gone off to talk to the team. “No, I just told the halftime performers they did a great job.” He also asked how many points had scored in the second quarter. It was 4. You can sum the first half up quickly. The Aggies couldn’t shoot from any range. I blamed a force field over the south goal. Maybe they’d be better shooting at the other goal.

Third Quarter

The second half began with another weird delay by the refs. Thankfully, these incidents were the only two bad calls I noticed during the game. Loes Rozing was fouled and converted on two free throws for the Aggies to start play. The Lobos committed two more fouls right after. This was the new strategy: get the Lobos to all foul out.

Loes then found Lucia L. for a layup. Emma put in another jumper. Cacia Antonio made another 3 for the Lobos and it was 21-48 UNM with 5’ left. Emma took a hard charge in the lane and her and the Lobo player went down. At 21-51 Lobos with 4’ left, the Aggies took a timeout.

The Lobos dropped in two more 3’s and the Aggies took another timeout, 21-57 Lobos with 3’ left. Some of the crowd was deserting. You couldn’t blame them. There was an announcement about the upcoming Volleyball tournament. The team started smiling and waving, but they didn’t put them on camera. Emma found Marta for a layup. Marta also made a couple of free throws. Most of the starters were just back in, except for Emma, who was yelling encouragement from the bench. 25-61 Lobos.

Fourth Quarter

The head ref chatted with a couple of fans on sidelines. I wonder what that conversation was about. Nayli began the fourth quarter with another 3 for the Lobos. Lucia came back with a Eurostep and her first field goal. Anna put in the Aggies’ first 3 after that. 30-68 UNM 6’ left in the game.

Emma made a couple of steals. She was also stripped of the ball and committed a foul to prevent a layup. Then, Emma made a rebound trying to guard under the basket. A Lobo player went down hard on the play and got the foul call. I think she actually slipped and hit her head on the court. 34-70 UNM 4’ left.

It was the Aggie starters versus the Lobo bench, though Nayli hit her fourth 3. That was the Lobos’ tenth 3. Lucia made a bounce pass to Lucia L. for a layup. Loes put in the second Aggie 3. 41-75 UNM 1’ left. Emma made a jumper, tried to take another charge, and then put in another jumper. The horn blessedly sounded. 45-77 Lobos final.

Lobos went up into the crowd and took a picture with their fans. The Aggies went around courtside, thoroughly dejected. They got a lot of hugs from the fans on court. Emma was just about mobbed. Thank you to the Lobos and their fans for not being obnoxious in this blowout, unlike UTEP (10-11-25).  This was almost a “disappointing” victory for the Lobos for being so easy. In front of a home crowd, this kind of win would have been awesome.

That wasn’t humiliating as much as it was pathetic. I don’t know how much to attribute the Lobos’ defense and how much to the Aggies shooting so badly and also getting so many unlucky bounces. I guess it was mostly the defense, but it seems unlikely that the entire Aggie team was that cold. I was told the Aggies actually hung with #18 USC for half of the game. The Lobos could not have been playing better than USC.

The Lobos shot 53%, 45% on 3’s (10 made 3’s by 6 different players to 2 for the Aggies), and 64% free throws (not great, but who cares today?). Nayli Padilla had 14 points with 4 3’s, Destinee Hooks had 10 points. At least the Aggies held her under her average of 17 points. Cacia Antonio had 10 points and 7 rebounds and Clarrissa Craig had 8 points and 8 rebounds.

The Aggies shot 27%, 14% on 3’s, and 75% on free throws (swell, but who cares today?). Lucia Yenes led with 11 points and 8 rebounds. Emma Christiano had 10 points. Emma is pass first, but she should not be shy about taking open shots after today. Lucia Lara had 8 points and 7 rebounds. Imani Warren had 0 points. Keira Hudson had 0 points. Nikki Stanic had 0 points. I think I’ve made my point. Imani actually gets a pass here. I think she’s playing hurt.

Okay, let’s all just forget about this one and carry on like it never happened. For my part, I’m exhausted from my week off and going to all of these Aggie games. It’s been too emotional. I’ll have a month off from the games, at least. I’m not sure what’s going to happen at work for me in that time, but I have some more time off coming to look forward to.

NM State Aggies vs Kennesaw State Owls Volleyball 11-14-25

It was a lot nicer day. Unfortunately, I spent the day indoors and was bored again. I received two phone calls. One was from my dad saying that him and Lamae were afraid to go to tonight’s Aggie Volleyball game against Kennesaw State. They were worried about catching something.

The other phone call I got was from Fan Michael from Aggie Baseball. I had called Michael yesterday and invited him to the game. I wanted to do something for him for giving me a ticket to the Baseball fundraiser (10-11-25).  He had already run into Nellie Reese from the Volleyball team and she had made him promise to be there for Senior Day today. Michael called to send his regrets. He’s having heart surgery on Monday and needs to go over stuff with his care provider.

I asked him about Softball Coach Kathy Rodolph, since Michael often has inside knowledge. This time, he didn’t know what happened and everyone he talked to who might have known wouldn’t say anything. It’s a big secret. It’s hard to imagine a scandal with Softball, but that’s what it looks like.

At work last week, I told a couple of co-workers who were interested in Volleyball about this week’s game. I even gave one a couple of tickets that I’d gotten from Chuck, who’d also given me those tickets to Aggie Football (10-2-25).  I’ve done all I can to boost attendance for Senior Day. Unfortunately, I don’t think I saw them there.

There was a majestic orange sunset to the west of the Mesilla Valley in the evening that greeted me at the Pan-Am Center. (I tried to take picture, but it wasn’t capturing the colors.) Unlike yesterday, the parking lot was full. The crowd looked good inside, but it was only listed at 627. Speaking of majestic, I ran into Tess Fuqua as we were both coming out of our respective bathrooms. I waved hello and told her to have a good game. She tentatively waved back, but looked really grim and serious.

Her teammates were not so serious down on the court. Some of the girls were doing some kind of group pushup like Cheerleaders would do. The Owls were dressed in much more pleasing whites with black letters and yellow trim. Also pleasing, that pretty line official was back here for this game. Unfortunately, she was on the other end of the court.

I beat the Reese family to the seats again. I spoke to Robin briefly and asked about the team’s performance yesterday. She didn’t know what beat them exactly either. My theory would be that they were playing a better team in general, but specifically, they weren’t able to capitalize on the opportunities they were given to win. I warned Trey that the team can’t lose on Senior Day. I made sure to emphasize that wasn’t a prediction, but a warning.

Trey was returning from the concessions holding a bucket of popcorn when the Anthem started. “Oh great, they’ll put me on camera,” he groaned. I defensively stood in front of him to block the shot. I could hear the producer in the booth, “Curses!” (Actually, there wasn’t a full broadcast crew for the game, just cameras.)

Yesterday, there was the odd occurrence during the player introductions with the Owls coming over to the bench shake Assistant Coach Chelsea’s hand. Today, this mystery was resolved. Coach Jordan made sure he was at midcourt to receive the KS players. He chatted for a moment with some of them and it was very amicable. I’ve never seen another team do this ritual, so I’m not surprised that the Coach wasn’t prepared for it. For the Aggies, the six starters introduced were the six seniors. It was a nice touch. The regular starters did come out to play. Claudia Rossi was the starting setter.

Set 1

Tess came out firing hard to start with a kill to tie the score at 1. Maggie Lightheart and Jaelynn Kohli got their first kills early. KS tied it at 3. On that point, Claudia made a save way off court going over the sideline tables. Tess, back to the net and also off court, managed to hit it back over. That pretty much set the standard. The girls wanted to win today.

“Boom!” went PA Ed as Maggie pile-drived an overpass. “Ace of Hearts!” Ed called out, as Maggie aced at 5-4 Aggies. Did it take him all year to come up with that? He should consider going John Sterling and have a special call prepared for all the servers on aces.

Two co-workers I didn’t invite to the game came down the aisle and sat nearby. It was a recently retired lady and her son, who does currently work for the business. His little son nearly ran on to the court. Pistol Pete himself intercepted the lad and asked, “Who’s gonna win today?” “Aggies!” shouted the toddler. I went over and said “Hi,” during the first break in the action. They’d come because of the free tickets they’d gotten with Men’s Basketball season tickets like the ones I’d given away to another co-worker.

Zoe came in to serve and it went out. I thought we agreed this was a bad idea? Trey assured me that she could serve well, but needs to do so from a standstill, not jumping. 8-6 Aggies, Nellie Reese rotated in and put in a setter dump. I’m sure that was on her list of things to do for her final home game. On the next point, which the Owls ultimately took, Maggie, Makayla Martinez, and Claudia all dove for an off-court ball, and Jae (?) managed to get it back over. The Reserves nearly charged the court just for the effort.

Tess got the next kill at 9-7 Aggies. I had a question mark on that play, too. The pace of this match was absolutely furious and I couldn’t keep up. The Owls came back. Kiernan Stamey aced at 9-10 KS. Maggie dodged it, but the serve hit the backline. After KS took the next point, the Aggies took a timeout. I was grateful for the break.

Maggie blasted one out of the break. The ball rebounded into the stands. The Aggies tied it at 11, thanks to a Lift call on the Owls. KS got back ahead. Claudia made a set from her knees. I hadn’t seen her do that before. 11-15 KS, Owl Hannah Pierce made an overpass smash. Bella Castro came in for Tess for serve receiving. More on that later.

The Aggies made a run. Maggie had a kill, Mia Fox had a kill on a low set from Nellie, and Zoe had a kill. Next point, Zoe made an off-court save, Makayla and Nellie nearly head-butted going for a dig, but the Aggies got the kill as Maggie finished it. 15-16 KS and the Aggie Reserves were going wild. Mia added in a tip kill at 16-17 KS.

But the Aggies started falling behind again. The Aggies called a timeout at 16-19 KS, after a ball had dropped in front of Nellie after an awkward pass. Mia came back headhunting with hard kill. That started a run with Maggie getting a kill to tie it at 20. Timeout KS. Maggie looked happy, which she really didn’t yesterday. Tess came back to serve. She looked back and smiled at her mom and little sister in the stands.

KS got the next point, 20-21, on a touch. The Coach was about to challenge, but asked the players first. Kate raised her hand that she had touched it. A couple of KS service errors kept the Aggies in it, but Haley Patterson then aced it to put the Owls at set point. Maggie tooled a block, but KS did finish it on a touch kill, 23-25.

Set 2: Owls 1, Aggies 0

The teams switched sides. Twist Cam was activated. Owl Leah Freeman indulged in some dancing in the break. I got a good view of cutie Kaeley Walz serving as she went on an 0-5 KS run to begin Set 2. Jae was blocked during that run. Coach Jordan took a quick timeout.

The Aggies finally sided out off a net violation. Zoe made a block, 2-6 KS. Tess went way off court to save a ball and the Owls had another net violation to make it 5-7 KS. Olivia Burrage came back with a straight down kill at the net for the Owls. 6-9 KS, Kate Sinclair missed a swing. Katie Funk was sent in for her. 7-11 KS, the Coach almost challenged a touch again, but again a player admitted to it.

The Aggies weren’t going away. Maggie and Katie combined on a block next. Maggie then served up an ace. Tess made a kill standing by the up official. Katie then put in an ace. Finally, Zoe tied it at 13 on a block. She nearly got a kill at the net on the next point, but the Owls saved it. No problem though, Mia finished the point to give the Aggies the lead.

15-13 Aggies, after a long rally, Mia terminated it. The Reserves were completely into it cheering. Mia got the kill on the next point. She was having a heck of a game. The Owls took the next point, but Bella laid out to put a free ball back over. At 18-15 Aggies, KS finally took a timeout.

Out of the break, Zoe, Maggie, Mia, and Tess all had kills to make it, 22-18. A couple of these calls were tentative by the officials. I fully expected Coach Jordan to explode if they hadn’t gone the Aggies’ way. The Owls rallied. Still ahead 23-20, the Aggies called a timeout. Pistol Pete wasn’t worried. He was dancing up a storm on the sidelines. Mia got it to set point on a tip. Tess then took an awkward swing with her left, but it worked for a tip kill. Aggies take it, 25-20.

Set 3: Owls 1, Aggies 1

The Aggies returned to our side of the court. The crowd was charged up. Zoe played up to the booster section. Anticipating being there awhile, I took a quick trip to the bathroom. I returned to see Pete leading the Cheerleaders in a conga line to Jump in the Line over the PA. Glad I didn’t miss that. Katie was starting for the Aggies to begin Set 3.

I admit that my attention was wavering. The pace of the previous two sets had taken a toll on me. Jae started the Aggie scoring with a kill. Makayla made two one-handed digs. She got it to Maggie for a tip kill for a 5-1 Aggie lead. The Owls took the next few points, until Maggie got another kill at 5-4. 7-4 Aggies, Nellie dropped in an untouched ace. Unfortunately, she netted it on the next serve.

The Owls got ahead briefly, but Maggie tied it at 8 with a kill. Katie got the Aggies back in the lead with a kill down the middle. 12-10 Aggies, Mia with a kill. However, a couple Aggie out-swings put the Owls back up. 12-13 KS, the Aggies took a timeout. Maggie would tool a couple of blocks and hit the floor after one, but she was okay. Katie and Maggie had kills and Mia tooled a block, but KS continued building on their lead.

18-22 KS, the Aggies took a timeout. 18-23 KS, Kiernan hit a kill hard enough that it knocked Maggie down. She was okay, but the team was not. KS finished it with Kiernan dunking one to take the set, 18-25. That was a 6-point run to finish the set.

Set 4: Owls 2, Aggies 1

That was a back-breaker. We lost some of the crowd by this point, including my two co-workers. I really lost my concentration on the game, as well chatting with Trey through much of the set. So, sorry for whatever I missed. Three KS players charged up the stairs to go to the bathroom in the break. It happens, but usually not as a group.

The Aggies fell behind early. Kate was put back in after play started. 2-5 KS, the Owls got a point off of a ball going into the video unit. The Aggies clawed back into it with a kill by Mia and an ace by Tess. A kill by Mia put the Aggies up 8-7 and KS took a timeout.

I forget what brought on the conversation. Maybe I was asking about Bella often coming in for Maggie or Tess whenever they’re in the backrow. Trey put his hand up like he was whispering, “It’s because those two are the worst passers on the team. The other teams’ servers pick on them every time. Nobody’s really good at passing on the team. It’s why you see the setters working so hard and diving for balls.” He added, “Actually Jacqueline Corcoran is the worst. Yesterday at the end of the game, somebody shouted out the Owl’s sign that they were serving to her and she still missed it.” I’m only posting this as constructive criticism. I love you Volleyball girls.

KS retook the lead when Maggie Byrd dunked an overpass to make it, 8-9. Makayla nearly sent the ball into the unit on the dig attempt. Maggie and Kate had kills. Jae had a block and Maggie added another kill, but the Aggies couldn’t get back ahead. They took a timeout at 13-16 KS. In the Owl Reserves, I noticed two of the girls were holding up another girl by the stomach after a couple of plays. The held girl was miming swimming. I don’t know what triggered the display, but it was kind of cute and/or silly.

Trey and Robin had an unexpected argument over backcourt attacks. Trey thought an Owl attacker was over the line, but Robin said it was okay. The discussion went on longer than was comfortable. Trying to distract them, I brought up that the Aggies don’t really have a good backcourt attacker like they used to have with Tatyana Battle. I had no idea this was such a touchy subject.

At 13-18 KS, Coach Jordan apparently threw in the towel. He sent Peyton Castillo in to set. This was not like yesterday’s musical setters. He wanted to get the senior into the game. It was good to see her out there playing. The Aggies took their final timeout at, 13-20 KS.

There was an ad on the video board for the C-USA Volleyball tournament in Miami. I pointed out it was being held in the Convocation Center. Trey couldn’t believe the name, or he thought I was saying something else, or he hadn’t heard that word before. I still like it.

Bianca Perez, Jacqueline, and Rilen Garcia, were put in with Bianca and Rilen being seniors. (Senior Kaylee Peterson played earlier.) 14-23 KS, Peyton fed Kate for a dunk. Bianca got an ace at 17-24. The Owls finished it out, 17-25 for the set, and 1-3 for the match.

The Aggies finished the regular season on a five-game losing streak, but will still go to the tournament. Thanks to Kennesaw State being classy during these overmatched wins, unlike UTEP (10-11-25).  I never felt like they were rubbing it in. I hope they didn’t feel slighted by the Coach putting in the seniors there at the end instead of fighting it out.

I am glad the Coach finally saw the error of his ways from yesterday about swapping setters constantly. Unfortunately, the Aggies played worse just using two setters for most of the match. Well now, I don’t know what to think. I’m not sure it mattered for either game what the Aggies did. Kennesaw State was just better. The Aggies had chances to make it interesting, but the Owls had another gear to go to. The Aggies didn’t. Double teaming Manu Johnsen kept her from getting 20+ kills this time, but her teammates had no problem picking up the slack.

The Owls led in hitting .305 to .186, 67 to 46 kills, and 9 to 4 blocks. Little wonder they won. The Aggies did better in serving tonight. They were up 7 to 2 in aces and were 4 to 8 in service errors. The Owls spread out the scoring today, unlike yesterday. Kiernan Stamey had 15 kills, Olivia Burrage had 14 kills and 8 blocks, Manu Johnsen 12 kills, and Haley Patterson had 11 kills. Also different, KS rotated two setters. Interesting that they could mix it up so much from yesterday and still win.

For the Aggies, Maggie Lightheart had 16 kills and Mia Fox 13 kills. The Aggies also served better than yesterday. That’s all the good stats. Jaelynn Kohli and Tess Fuqua were shut out from double-digit scoring. It wasn’t a lack of effort. KS either defending them better and/or they didn’t have the touch today. Mia stepped up well, but the Aggies needed everyone doing well to have a chance.

Senior Day Ceremony

One of the trainers tossed out a box of Kleenex to the girls sitting on the bench watching the proceedings. That was a heads up move. AD Fields was here. I was surprised he wasn’t with the Football team in Tennessee for the game. That would be a good opportunity for networking with a big time school. Maybe he wanted to be here for the boosters for the ***Aggie/Lobo Basketball*** games instead.

Nellie was already wiping away tears after the game. Tess collected her little sister and had her on her lap for the ceremony. I think Assistant Coach Chelsea handed off her daughter to Zoe to hold.

For this years’ Senior Day, the Seniors recorded their messages beforehand. I thought this might mean less tears. It did not. Claudia Rossi was crying through her speech. Ashley Herman was honored, though she might be coming back next year. Boy, Bianca Perez is a smartie. She has a 4.0 GPA in Engineering. Peyton Castillo, in a tear-filled talk, thanked Coach Jordan for saving her and giving her direction in her life. Amazingly, the Coach was wiping away tears during the speech. I’ve seen a bunch of these ceremonies. I’ve never seen the Coach get moved like that.

“Nellie Reese was literally born to be an Aggie,” said PA Ed, referring to her former Aggie player parents. She totally lost it during her speech and they had to cut some of it out and restart. Quiet and reserved, Kaylee Peterson, was very well spoken. She’ll go far in life. Rilen Garcia was introduced as, “The Captain.” She thanked Jesus first.

Coach Jordan then took the microphone. He gave his usual praise for the girls and that they’ll be successful in whatever they do later in life. He stopped for a moment and was choked up. I’ve never seen this get to him like this. I wonder if it’s this season in general weighing on him. He then said, “I know one of you isn’t sure about her career path. I have an opening for an assistant coach next season.” Jordan was talking to Rilen, who gave a thumbs up to the cheers of the team.

I went down after the ceremony to congratulate Nellie and offer regrets for Michael not being there. I told Trey, Robin, and Cooper Reese that I’d see them in the spring at Baseball. I noticed Tess limping on court. She wants to play so bad and is so good, but she’s really paid the price. The Aggies have at least one more game left. I can’t sum up the season right now. I’m wore out a bit from this week and still have a game to go. I’ll write something later.