NIKE

            This year my club is sponsored by Nike, which is by far my favorite brand. We got Nike knee pads, spandex, volleyball shoes, jerseys, warm up pants, warm up jacket, and a backpack. In order to keep our sponsorship with Nike we can’t wear anything but Nike at practices or tournaments, because if someone was to post a picture on Instagram with let’s say an Underarmour headband on we could lose the sponsorship.
          Nike volleyball shoes are my favorite volleyball shoes, so I am glad we get to wear those. I just got new ones but a lot of girls have started to wear basketball shoes for volleyball. I am not sure if they are more comfortable or what, but they have some cool designs so I might have to look in to that for next club season or maybe this school season. Nike spandex are definitely my favorite so that’s a plus too. Nike also makes some sweet socks that are CIA colors (Volt and Black) so I wear those at tournaments. I have never worn Nike knee pads before this year, but I really like them and I would definitely recommend them to other players. I really like our warm ups this year, too. We got skinny (Soccer pants) sweatpants that work really well to warm up in, and cool white zip up jackets with CIA embroidered on the front.

          For next season my team was thinking about getting long sleeve warm ups (they are called spirit jerseys) that have the big arched letters on the back. I think they would be more comfortable to warm up in, compared to our zip up jackets this year. I also customized some Nike Roshes that have my name and number on the back of them that match our colors. My team got team tennis shoes too. They are just plain black and white roshes. I have gotten some pretty sweet stuff from being sponsored by Nike, so if you have a choice I would say choose Nike :) 

Spirit Jerseys: Examples

Word Count: 380

Most Important Things to Remember as a Volleyball Player

I have learned a lot about myself as a person and an athlete from having a passion for volleyball and following my dreams. Spending so much time working for a goal, and having that hard work pay off is the best feeling ever. I have been playing volleyball since I can remember and I have looked up to players that have gone on and played in college and even professionally. It is crazy to think that younger girls might be looking up to me as a player now. I can remember when I was that age, doubting my abilities and wondering if I could ever be as good as the players I looked up to. There were probably some times when I didn't want to stick with it, but I loved the game so much I never stopped. Throughout all of these years playing, I have figured out some things that I think are important to know as a volleyball player.

It is weird to think that I only have 1 high school season and 1 club season left, but I am so excited to be able to continue playing at the D1 level at Loyola in Chicago. I have learned so much from working towards my dream and making it become a reality, I thought I would share some of these things. I think the biggest thing I would tell younger athletes is to never give up, no matter what anyone says about your abilities. If you start to doubt yourself that is when you will not be successful. People will tell you your dreams are too big, or you will never get to where you want to be. You have to learn how to ignore these comments and focus on improving your skills and becoming the best player you can be. One day when I was watching a division 1 college match I asked myself "why can't that be me?" and from then on I knew I was going to work harder than ever to get to that level.

Trust me you will be knocked down multiple times, whether its not making a team or something someone says, but just remember to always believe in yourself. If you set a goal, no matter how high it is, I guarantee you that if you work hard every day and truly believe that you can reach that goal, you will. You can't have any doubts and you have to work your butt off, but you can do it. Don't ever give up on something you have that much passion for.

Word Count: 420

Blocking

Blocking in the game of volleyball is a very important part of the defensive side of things. To really understand the concept of blocking you should understand the point of blocking. A lot of people think that a block is only efficient when the ball is stuffed and doesn't come on the defenses’ side of the court. This assumption is wrong. A block is used to take up space on the court, and to make the hitter attack to a certain spot. For instance let’s say that your setter is right back and you libero is left back. The other teams’ middle comes in to hit a 1, what side should the middle and left blocker take away? If you answered right back you are correct. You would much rather have your libero dig the ball than a setter. That is why blocking or taking away the right back zone will help funnel the ball to the libero. This works the same way on the pins. For example if your libero is left back and the other teams’ right side is attacking on the pin, your blockers should be leaving line, forcing the right side to hit to your libero.

Once you understand the concept of blocking then you can get into the mechanics of it. In my opinion, the most important part of blocking is making sure you are pressing your hands over the net to zone 6. If you are not pressing the ball will land in front of you on your side of the net a lot. If you are not pressing to zone 6 and the hitter is smart they will tool you, having the ball come off your hands and land out of bounds. Other important pieces to blocking are footwork and timing but you have to get a ton of reps to get those things figured out.

Word Count: 315

Mid East Qualifier in Indianapolis

This weekend my team was competing at the Mid East qualifier in Indianapolis. MEQ is a national qualifier so if you place in the top 3 you get a bid to nationals which are in New Orleans this year.  We played in the open division against some really good teams. We weren’t really expected to do well but we did better than we were ranked. It was a three day tournament and we played in the Indianapolis Convention Center. 
The first day we were in a pool with the third ranked team overall. We played really well against them and took them to a third set. We went 0-3 the first day, which was tough but we played hard and left it all on the court. After we were done playing we went shopping in a huge mall and then went out to eat at Granite City. The second day were in a pool with another Iowa team, Iowa Rockets 17R. We hadn't played them before, but we knew they were going to be tough competition and we really wanted to win. We won the first set, lost the second set and it was going to 3. During the third set we got a couple of stuff blocks which I think really brought the momentum to our side and helped us get the W. During that game I was a little nervous because it was the first time my coaches at Loyola were watching me play since I committed there, but after the first couple of points I was all good and I think having them there actually made me play better. It was a sweet win and it helped our regional ranking for next weekend. We ended up 2-1 the second day, and overall I thought we played well.
The final day of the tournament we won our first game in 2 and then we played OP2, who got 2nd place in the open division in Omaha. They are a really good team and we didn't play as well as we could have, so we lost to them in 2. We ended up getting 33rd out of 48 in Open. I was really proud of us for never giving up and proving that we were better than our ranking. 

MEQ Website

Word Count: 390

Colorado Crossraods

I was counting down to the day we left for Colorado for a long time. Getting to play my favorite sport in my favorite state with my favorite people was something to look forward to. My dad and I flew out of Chicago and arrived in the Mile High City on a Thursday. We went to Colorado over thanksgiving break last year to ski and it was the best vacation I have been on so I was pumped when I heard we were going to be playing at Crossroads this club season. I had never been to Crossroads before this year, but I had heard nothing but good things about everyone’s experience there. Walking in to the convention center on Friday before we played I could see why everyone said this was their favorite tournament. Everywhere you looked it was either sweet volleyball clothing, everything you can think of that is Nike, every different food vendor, or courts. It was like a volleyball players dream in a big convention center.

            We went 2-1 the first day, which made us a second seed in our pool the next day. The second day we went 2-1 again but we were in a 3 way tie for first. We thought we might have had to play a challenge match but we ended up getting first because we had the highest winning percentage out of the other teams. We were pretty excited about that, because we were now in the gold bracket and had a shot at qualifying for nationals. After we were done playing on Saturday, some of my teammates wanted to go see some mountains in Vail because they had never seen them before. I decided to go with, even though I knew it was going to be hard seeing the mountains and not being able to ski. I am obsessed with skiing and being in Colorado and not going skiing is really hard let me tell you. It was still awesome driving around through the mountains, and afterwards we went to a pizza place that had been there for over 200 years!

On Sunday we played at 8 in the morning against a pretty solid team from Florida I think. We won the first game, and then lost the second game. In the third set we fought hard and everyone really wanted to win but we just had a few too many mistakes and some bad calls. We lost 12-15. Losing sucks and I don’t think there is a worse feeling. It was not the way we wanted to end that tournament but I think we became more of a team experiencing that tough loss. We realized how much we all wanted it and the next chance we had to qualify we were going to take it.

Colorado Crossroads Website

Word Count: 475

Being Committed to a Team

Teamwork: the combined action of a group of people, especially when effective and efficient.

Playing for a competitive team in any sport is a big deal and a huge commitment. Knowing that you are going to be a part of a team where everyone wants to be there and loves the sport just as much as you do is a factor in many athletes’ decisions to join a team. A lot of other factors go into playing for a team but the commitment level of every single person is one of the most important.

            When you commit to a team you need to make sure that everyone has the same intentions and goals for the team as you do. If what you want to accomplish is different than one of your teammates it might not be the right team for you. This goal could be making it to nationals, winning regionals, etc. You also should be informed of what conflicts your teammates will be having with practices or tournaments. If some of your teammates are going to be missing practice a lot or won’t be able to come to a tournament that could show you their dedication towards the team. Also you should find out what your teammates are giving up or sacrificing to be on this team, which could also show how dedicated someone is.

            Before you commit to a team you need to take in to consideration a lot of different things. Especially how your actions are going to affect your teammates. If you are going to miss a big tournament where college coaches are going to be watching that might affect what coaches watch your team if they are missing players. If you are going to pick a high school sport over your competitive club sport that decision is going to affect more than just yourself.

A team is a group of people that can rely on one another to accomplish a common goal. If you aren't willing to do this you shouldn't be a part of a team.

Word Count: 350

            

Watching My Sisters Play

            This weekend I got to watch both of my sister’s play, which is rare because usually we have tournaments on the same weekends. It was awesome to finally get to see my sisters play. While watching I realized a lot about how much younger players look up to older players and what younger girls are thinking about when they are playing or after they lose.

            On Saturday I was in Tiffin, Iowa watching my youngest sister, Mara play. Her team is 11U but they were playing in a 12u tournament. On our way there she said “I am so glad you can finally come and see me play.” This made me realize how much it means to her that I could go watch. She was telling me how excited she was, but nervous at the same time. I told her not to be worried, you have nothing to lose. During the first game, whenever her team would get a point she jumped up and down and gave everyone high fives and it was so cool to see how much she was enjoying it. Her team ended up getting 3^rd place which was really good considering they were playing an age division up. After they lost in the semis Mara was upset and I could tell how much she wanted to win that game. It was weird because I could totally understand what she was feeling because it has happened to me many times. It’s crazy how much potential she has and I can’t wait to see what her future holds.

            On Sunday I went to West Branch to watch my other sister, Claire play. Her team is 13u and they played in the top division of 13’s with probably the best teams in the state at that age. Claire is more like me when she plays, sort of quiet but pays attention to details and is always thinking ahead. She is a libero and I was very impressed with her ability to keep the ball alive, and how consistent she was with her serve receive passes. Her team got 1^st place and I was so proud of Claire. She has things to work on but she has improved so much already since the beginning of the season and I can’t wait to see what the upcoming years have in store for her.

            After Claire’s tournament was over my mom told me that one of Claire’s teammates mom came up to her and said that her daughter looked up to me and loved how I talked to Claire’s team and got to know them and gave them compliments. This was probably the best thing anyone has ever said to me. I have always looked up to college players, but I never thought someone would look up to me like that. It was just really humbling to hear that.

Word Count: 481