CIA 17Black

2015 Schedule

January 10th and 11th	M1 Elite Scrimmage	Rochester, MN
January 17th and 18th	Winter Classic	Milwaukee, WI
January 30th-Feb 1st	January Thaw	Minneapolis, MN
February 8th	All Iowa Attack Qualifying	Ames, IA
February 14th-16th	NE Elite President’s Day	Omaha, NE
February 27th-March 1st	Colorado Crossroads Qualifier	Denver, CO
March 20th-22nd	Mid-East Qualifier	Indianapolis, IN
March 28th and 29th	Iowa Regionals	Cedar Falls, IA
April 3rd-5th	ShowMe Qualifier	Kansas City, MO
*June 24th-27th	USAV Junior National Volleyball Championships	New Orleans, LA
*June 16th-19th	AAU Junior National Championships	Orlando, FL
*will attend one of the two Championships

                                                                             

This is my club teams schedule for this season. As you can see we travel a lot and only have 2 tournaments in Iowa. We travel a lot in order to play different competition, to get us ready for nationals and to be seen by college coaches. If you play a bunch a tournaments in your state you will not be looked at as often. College coaches from outside of Iowa are not going to come just to watch a few Iowa teams play each other.

I am really excited to play in Colorado Crossroads because I have never been to that tournament. Overall I am pumped for this season and I can’t wait for our first tournament. My biggest goal this season is to win a qualifier and get a bid to nationals.

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2014 NCAA Volleyball Tournament

            This is definitely my favorite time of the year. It’s almost Christmas break, club just started and it’s time for the NCAA Final Four! This year Penn State, Stanford, Texas and BYU will battle for the championship title. Stanford is ranked 1^st, Texas is ranked 2^nd, Penn State is ranked 5^th, and BYU was not ranked in the tournament. So the final four this year was surprising to a lot of people. Stanford is predicted to win but I don’t agree.

            On Thursday Stanford will face Penn State and Texas will face BYU. I think it will end up being Penn State and Texas in the championship game. I watched Stanford play Oregon State Friday night at the Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa. Stanford won in 4 sets and it was an incredible game to watch. I also watched Penn State play earlier this season at the University of Iowa. I think these teams are pretty evenly matched but I think Penn State has the advantage. First of all Micha Hancock (senior setter for Penn State) is getting the opportunity to play in her home town, Oklahoma City, for the last time she gets to wear a PSU jersey. I don’t know about you but that would make me want to win more than I ever had before. Penn State also won the National Championship last year, so winning 2 in a row would be pretty sweet. Lastly Penn State is the underdog here so they want to prove themselves and win another National Title.

            The Texas vs. BYU match will be interesting I think. BYU has beat 3 ranked teams already in this tournament. They defeated Arizona (#11), Florida State (#6) and Nebraska (#14). They have definitely proved themselves and what they capable of. I’m assuming Texas did not think they were going to play BYU, so they are probably happy and a little nervous about it. I mean playing an unranked team in the Final Four? That is very unlikely.

            Overall I think Penn State is going to take the title home. Yes, I am obsessed with Micha Hancock and the whole Penn State team but I honestly think that they can do this. I know they can.

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15 Things a Volleyball Player Should Know

Always play your hardest, you never know who is watching.

You are going to lose 5^th sets and it sucks. Learn from it, remember what it feels like and move on.

Be thankful for your parents who pay for everything, are supportive and drive you all over the country so you can play.

NEVER give up.

Always thank your coaches, without them you wouldn’t be the player or person you are today.

If you want to play in college start the recruiting process early. Email and call coaches at schools you are interested in and fill out recruiting questionnaires.

Pressing the call button will be the hardest thing to do when you call a college coach but trust me it is not bad at all once you start talking to them.

Follow your dreams, no matter how big they are. If you work hard and have the confidence in yourself you can do it.

Enjoy the moment you are in right now. You can’t play volleyball forever so don’t the opportunity to play for granted.

 If you make it to state or nationals be proud. So many girls dream of getting a qualifying banner or a bid.

 If you get to watch your idol play (mine is Micha Hancock) ask for a pic with them… you will regret it if you don’t.

 You WILL have days where you feel like giving up or where nothing is going right. It WILL get better I promise.

 Your teammates will pretty much become your fam and it is awesome.

 Find a friend group that is supportive of you. You will be gone a lot for tournaments and finding people that care how your team is doing and come to your games is awesome. 

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Sponsored by NIKE

            This year my club will be sponsored by Nike. I am really excited because Nike is by far my favorite brand. We get Nike knee pads, spandex, volleyball shoes, and jerseys, warm up pants, warm up jacket, and a backpack. I can’t wait to get all of our sweet gear. 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.

            I have Nike volleyball shoes and I love them, so I am glad we are wearing those. 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). I have never worn Nike knee pads but some college teams wear them and they look comfortable.

            My team is also thinking about ordering our own customized Roshes that we can wear to tournaments. Plus they would match all of our gear.  I’m pretty excited for all of this Nike stuff we are going to get. I also ordered a Nike sweatshirt that says WE ARE CIA on the front. 

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First Club Practice

          What I have been looking forward to all year, our first club practice has finally come. We had our first practice tonight and it was a success. My team has so much potential and I can’t wait to get on the court and start competing with them. I can already tell it is going to be an awesome season. We play so well together already I can’t wait to see where this season takes us.

          Our team consists of 10 girls, 4 new and 6 returners from last year. Every single person on my team has the same passion that I do for volleyball and that is an awesome feeling, to be playing on the court with girls that have the same dreams and aspirations that you do. We are playing in 10 tournaments this year plus either New Orleans or Florida for nationals. I am really looking forward to going to Colorado Crossroads because I have never been there and I love Colorado.

          Tonight at practice we played against 18 black (they won nationals last year). It is an awesome experience playing against them, and it is so much fun at the same time. I learn so much from playing them it unbelievable. My team stuck with them and I think we had a great first practice to start our season.

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Out of Town Tournaments

        If you play club volleyball you will most likely travel out of town for tournaments. These can range from an hour to 10 hours in the car, or maybe even flying. Most teams will travel out of town for National Qualifiers or to play in tournaments with a higher level of competition. If you are going to play in a 2 or 3 day out of town tournament there are a few things you should remember to do; stay hydrated, bring snacks, make a list of what you need, and take ice baths.

          Make sure you are drinking plenty of water in advance and during your tournament. It helps if you bring a cooler of water or Gatorade to your hotel and then you can take some with you instead of buying expensive drinks at the convention center.  You should also bring some healthy snacks, something that gives you energy so in between games you have something you like instead of buying greasy concession stand food.

          Every time I go to a tournament out of town I always think I am going to forget something, to avoid this I make a list of everything I need and make sure I have everything before I leave. Examples of things you would not want to forget would be your jersey, spandex, or your volleyball bag.

          After the 1^st day of the tournament you will probably feel a little sore but even if you don’t, take an ice bath! Ice baths help so much and they make a difference the next day when you play for another full day. When you take an ice bath just fill your bath up with ice and cold water so that your legs are completely under water. It is really hard to get in the first time you take one, but just know your legs will feel so much better when you do.

          Most of all just have fun! Play the best you can and the results from your hard work will pay off. Be thankful for the opportunity because not everyone gets to play in these awesome tournaments. Good luck!

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My First College Visit

            On Friday I visited the University of Sioux Falls in South Dakota. The coaches had seen me play recently at a club tryout in Waterloo, Iowa. They took me aside after the tryout and told me how excited they were about me and wanted me to come visit some time. Nothing is more reassuring than having someone believe in your dreams, and they did and I wanted to see what their volleyball program was all about. I scheduled a visit and before I knew it the day had come for my first visit.

            It is a 5 hour drive from Cedar Rapids to the Sioux Falls campus, so it’s not that bad but still a pretty long drive. When I got there with my parents we met with admissions and then took a tour around campus with a tour guide and the assistant coach. The campus is pretty small so it didn’t take that long to see all of the buildings. I got to see the freshman dorms, upperclassman dorms, classrooms, the science department, the athletic center, the volleyball team room, and the best part was seeing the volleyball locker room. We walked into the locker room and hanging in one of the lockers was two #20 jerseys, a backpack, a volleyball bag, and all of the clothing items the players receive but with my number on them. When I saw that, it suddenly hit me that my dream of playing college volleyball could actually come true.

            After that we went out to eat with the coaches to a restaurant called Grille 26, and then to the women’s and men’s basketball games at Sioux Falls. I hung out with the team there and got to know them and what they like or don’t like about Sioux Falls. I know one of the player’s pretty well because we went to the same high school when I was a freshman and she was a senior. So after the game I spent the night in her dorm room with her and her roommates that also play volleyball. It was fun, they really made me realize that I could be a part of that soon. In the morning the coaches picked me up and we met my parents at a pancake place for breakfast. We talked and ate probably some of the best pancakes I’ve had in a long time. After that they took my parents and I to see the athletic complex where the team lifts weights and conditions. The football stadium, soccer field, and track are just behind the complex. It is really nice and they were talking about the future plans of having three volleyball courts put in so that they could practice there instead of where they play.

            The whole experience was awesome and I could really see myself playing and going to school there. It just scares me because college is coming so soon and it seems unreal. Best of luck on your college visits!

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