Double Post

By the time I had time to type on here it was 11 at night last night and I had to get to sleep for our game today. Ok, if your interested... The article writer says it better than me.... Park Game. The only thing I have to add is consistency, the thing we lack. I guess my biggest problem is can't get all the reps that I would like to get on the ball during practice. St. Ambrose was today... We got our asses handed to us... That is the only way to sum up the game... 0-3.

The game started out with me as second middle... I didn't have a single problem but as soon as I was in everyone was focused on my mistakes and didn't have anything to say for their mistakes. Hmmm. Further more, I get set 3 times and each time the set was either too slow, not high enough or the pass wasn't there... As a hitter who's main job is hitting, I can not be responsible for the passing. Ok, here's the issue I would like to point out... Only last night at practice did I start hitting off of these setters... prior to that I had been hitting off of a completly different setter. Establishing the middle is important when starting a game... Now I have to try within 3 rotations to establish a repetoire and allow the setter to adjust to me... However I was taken out of the rest of the match after I didn't swing on a couple of the sets... Game film will reveal what the real problem was, but while I was out there I wasn't feeling any connection what so ever to these setters and they weren't adjusting either...

The rest of the game proceeded point by point, every two points we would be tied up with St. A. Then we would get up and St. A would come back. We didn't stay consistent. Granted, we're a young team so knowing what to do in tough situations makes it hard. The fact still remains... Either we weren't consistent or we didn't capitalize on St. A's mistakes... I guess I feel like there are too many "haters" on our team... People who make negative comments or don't do anything to better the team... Just worried about themselves or their stats... I realize everyone doesn't have to get along with everyone, but at least fake it or something...

I'm kind of of upset about todays game so before I just lose myself and go on a rant I'm going to cut this short. Touch on somethings that St. A did show us. We weren't ready to play, I think that stems from people not working hard in practice trying to better themselves... Recently, my float serve has become weak. Don't know why and can't explain it. I've tried a million different things, it's just that it's become predictable to my team mates. So, I've switched to a jump serve... Something that I rarely do or I only do when I play doubles or we are up at least 5 points. It's really rusty, but I think I'm going to switch to it full time because I can make the serve bend pretty well. I need to just get my toss consistent and I'll be just fine. Well, we have a practice tomorrow and MoBap Tuesday, we'll just have to see what happens...Umm, if there are any errors you'll have to forgive me, I'm too tired to go through this post and check it...

I also have this to say. Our team doesn't practice hard enough... I feel like I get a good workout, but I have a different mentality about working hard than most people do. We just do what it takes to get the job done, but not necessarily well. I believe in executing everything you do to the highest level... I don't feel like that's something we do during practice.


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Losing the Battle

So, Park beat us. I expected that to be honest. The one thing that I don't think Park expected was for us to even make a showing. We are both young teams this year and our inconsistencies showed it. I only played to rotations last night. It was awful... I should have been in almost all of those games... We have lost the battle, but not the war.

I guess this post is kind of short, but there are so many things to say about the game that I would be here for another hour... We have team pictures today and practice at Nine tonight... I'm going to talk to coach about what I can do to get in the game and we'll see how things go... St. Ambrose Sunday. I'll probably be back later with more once I get a chance to see the game stats.


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Novels....

As is life, I always have something going on and I always feel like everything I do is pending or in transition... Nothing stable... Part of my growth through out college will be finding stability in almost everything I do, but no forgetting that sometimes I have to be flexible. What do novels have to do with this? Every time I sign on, I feel like I could type for days and still not express my range of emotions or what I feel concerning my life and volleyball. I guess I'll just start from the beginning.

We have a our first game of the season on Wednesday... The team is looking all right, but I feel like we are still performing on talent... Not a combination of talent and competitive drive. That's just me though. My biggest problem is that I'm not happy with were I am as a player. Last year I started and played in more games than anyone on the team... Though it was more out necessity do to our lack of players than to my skill level at the time. However, in playing 87 games I gained irreplaceable experience. Playing middle was never my goal and I have made this fact known to my coach. But at this point in time I have to be flexible with him because it's not like he got an off season to actually work with us. Right now, I have to focus on what's best for the team and still keep myself in line for my ultimate goal.

Moving on, the team for Park on Wednesday is basically set and I didn't make the cut... Oh well, I'm mad. Ha, I'm more than mad I'm Pissed off and I want my spot back. But now that I think about it... I'm not mad, because I'm not having to play middle... Which means coach maybe believes that I can do more for the team too(aside from playing middle). Who knows? Plus, we just have to see what these players do under pressure. Yeah they're freshman and they beat me for a spot at middle, but I never wanted to be a middle in the first place. Come park, I'm not so sure they'll be able to fill the shoes...Park doesn't have the best middle blockers, but they'll give you a run for your money if you're not careful. Besides that, Park has a fast offense to the outside. If our middles our to slow to make it out to the block, Uribe will have a field day. Kind of like he did with me last year, but by the 3 set and never having seen him play. I figured out what I needed to do to read him.

Like I said, I'm mad I'm not starting or anything, but I'm also happy because I can focus on improving my skills in other areas. Our coach has done a good job of taking over this team and maintaining control in such a short amount of time. But he still does some things that bother me but we're all trying to work with what we have... Only 15 players... 12 which are actually eligible. We're working well with what we have.

Continuing on... Like I said, I could keep typing and keep going on about philosophy. My play the details of our team play that I like and dislike. But all will be revealed in time I suppose... I guess you'll hear from me after our Park game. Untill Wednesday.


789

What's Up...

So, I am already a blogger and I tend to only blog when I need to vent the frustrations in my life, but since the hiring of our new coach I have a new outlook on playing volleyball...

Here it goes, my name is Chris, I'm a sophomore at Missouri Valley College and I play Middle Blocker(Middle Hitter, Quick Attacker...Whatever you want to call it.). Basically, I just update my development as a volleyball player.

As part of this inaugural posting concerning volleyball I have this to say. I don't want to stay at middle, I'm far too athletic and have to much drive to stay at middle... I'm not saying that middle isn't a difficult position or doesn't require work. However, as part of bettering myself I want to become more proficient at serve receive and digging going on the overall goal of moving to Right Side.

I'll trying to update after every game and keep updates on my own accomplishments, but we'll see how this goes....


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Coach White, Mathematics, and My Future

Well, we got a new coach and at this point, the volleyball program could not have asked for anything better.

My major is now Mathematics.

My future is still uncertain, but things are bright and my life is on a turn around from the pit of despair that I was entering into last semester.


Y.I.T.B.