Volleyball Update

This is my update from our last volleyball game. Cami already found tons of errors so feel free to judge me as you wish. It was fun to write and I don't love writing so here goes...

For as long as I can remember I have loved roller coasters. There is something about speeding up and down and being thrown from one end of a track to another that really gets my adrenaline pumping. The bigger the better, the faster the ride the happier I come out on the other side. In 2005 the Kingda Ka located in New Jersey took over the title of fastest and tallest roller coaster from the Top Thrill Dragster in Cedar Point Ohio. The ride only lasts 28 seconds but you go from zero to 128 miles per hour in 3.5 seconds. You climb to 456 feet and drop 418 only to go back up to 129 then you turn around and do it again. Since 2005 I have been begging my dad to take me to New Jersey.

I no longer need to go to New Jersey. Last nights volleyball game was the fastest and wildest roller coaster I need for a while.

We didn’t start out with much momentum. It was more like we were stuck in a downward spiral where the g force is to great to actually allow you to have control (it is awesome in roller coasters bad in volleyball games). JV really struggled against Salt Lake Lutheran we couldn’t make plays and had a huge lack of communication on the court. Salt Lake Lutheran beat us the first game 25-8.

The next game started out pretty well. We were up 5-1 thanks to Hanna R.’s sweet serving arm. We kept the game moving and scored 16 to their 25 points. This game was more like Peter Pan’s Flight at Disneyland. You love the effort but you know they have the capacity for more.

The only way I can describe the final game is to relate it to waiting in line for a roller coaster. You get frustrated and you’re not sure the ride is really worth it, you contemplate getting out of line but you can’t justify the last 20 minutes you spent moving 10 feet and then after 3 hours in line the ride is a bust. That is how losing 15 to 3 felt.

Don’t get me wrong JV tried. We just couldn’t get into our groove. It was very disheartening to watch. They looked so devastated as they sat down on the bench. I am glad we got to experience such a low because it will make our next win that much sweeter.

Back to roller coasters and volleyball. The varsity team was nervous. You could tell something was up. They had that I am at the top of the Stratosphere in Vegas and you know that the X-Scream is 866 feet above the ground and drops you 26 feet over the edge and leaves you hanging there and for some reason you still need to ride it feeling.

Good thing the ride is worth it.

We lost the first game 26-24 but it was a fight. Liz C. got 8 points off serves and was just all over the court. Delia C. had 4 points off serves. Laura A was getting to the ball and Em C was making plays. The problem with stats is that never show you the whole picture. They were awesome, they were talking and making plays. They were blocking and hitting. It was real volleyball and they looked good.

The second game was the downhill. The whole time you are screaming and waiting for what should be imminent death. We lost 25-16. But the third game was the fast climb to the top of the ride. We answered them with a win of our own, 25-16. The third game was a real momentum and confidence boost. Hanna R. really was unstoppable. She played like there was no tomorrow and in one game she dove! She just learned that on Wednesday and she used it. She had 6 points off serves and was doing some really stellar passing. Delia was making kills, Lexi C. was hitting everything and you would think that Alexa L had been cloned since she was everywhere she needed to be. Liz C was getting every second hit off beautiful Tayler passes. Em C was dominating the front line and if all Lexi B would have brought was he sheer joy at playing it would have been enough but she brought great play making skills as well.

We didn’t want the ride to stop but like all roller coasters, games too must end. We lost the fourth game 29-27 but we played like champions. I haven’t felt that much energy in a room in a long time. You could feel how much they wanted it. It was close the whole game. We would score then they would score, we would score two and they would answer with two. I was on the edge of my seat. The team handled it like pros they stayed focused and I have never seen so many people dive for balls! They had blocks and kills and Hanna R came away with 5 points off serves and Delia with 5 as well. But like I said the stats don’t tell the story. They controlled their game and played so well.

The ride might have started out rough but it was worth it in the end. Coming away with the loss was like buying a too expensive picture of you and the stranger next to you on the roller coaster, you know they are ripping you off but you loved and want to remember the experience.

The girls are sure they will be ready next time we play them. It will be a must see!!

Thank you to everyone who came to the game. Our fans outnumbered the home teams and it helped.

I still might go to New Jersey but I’m not sure it will compare…