Rollercoaster of a Practice.

After a relaxing day off, which consisted of watching television and icing the thumb, we got back to work on the court with a 3-hour practice session. Unfortunately, it was scheduled for about 45 minutes after we had eaten brunch, and being a bit of a glutton I probably ate too much.

We begin with some conditioning, and although Coach usually challenges us, she really upped the tempo today. I was able to do all the drills efficiently, but it was an effort to hold everything down, and I felt like a zombie the first 1/2 hour after we finished conditioning and got to volleyball drills.

Luckily, I eventually got over this, and after a long hitting-lines session (which I believe led to me finally learning how to hit a 1 ball efficiently, although I don't see myself trying to move to middle anytime soon regardless), we did a pretty cool scrimmage drill that involved 4 quarters which ends when one team hits 120 points, with only one brief waterbreak for halftime.

After starting somewhat casually, my team jumps out to a 30 point lead. After we gave up about a 7 point run, I found myself getting a bit more amped, calling for the ball, putting about 7-8 straight kills away. It was just like I felt when I caught fire during the playoffs of the BU tournament.

I feel that it's both a strong/weak point of my game. On a positive note, I love playing with my back against the wall, and feel that I play at my highest level when all the chips are on the table. On the other end, it's frustrating not to be able to bring that fire in all situations. I realize that it's unrealistic to play your best at all times, but I still don't like the lack of consistency. You watch the professionals, and they seem to always play the same game everytime they step on the court... That's what I want to build towards.

All that being said, it was a very strong practice overall for the team. We're all anxiously approaching our first match against Johnson & Wales on Thursday, and although odds are heavily in our favor, we remain focused on playing our best possible game and making sure we take care of things on our side of the court. One more day off tomorrow, then a long string of practices/games to follow. Looking forward to it! I'm sure I'll post tomorrow on some random thoughts going through my head.