The University of Central Missouri Jennies Volleyball win over MIAA rivals Emporia State on Sept. 23.

For some, this was their first time to cheer on theteam, while others have attended the games for decades.

Among the spectators was Mohammed Alzahraini, an international student from Tunisia, this was his first UCM volleyball game.Alzahraini said he enjoyed the game and that he hoped for a win.

A slightly more experienced fan could be found in Brock Smith, a UCM Wrestler. He and his fellow
teammates have been attending many UCM athletic
events.

Brock said that while he hopes the other teams would return the favor, he mostly just goes to support his fellow Mules and Jennies.

No one in attendance had the experience of retired UCM Volleyball Head Coach, Flip Piontek. A coach
for 36 years, Piontek retired in June of 2021.

“I love coming back,” Piontek said. “The volleyball program was a large part of my life and my family. So coming back, it’s like I never left.”

Piontek, who teaches a university foundations class on campus also says that Warrensburg and
UCM still mean a lot to him.

“I have been here 36 years, I raised five children here, and my wife still teaches in the middle school,” Piontek said. “We’re very involved in the community and we’d have a very close attachment to this town in this community.”