Kennedy Volleyball Senior Year

Senior year is a big deal, especially senior volleyball season. I am super excited and I have already been coming up with ideas for the poster, jerseys, warm ups, shoes, etc. Jerseys are probably the most important thing because that is what we wear while competing. This year for club season we have Nike jerseys and they are really comfortable. 

For our warm ups we want to all look the same and be comfy at the same time so sweats and a sweatshirt or zip up jacket is what we usually do. This year since it is my senior year I thought we could have some cool long sleeve spirit jerseys, which a lot of teams seem to be getting right now. We could wear these to school, over our jerseys or just whenever. I think they look pretty sweet if everyone on a team is wearing them. 

Finally the poster and the fun shirt are other important factors in vball season. Last year the saying on the poster was “Rise as One” and that saying was on the fun shirt too. This year I have thought of a couple of ideas that I think would be cool for the poster and our shirt. My first idea was saying “Bring out the best in each other” and have “Bring em out” on the shirt. Every year in the locker room before games we warm up to the song Bring Em Out. So if our shirt said this I think that would be sweet. The color of the shirt is a hard decision too, last year it was light green. This year I think if we did a magenta color that would look good if we got green or black jerseys.

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Committing to Loyola

My biggest dream has come true. A goal that I have had since I started playing. A dream that has been looked over by many people. A goal that I have never gave up on. Playing Division 1 volleyball. About a month ago I committed to play the sport I love at Loyola University in Chicago. After going there on a visit a little over 3 months ago I knew that Loyola was the right fit for me. 

It is an awesome school, with a great biology program. I want to be a pre-med major so picking a school with good academic opportunities was important in my decision. Loyola also has a brand new campus and it is right on the lake. They have the coolest library I have ever seen, it is all glass and 1 of the floors is all computers. The best view of the lake is out the library window and it is amazing. I got to see where they play and it is the perfect size. It is so sweet and I can’t wait to play there. I met some of the team and they were all extremely nice and seemed to really like it at Loyola. I watched them practice and I could see myself practicing with them. I just got an awesome feeling watching it and being in that environment. The coaching was very 1 on 1 and I liked all of the positive feedback the players were getting. The coaches are awesome and I love their coaching style. That was really important in my decision too. I think this is really something that only you can know if it is the right fit for you.

Loyola also has the #1 men's volleyball team in the Nation. Men's volleyball is so much different than Women’s and if you have never watched guys play, you should. It is so fun to watch and the coaches at Loyola said that the men's and women's teams are very supportive of each other and sometimes will even practice with each other. So I am looking forward to that, having a men's team that is representing the same school as me will be sweet. Another plus about going to LU is that Michigan Ave. is 20 minutes from campus, so whenever I have time outside of volleyball I can shop at all of my favorite stores. Beach volleyball is something I wanted to be able to continue in college, and at LU some of the girls either play in beach leagues or coach club teams which would both be awesome opportunities. I am so pumped to go to Loyola I can’t even contain my excitement.

The recruiting process for me was fun because I met a lot of awesome people but it was a great feeling when I committed, I still can’t believe I accomplished that dream that I have had for so long. Hard work really does pay off. The biggest thing I would say to younger athletes is never give up on your dreams. If you truly believe that you can reach your goals and you don’t have any doubts in your abilities, you will get there. Just know that you will have to work really hard until you get there.

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Regionals Part 3

            The championship game. It all happened really fast, we won the semis and right away we were playing in the finals. That was our 3^rd game in a row and I think the game against CIS took a lot of energy away from us. In the finals we were playing IPVA, they came in ranked 5^th and they already had proved a lot of people wrong. They beat the #1 ranked team, Adrenaline in the semis. In the first set of our match against IPVA you could tell we were a little worn out. We let them get to many runs and put ourselves in a hole. We picked it up a lot at the end and fought back to tie it at 25. The score went back and forth until IPVA ended up winning 33-31. It sucked losing that game especially with the score being that close. In the second set we didn’t have our best game, and there were just a few big points for IPVA that I think took the momentum away from us. I don’t think we gave up but I think IPVA played consistently solid throughout the whole match. Not sure what the score was but we lost the second set. Props to them for going in ranked 5^th and winning it all. It was an awesome game, and overall awesome weekend.

            I think one thing I learned from that weekend was that if you truly believe that you can accomplish something, you will, but you can’t have the slightest doubt in your mind. I also think it is important for young players to know that making a goal and working hard everyday to achieve it and accomplishing that is the greatest feeling. But once you achieve 1 goal don’t just be satisfied with that. Make another one and go work for it.

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Regionals Part 2

            First set. Very tough battle, points were pretty much back and forth the whole time. In the middle of the set I remember thinking to myself we got this. The score was very close and I think we might have been losing, but we were playing so well and I could tell everyone wanted this so bad. Despite the pressure we were putting on ourselves we stayed calm and pushed for 1 point at a time, which I think was huge for us. I think CIS went into that game expecting to win and when we started to push ahead they played more uptight, afraid to make mistakes. We won the first set 26-24. I don’t really remember any certain plays or points I just remember feeling like we were playing the best we ever had.

            Second set. It was similar to the first game, in which the score was very close the whole time. The only things I remember in this set was when I stuff blocked probably their best hitter and just the atmosphere in the gym. I can’t even explain what it felt like. There were so many people watching us and it was such a fun and intense game to be apart of. I don’t even know what the final score was but I remember winning the last point and I immediately started crying. The next 5 minutes after that was so emotional for all of us because we had finally done it. We had accomplished our team goal of making it to nationals and it was the first time I had ever qualified. I was so excited, I will never forget that feeling. After that it was time for the championship game. At Iowa regionals there are 2 bids, 1^st place gets a USA bid and 2^nd place gets an American bid. After winning in the semis we had landed a spot in the finals at regionals with a chance to get a USA bid.

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Regionals Part 1

            Regionals. A bid to nationals is on the line and you are playing close to home. A lot of tough competition and only 2 teams get their ticket to nationals. Playing in your home state means playing in front of family and friends, which might be added pressure for some girls. Regionals can be fun and stressful at the same time. My experience at regionals this year was awesome.

            This year regionals was in Cedar Falls, which is about an hour away from my house and it is also where my team practices. So it felt kind of weird waking up in my own bed on the day of a national qualifier. Usually we are 5-15 hours away. Driving to Cedar Falls on that Saturday morning I had all kinds of emotions running through me. I was more nervous than usual and I think was because I knew that that was our best bet at qualifying. In the back of my head I was thinking about last season and what went down at regionals then. Last year we were put in a tough pool the first day and ended up getting 3rd in our pool and playing in the bronze bracket on Sunday. It just wasn't a good weekend for my team, but we are a whole different team this year and I knew we could do it. I just had this feeling. I wanted that bid so bad for so long I was going to do whatever it took to get it.

            On Saturday we were put in a pretty easy pool and won all 3 of our games in 2 sets. Sunday was going to be the real test of what my team could accomplish. I was pumped and I couldn't wait to go get that bid. On Sunday our first game wasn't until 10:00 so we got to sleep in a little but and that is always good. We played Rockets 17 Black in the quarterfinals, which was our first game. In the first set we started off kind of shaky but we fought back and didn't look back from there. We won in 2 sets and now faced CIS (Central Iowa Select) in the semi-finals, and the game to get a bid. The time was finally here, playing for the bid. We were so close I could taste it. We knew this game was going to be a battle, but we were up for it and we wanted revenge because we lost to them in pool play last year. I knew a couple girls from their team from High Performance and playing them in school season and they were a very talented team. We were going to have to play our best and not let up if we wanted to beat them.

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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

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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.

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