By Mojo Hill

MADDOCK — Every player, coach and spectator held their heads down in silence.

The room took a moment to honor Maddock senior Tucker Faul.

Just two days after the car accident where Faul tragically lost his life, the Benson County volleyball team returned to the floor.

“That’s something I wouldn’t have been able to do. I wouldn’t have,” Wildcats head coach Sheri Stuberg said. “And they did an amazing job. And just the sense of community that everybody has, and how much this loss affects everybody, and what the girls did — they’re strong. They’re strong. And that shows it right there.”

Every seat on the home half of the Maddock Public School gym was filled. Most fans wore purple. The walls were lined with a prayer wall, drawings and messages of support from the local kids.

“It’s insane. It’s been so overwhelming on social media,” said Benson County senior captain Aubrey Kenner, who was in the same grade as Faul in Maddock. “It affects four communities, really. And it’s super tragic. But this is when we come together. This is when communities shine.”

Tucker was the son of Pam Faul. He was a brother to Cassie, Phoebe and Benson County volleyball player Addisyn Faul. He was also on the New Rockford-Sheyenne/Maddock football team and competed in track and field.

Kenner smiled when asked how she would remember Faul.

“He’s everywhere,” she said. “We have so many pictures, so many quotes. We look everywhere, and he’s going to be there. And while he did spend a short time here in Maddock, his memory will last forever.”

Around the start of the junior varsity match, a bucket was passed around for voluntary donations to the Faul family. Mariah Wetzel started a GoFundMe people can contribute to as well.

Teams from New Rockford, Four Winds and North Prairie also asked fans to wear purple at their matches Tuesday night.

“It’s overwhelming,” Stuberg said. “It’s overwhelming for me, and I’m not a part of his family. I’m not in that tight inner circle. But our players are. And it’s amazing what our small communities in North Dakota do for each other.”

Benson County canceled its match against Midway/Minto on Monday. But with a district contest scheduled for Tuesday in Maddock, they decided going through and playing was the best thing for everyone.

It was the Wildcats’ first action since Sunday’s practice.

“I think it was an outlet for a lot of the girls,” Kenner said. “I think that practice on Sunday was hard, but it was nice to kind of get away from everything. And the games today and being at school — it’s honestly harder just sitting at home alone. And this was a good way for everyone to really come together, wearing their purple, showing their spirit. It was a really good time.”

The team went on without two of its key players. Kale Williams, named homecoming queen alongside Faul just a few weeks ago, was not in uniform but was on the bench to support her teammates.

Tucker’s sister Addisyn wasn’t on the floor Tuesday night. But Coach Stuberg said she’s messaged her, and that the girls made comfort baskets for Addisyn and her family.

“I don’t know how you recover from that on a personal level,” Stuberg said. “So I don’t know what and how, but she’s a strong kid.”

On the court, the Wildcats had a chance to forget about everything for three sets.

When the starters were announced, the student section had a little extra buzz than normal. The crowd of purple got to enjoy some thunderous Lacie Fautsch kills and Kenner crosscourt daggers.

Players like Genna Nelsen and Brylee Stuberg saw increased playing time.

“We did a whole lot of new stuff, and they handled it well,” Coach Stuberg said. “New player coming in that hasn’t seen much varsity time … and she did a really good job. And our team made that seamless.”

The Wildcats swept Nelson County, with set scores of 25-12, 25-14 and 25-21.

The match ended on a service winner by Kenner.

“I think that we really had to play together, obviously, with all the circumstances,” Kenner said. “And we knew that it was going to be a very emotional night. And so just keeping it up mentally was really big for us.”

In the wake of a tragedy, sports provided a brief escape for everybody involved.

For her players, Stuberg said it was a welcome distraction from the grief.

“Sometimes you need that,” she said. “So you don’t sit there and sit in your hole because you want to. And it helps you get out of it. I think it did that for one of our players tonight. It helped her get out of her hole for a little bit.”

With the win, Benson County locked up the No. 3 seed in the district. The Wildcats improved to 25-2 overall and 6-2 in district play with just one non-district match remaining.

Now, they move forward.

“We’ve had to go through some adversity,” Kenner said. “I’m just really excited for the district tournament and where we can go from there. And really just playing together. I think we’ve been a lot scrappier this year, honestly. And so if we can just keep that going in, and use our maturity, that’ll be great.”