By Matt Gade

605 Sports

Heading into the season, Sioux Valley was coming off a 14-15 2023 campaign looking to make another run at the state tournament.

After a strong 14-1 start to the season, tragedy struck and hit the Cossacks volleyball team right in the heart. 

Freshman Raegan Nelson was involved in a motor vehicle accident on Sept. 27 along with her sister Aubree, a student at Arlington. 

Raegan passed away from her injuries on Oct. 1. 

The Sioux Valley Cossacks take a team picture following their win over Winner in the consolation semifinals as Hannah Duncan (13) holds the teddy bear during the Class A state tournament on Friday at the Denny Sanford Premier Center in Sioux Falls.

Following Nelson’s death, the Sioux Valley girl's team dedicated the season to Raegan.

Joining the Cossacks at every match is a purple teddy bear along with Nelson’s jersey dedicated to a specific seat on the bench.

“The team needed something when she was in the hospital, and there were so many unknowns,” Sioux Valley head coach Jill Vincent. “We needed something to put there that she's always a part of our team.”

“Just because she's passed away doesn't mean we forget about her. Her favorite color is purple, so that's why the bear is purple. One of our secretaries made a track uniform into a t-shirt for us. And, you know, it's just, it's just kind of special.”

The news of Nelson hit the team hard, Vincent said, and wasn’t easy for the girls.

Sioux Valley's Hannah Duncan (13) makes sure the teddy bear is sitting properly on the bench during a timeout in the Cossacks consolation semifinal match against Winner during the Class A state tournament on Friday at the Denny Sanford Premier Center in Sioux Falls.

Vincent said it took time for the players to heal.

“We didn't bounce back very fast,” Vincent said. “We had a lot of practices where we spent the first half hour updating them and crying and whatever. Then we had kids that just kind of, they couldn't really do practice.”

“So they went off to the side and we said, ‘You know, this is life. This is what life throws at you and we're all just going to do it together’ and it was easier to get through together, and which is, you know, same with the state tournament or anything else, is to do it together.”

While the season has been dedicated to Raegan, the Cossacks have worked to also help Aubree, who was recently released from the hospital, and the Nelson family as a whole. 

When Sioux Valley and Arlington played this year, the teams hosted a fundraiser for the Nelson family to help with costs.

The teddy bear sits on the bench as Sioux Valley's Kailey Cradduck (4), Liberty Trygstad (12) and Talya Vincent (2) celebrate a Cossacks point against Winner during a match in the consolation semifinals during the Class A state tournament on Friday at the Denny Sanford Premier Center in Sioux Falls.

Vincent said the Nelson family is still very supportive of the volleyball team, following their success this season.

“They watch our volleyball matches, and like the inspiration that we get from them is because they never give up,” Vincent said. “We just know that we're playing for something much bigger than just volleyball here. So the fact that we get the opportunity to play is pretty special.

“On the volleyball court, you also have to play for the other people, not just for yourself. And so it kind of blends into sports like that way.”

Coming out of Region 2, the Cossacks, seeded 11th, faced sixth-seeded Hill City in Philip in the SoDak 16 qualifier.

Down 2-1, Sioux Valley fought back to defeat the Rangers 15-25, 25-17, 21-25, 25-21, 15-7 to punch their ticket to the Class A state tournament.

Coach Vincent said the things the team has gone through, she knew they had the ability to make it to state.

“We had a lot of emotional games, you know, with your seniors last night, and then — day of the funeral, and all of those things that go into that,” Vincent said. “I think they've grown tremendously through this.”

The Sioux Valley Cossacks take a team picture following their win over Winner in the consolation semifinals as Hannah Duncan (13) holds the teddy bear during the Class A state tournament on Friday at the Denny Sanford Premier Center in Sioux Falls.