An Interview with an Olympian: Chatting with Brook Billings

As a 19-year old that just began to really get into the sport of volleyball, I used every single source to further my knowledge of the game, as well as network with as many players as possible. I may not use myspace often anymore, but a) it was how I got in touch with Coach Dave, so technically without it I may have never found the path I did, and b) many professional players ended up having profiles. I friended a lot of Olympians, and most accepted, but actual discussions were rare.

This was not the case with Brook Billings. 

I remember watching a video of the United States' AMAZING comeback against Greece in the 2004 Olympics, and Billings had an absolute cannon of an arm on the right side. Stanley is probably the name that comes to mind for most current fans of USA Volleyball when thinking of opposites, but Billings was a crucial piece of the puzzle en route to a 4th place finish during those games, which at the time was a pretty big accomplishment for a team that was still finding their identity.

Upon friending Brook Billings, I asked him about how to improve my game, getting overseas, and other various topics. Not only did he answer, but he would answer quickly, and with long, detailed responses which he'd clearly put a lot of time and thought into.

Years later, I messaged him on facebook asking if he'd be willing to answer some questions for an interview, and although a lot of time had passed since our previous conversations, he was still the same guy he was the first time we had talked. If more elite athletes were like him, the professional sports world would be a better place.

Thank you for your time Brook. For the readers that aren't familiar with you, could you give a brief volleyball background? (College, Years played professionally, countries you played in, etc.)?

USC, 7 years in Europe and 1 summer in Puerto Rico. 7 years with Team USA...Vienna Austria, Osaka Japan, Eregli Turkey, 3 years Czestochowa Poland, Istanbul Turkey.

What are some of your favorite hobbies when not playing volleyball?

Surfing, Beach Volley, water skiing, Santa Barbara, Los Angeles, Laker Games!, Lounging at the pool, a little golf, some Tennis, Palm Springs and boating in Big Bear.

When you first began to play overseas, what was the biggest obstacle in regards to culture shock?

Def the language was an issue but I was also surrounded by Americans my first year. Getting paid and having some money in my pocket was a nice change. It also made playing more like a job and more stressful. Living so far away from family was hard as well. I think that is the main object that breaks a lot of players' careers. They aren't able to live so far away from loved one and friends and get super homesick. Its a hard thing to do...A lot of players also want to come over and just have fun while getting paid. Its not like that. Clubs expect you to be professional. 

What do you miss the most when you're not back in the States?

Of course my family and friends. Its hard to hear about family get togethers for the holidays while over here. Also missing a friends bday or even wedding and being so far away only to be see the photos after. I also miss going to Laker games and good mexican food!

What's one of your favorite things about the culture you currently reside in that isn't found in the United States?

I think having lived in Poland which is a 90% Catholic country and then living in Turkey which is a 90% Muslim country you learn to appreciate everyone's views and beliefs. Currently living in Turkey, to answer the question...I enjoy learning the History. Still seeing some of the ancient ruins through out the entire country is pretty amazing. I love the outdoor cafe's for coffee. It just has a different vibe than at home. people at home are always stop into Starbucks for a coffee on the road. here they take their time and enjoy the atmosphere. 

Can you give readers an idea of your typical off-day?

Two or three times a week we only have one training in the afternoon so I have a lot of free time. Its hard to say what I do on my "off days" because i'm not a cold weather guy. I tend to meet up with my friends from the team and their families to get coffee or hang out. I have been playing a lot of Uno with my friend Vladamir Grbic and his family in the evenings. its a great game to be with friends and hang with eachother. I like to go for walks and get outside when its not raining. I take a lot of naps as well. 

And how about days you have matches?

I'm kind of a supersticious guy and like to do things that have reflected good matches. Wake up and breakfast that is usually cereal and a banana with a big cup of coffee, If you haven't noticed by now... I'm addicted to coffee! I'll take a walk just to get out of the house/hotel and then come back and rest before lunch. After Lunch I will dark out my room and take a nap, granted it is a night match. after my nap I like to take a shower to wake up and pound a lot of water/powerade to hydrate. Maybe grab a sandwich or some sort of snack that will give me energy and then listen to music on my way to the match thinking about how I am going to enter the match. Jump and hit the ball high off the block, throwing my toss nice and high on my serve, and trying to grab the ball while blocking. Just little notes to myself to start focusing before warm ups.

Congratulations on being selected for the Preliminary World League Roster! It's been almost 9 years since you played a pivotal role in the United States' 4th place finish (Editor's Note: I completely botched this, I have no idea how I missed that. What I MEANT to say was it's been almost 5 years since playing a pivotal role in the 2004 Olympics, not the 2000 Olympics.) - What are the biggest changes you've made since that time, and what are your goals for the near future?

Thank you for the congratulations first of all. Its an honor to play for the National Team and I'm very happy that they still have trust in me to represent team USA in World League. I hope to be able to play my best and be a main guy on the squad this quad. 

Second, I've only played on the National Team for 7 years and the 4th place finish we in 2004. But you're right, I have not played much of a role on the team since those games. It was really hard not getting much of a chance to play these past 4 years...and the chances I did get I always felt that I had to show everything in one match. Stressful! but without a doubt I understood that there were 2 great players ahead of me and by no means was it a knock to my level of play. Clay Stanely and Gabe Gardner went out there and did it everyday for the team. 

I haven't changed much except gaining more knowledge of my own capabilities. I am learning every time I step on the court and trying to beat my worst enemy...my head. This game is just as mental as it is physical. 

My near goals are to start for the USA team this summer and just keep working hard. 

With leagues running almost year-round, what do you think is the biggest key in keeping your body from breaking down during the course of a season?

Lots and lots of ice and therapy. Resting on my off time is also going to prolong my career. Staying in the weight room is a must as well. If your muscles are weak then your joints are going to take on more stress...Joints are the problems that keep most athletes out. 

What's the best piece of advice you can give readers in developing as a volleyball player?

You can not stress hard work and communication enough. There are a ton of talented players that can get away without working hard but if you don't communicate on the court you are going to have a real hard time getting to the next level. The best thing my high school coach, Jon Lee, taught me was communication between players. 

What's next for you after volleyball?

I have no idea. I hope to meet the right girl and start a family. I would love to do something that helps people as a profession but one task at a time...and right now it is making as much money as possible with this sport to be able have a cushion till that opportunity comes along. 

To conclude, I found it interesting that even as one of the best players in the world, he admits that it can be difficult to win the battle against yourself mentally. I found it interesting that he's been to two countries with VERY different cultural backgrounds... it's probably been quite the eye-opener. It seems that he's been a key role in his team's success in Turkey this season, and I look forward to hopefully catching him with the USA team when they stroll into Chicago in July!

A Thank You.

I normally don't write about individual accomplishments of mine, but I'm going to change that for a moment to write about an award I received due heavily in part to a few people around me.

It's funny how certain things can just shoot a random memory back into your head. I was in Chipotle today and a Lucinda Williams (country singer most people probably have never heard of) song comes on. I have heard the song probably over a hundred times. This was the first time I had heard it in well over 10 years. The reason I remember it is because my mom and stepdad, divorced since 1999, used to play it all the time in our house in Villa Park. Immediately my mind starting racing towards memories of things that happened during that time. Quite the odd feeling, but kind of nice as well.

Tonight, I was awarded in my opinion the greatest award I've ever received, the 2009 Newbury Scholar-Athlete of the Year award. This states that I had the highest cumulative GPA of all student-athletes for the year. I had a feeling I may win it, but until they began the description of my career, I wasn't certain.

Immediately, my mind flashed to one specific memory: I was sitting in my living room, both biological parents sitting down with me (although it's not due to bad blood, this does not happen often). It is the summer of 2004, and one year after being an Illinois State Scholar graduating high school with a 3.5 GPA, I've come home from ISU with a 1.48 GPA. I was depressed, no longer interested in my major, and for the first time in my life, lacking direction of any sort. Most importantly, I was straight-up embarrassed. I had come close to meltdowns from time to time, but this was the first time I had to look my parents in the eye knowing that I had failed.

It has been an interesting 5 years. I have bounced around various jobs/career interests, and although I have had some stability in my direction as of lately, it wasn't always like this. For a parent, I cannot imagine the roller coaster I put them through, wondering if I'd ever find something I'd like to stick with. Even when I did with volleyball, my father was extremely nervous about my decision to rack up the debt it would take to come to Boston. Even with his lack of approval of the idea, he always supported me, as did the rest of my parents.

His nerves were a bit calmed when he sat down for lunch one day with Coach Dave Hildebrandt when I arrived at the school in January 2007. We went to Legal Seafood, and I basically sat there listening intently to the conversation my father and Dave were having. I can assure you that of all the things they discussed, the one thing that probably put my dad at ease was Dave's stress of good academics. When my father hugged me goodbye a day later and wished me luck, it was the first time I truly felt like a genuine comfort on his end with my decision.

Throughout the next few years, Dave helped me become a better player on the court, but more importantly helped my growth as a human being off of it. We didn't always see eye-to-eye, he didn't know the mechanics of the game all too well, but Dave was the poster child of a man making the most out of his abilities. There are people that had issues with Dave, and I'm sure many of them have some weight. However, everyone has their faults, and Dave's positives HEAVILY outweighed the negatives.

The loss of Dave this year has been harder on me than anything I have ever dealt with. Even though he was going to Elms, there is no doubt in my mind he would be just as willing to shoot the breeze with me on the phone as he did when I'd enter his office. I may not be appealing my final year anymore, but I know that if he was around, he would have been the first one to help me with the process. 

I don't know if I'll ever completely recover from his death. 

I worked hard to earn this award tonight, but the foundation to do so was built by both my parents and Dave. I wouldn't have done it without their constant support, in good times as well as bad.

This one's for them.

End of Season Reflections.

This is probably going to be one of the most difficult posts I have ever written. Not because I don't know what to write about: Frankly I could put 5,000-10,000 words down on this easily. However, I don't want to write in a manner that's just venting, I don't want to burn bridges or point fingers, and I don't want to turn this into a "woe is me" piece. The purpose is going to be to make observations of both self and team, and hopefully others can take something from it, whether to use the good for their own situation, avoid the bad, or simply have someone to relate to when dealing with rough situations.

We finished 24-13, which doesn't look bad on paper, but in my mind was a complete failure given our goals. In four spurts, we (in the correct order) went:

16-1

1-10

6-0

1-3

Peaks and Valleys anyone? So what went wrong?

Fingers were pointed everywhere. To an extent, everyone was right. Did the coaches make mistakes? Absolutely. Did we as players make mistakes? We sure did. But because both sides weren't willing to focus on fixing our own mistakes and proceeded to dwell on others, no one was really working to fix it. 

Personally, as a team, I think our biggest issue was as good as we were, we didn't know how good we weren't. We didn't have a definitive leader that everyone felt comfortable following. Even with 3 days left in the season, we were still fiddling with line-ups, looking for the "right one", when the issue was never what 6 people were in what 6 spots, as much as how those people conducted themselves on the court, both in practice as well as in matches. The confidence that helped make us so successful the first half of the season was nowhere to be found the second half... multiple people on the team openly stating that the 16-1 start could have had more to do with the schedule being easy than us actually being good...

The chemistry that was so strong at the beginning of the year disappeared, and quickly at that. Playing time became an issue with most people, and you could tell when it was on player's minds. When the 2nd team went in, the 1st team would goof off on the sidelines and support only in spurts (and I'm being generous). Towards the end of the season, you could hear a pin drop on our sidelines during the game. This is not a shot at anyone specific, just a red flag that things were not as they should have been.

I would say that the coaching staff was forced to bite off more than it can chew - and I don't fault them for that. They were thrown in a VERY unfamiliar situation to them, and we certainly didn't make their job any easier. We knew there was more leash than we probably should have had, and players were pretty open about that fact - yet we still took as much as we were given. Although I would have liked more discipline, shame on us for not disciplining ourselves. We're adults now. We should have been accountable, we weren't (probably still aren't), and this season most likely will always be looked back on as a disappointment.

It will be hard not being able to play next season. I finish my 3-year career with over 1100 kills, 950 digs, 100 aces, various awards... But it all is hollow without the team awards. It saddens me knowing I was one game away from the Final Four and we couldn't pull it through, but I hope that the team learns from this season, works hard in the off-season, and comes with a chip on their shoulder next year, a little stronger, a little smarter, and most importantly a little hungrier. The talent is there. But as we learned this season, it's nothing without the hustle.

First Post as a Former Nighthawk...

Saturday marked the end of my three-year career as a player at Newbury, and although we came up short in the finals of the ECAC's, I was glad we ended it there rather than at NECVA's. I unfortunately can't post everything I'd like to right now (internet is still terrible at our dorms, extremely frustrating as it's taking a toll on my ability to do work), but a few topics to be discussed:

End of Season Reflections
Where I'm going from here
USAV Nationals next month
Speakers from a couple weeks ago
Interviews with Olympians Reid Priddy/Brook Billings

I'm sure there are more as well, those are just the ones that come to my mind at the moment. I can say that it's sad to not be able to come back one more year to play, but I know the team still has a chance at having its best season yet, and will be cheering from them when it rolls around again, hopefully from overseas.

I'll post later about the end of the season.

Quick Finals Note

Internet has been TERRIBLE at my dorm. I'm about to head over to the finals with my friend, but wanted to note that the lack of updates has been due to the tin-can and string connection in my room.

To be honest, I have no idea regarding who will win in the finals today. Watching Stevens, I feel they have the most firepower of all the teams that were at the tournament. However, they did give up spurts here and there due to lack of concentration, and they seem vulnerable to good off-speed shots. Still, when they play at their best, I don't think anyone can stop them.

On the other end Naz REALLY impressed me this year. Leahy was a better setter than I originally remembered, nothing flashy, just good ball placement, scrappy defense, and great leadership. Meanwhile, my original worry of a freshman outside leading the charge proved to be the exact opposite. Billy Gimello was one of the most impressive players at the tournament, NEVER changing facial expressions, no matter what the play. Completely focused at the task at hand. Smart player, great athletic ability. It's scary when you look at someone's poise and the name "Tiger Woods" came to my mind. Overall, I thought Nazareth looked like the hungriest team at the tournament, and hustle beats talent in my opinion.

It's going to be a close game. I'm going to give the veterans the edge and say Stevens in 5. Can't wait to go watch.

Unbelievable and Completely Believable All at Once.

Going to bed last night, I was unsure of what I'd feel in the morning. The last waking hours of the night, I was pretty numb. Lots of reflection, some intentionally, other things just sorta light-bulbing in my head.

To sum it up, PBU beat us in 4. I was optimistic going into this match, and some of that was completely blind. Realistically, we've never been the same after we had that 1-10 skid. One night against Endicott where we put it all together, but other than that, we hadn't played a complete match in 2 months.

Philly Bible reminded me of Vassar without the complex offense. They didn't have a ton of physical talent, but they all played their role, hustled for every ball, took what was given to them, and supported each other from the first point to the last. On the other end of the floor, we looked completely out of our element, a couple moments of things boiling over both on the court and in the huddles, followed by complete silence on the floor for a couple plays. It was a low point in my career as a nighthawk, and although I'll look back on my time here with fond memories... if my appeal doesn't go through it will be a sad way to end it.
There's a saying that Randy Pausch said which goes "Experience is what you get when you didn't get what you want", and I think that although short-term this stings, I will take SO much from this as I grow as a player and as a coach. Forgive me parental units, but as someone with 6 parents due to divorces (it's not as bad as it sounds - I have good relationships with all of them and they don't fight - so no "woe is me" going on here), I always joked around to people about learning what NOT to do in relationships growing up. With this team, it's the same thing. I've learned what a team cannot do if they expect to succeed.

While talking with one of the teammates last night, he said "I guess we found out we weren't the team we thought we were", and I disagree on that. However, we DID find out that we weren't as self-reliant as originally thought. When Dave was leaving us for Elms, we actually looked at this as a potential way to get a better coach, something that would make us even better. However... I think I learned to appreciate little things Dave did that I hadn't even realized when it was happening.

I remember losing to Vassar 30-12 in the finals last year. Dave went to every single one of us and told us to keep our heads up, we gotta look to ECAC's, the finals was an accomplishment. And I hated him for it at the time. Anything less than the Final Four was a disappointment to me. After last night? I missed that. I NEEDED that. I sat on the bench getting dressed for the bus, and the coach didn't huddle us up, didn't say anything to us, and the first thing she said in the van was how she was pissed off about how girls came to the bench after the game, and how it was never to happen again.

Forgive me for being agitated with this, but a little volleyball talk or reflection on what just happened would have been something I'd be a little more interested in hearing our volleyball coach discuss. I tend to be somewhat politically correct in my blogs, but the way we were (or weren't would be more accurate) coached this season sickens me, and the way it ended was a perfect example of how the whole season went. If you don't know where to set the bar, don't put it anywhere you please, especially low.

So where do we go from here? We may have ECAC's, but to be honest, I don't think anyone feels the significance of it last the last 2 years. Honestly? If it happens, I will play with everything I have. If it was up to me? Let the season go. The goals were Molten's. ECAC's are a consolation prize in my eyes... Even if we were to three-peat in it, it isn't going to define our season or put a nice little "finish with success" tag on the season.

Couple days of rest, going to watch some of the tournament, and we'll see if the season's over. If it is, I'll probably begin my weightlifting, haven't decided if I want to hop on the Tennis team for the last half of their season. I may just want to get my body patched up. I'll post some thoughts on the tournament now.

We Have Internet! Running Diaries - Ramapo/Elms.

Finally got internet up here, apparently I'm not intelligent enough to figure out how to connect to their internet here at MIT, let alone actually attend the institution. Props to the assistant coach/random ball shagger for helping!

Nazareth/Emmanuel just finished, was closer than I expected, but Nazareth came through. I wrote in a notepad file, I will post it tonight.

SET 1: (Ramapo Score - Elms Score)

0-0 Elms does a loud cheer in Spanish. Entertaining to watch the lone American Kleckner try to fit in on that.

0-1 Andujar dump on 2 gives Elms the early lead. They have two big guns in Velez/Bravo, but rarely go to them on the first play.

5-1 Timeout Elms. Ramapo fires off a run to push Elms back. Elms' serve receive, which has been its saving grace during its recent hotstreak, seems a bit shaky. Probably nerves being on the big stage, but I wouldn't count them out yet.

6-1 Ace by Donahue. Ramapo is booming.

8-2 A net violation by Ramapo breaks the run, but DeLeon misses the serve to give the ball back to Ramapo. A sloppy volley ensues on the next play, with a waffled overpass giving Ramapo the point.

9-4 Block by Elms. Hopefully this will help them calm down... you can see they're a bit nervous. Bravo isn't on the court, possibly as he's seen as a defensive liability... still, with the weak passing, it makes you wonder if he wouldn't be a good bailout option.

11-5 Nice spurt by Ramapo to get the ball back, but Velez just hit the best line shot I've ever seen in Division III. Holy crap.

14-5 Hitting error by Velez followed by a Ramapo kill gives them the 9 point lead... Elms has got to calm down if they want to make a push for this set.

17-6 Ace by Ramapo/block on Bravo keeps the bleeding going. The passing is non-existent on Elms' side.

18-7 Sideout by Elms, but a slide by Donahue gets the ball back.

19-7 Timeout by Elms. Bravo mishits a roll into the net. This team is a shell of what it was last weekend at NECC's... I am optimistic that they can pick it up, but I wonder if Ramapo will give them any ground for a comeback this set.

22-8 Missed serve by Ivan. They've got to make Ramapo earn their points!

24-10 Nice kill by Velez, but Elsasser tools the block. Ramapo is siding out incredibly well.

24-12 Kill by Kleckner followed by a setting error by Sierra gives Elms just a bit of momentum.

26-13 Great tool by Donahue. He just makes good decisions, swings high and off hands as good as anyone in Division III.

28-14 Waffle by Donahue lands for the kill. Elms seems to have put Bravo on the opposite for blocking purposes, but it may actually be hurting them, as I personally feel they play their best ball with him on the outside.

30-15 Hitting error by Cruz gives Ramapo the game. Just by watching I am confident that Elms hit in the negatives. If they don't move Bravo to the outside for bailouts, or clean up the passing, this could be a quick three setter...

SET 2.

1-1 Hitting error by Donahue, then serving error by Andujar.

1-2 PHENOMENAL x by Elms gets picked up after an incredibly lucky bounce off the curved ceiling, but DeLeon gets a second chance and puts it away. Starting to look like the Elms I know.

2-3 Kill by Donahue followed by a tool by Cruz.

4-4 Net violation by Bravo ties it up.

4-5 Bravo hits a cross shot from the outside to take the lead. Elms has seemed to shake off the jitters and began passing. This one is going to be close...

6-7 DeLeon blasts his second kill in a row. Not normally one of their heavy hitters, if he can continue to produce consistently it will give them an unexpected boost.

6-8 DeLeon with another kill!

8-9 DeLeon blocked/hit the next out of bounds... uh oh.

9-9 Kill by Cruz ties it up.

11-10 Velez blasts a line-shot, followed by Elsasser (13, apparently there are two) hitting one of his own from the right side.

11-13 Two straight blocks by Elms gives them the two point advantage.

11-14 HUGGEEEE block by Sebastian/Bravo gives them 3 in a row. Ramapo is loud, but the crowd seems louder, and the masses seem to like Elms.

13-17 Another block on the outside by Sebastian/Bravo! Crowd goes nuts.

15-17 Great backrow attack by Donahue/hitting error by Sebastian brings Ramapo within two.

16-17 Failed x attempt by Bravo.

16-18 Great hit by DeLeon to break the run.

22-23 Lost internet briefly :( play's been going back and forth. Hitting error by Kleckner.

22-24 Kill by DeLeon off the x gives Elms a 2 point lead.

22-25 great volley, Carrasco gets a huge dig off Donahue and Velez puts it away.

22-26 Velez goes OT on the outside to give Elms a 4 point lead.

23-26 Elsasser (13) crushes a quick to sideout.

24-26 DeLeon overpasses, McNeill puts it down.

25-26 Setter stepped under the net for Elms.

25-28 Timeout Ramapo. Velez gets 2 MONSTER swings dug, player on ground for Elms digs 2 balls while laying on the ground, and Velez tools the block, at which point the crowd goes BESERK. The whole gym seems to be pro-Elms... which looks to be about 150 people from about 6-8 teams.

26-28 Huge kill by Kohler to silence the crowd.

26-29 Slide by Sebastian to give Elms its first set point.

27-29 Sebastian gets the block but grazes the net. Set point two for Elms coming up.

28-29 DeLeon overpasses it and Donahue swipes it right to get the point. Third set point for Elms.

28-30 Elsasser (16) serves a floater out to give the set to Elms. Brutal. It'll be interesting to see how Ramapo comes out. They seem to be hitting very conservative at the pins... Sierra is putting the ball almost at the ten foot line to give his hitters space, but I wonder if it's truly beneficial to give them that much room.

SET 3:

2-1 Nice start by Ramapo, but DeLeon sideouts on a cross shot to stop the run.

3-1 Great serve by Andujar, but the libero comes up with a BEAUTIFUL pass, and Donahue puts it away on the rightside.

6-1 Serve Receive getting a bit sloppy for Elms, Donahue on a nice run.

7-1 Timeout Elms after Castillo blasts a crosscourt shot. Even when Elms gets the pass, it seems like the chemistry with Andujar and the hitters isn't where it was last set. Bravo's been out this whole run.

8-4 Two missed serves and a hitting error by Ramapo lets Elms back in it.

9-4 Great backrow attack by Donahue. He's got one of the best in the country for D-III.

12-4 Velez gets blocked, then Backlund gets back-to-back aces. He's one of the few serving specialists in D-III that I actually feel serves his purpose well...

12-5 Just jinxed him. Missed serve into the net gives Elms the ball back.

12-6 Block by Velez and Sebastian. Bravo back in the front row, could lead to a run.

13-6 Hitting error by Bravo off a broken play.

13-7 GREAT pass by Carrasco leads to a crosscourt rightside kill by Velez.

16-7 Hitting error by DeLeon on back to back plays. Timeout Elms. Their discouragement with their play is apparent, and they certainly look more similar to the team we watched in the first set. A good pass to get Bravo a decent look could stop the bleeding...

16-8 Nice pass leads to quick kill by Sebastian.

17-8 Missed serve by Sebastian. Elms can't afford mistakes like that...

18-8 Block by Ramapo. Not appreciating them stealing our YOU SHALL NOT PASS chant.

19-9 Ace followed by a missed serve. Andujar back to serve... he needs a big run here.

19-10 ... and gets the ace off the tape!

20-10 Donahue tools DeLeon off the slide for the point. He's been showing his versatility all match, hitting from every spot on the court.

21-10 Castillo with the cross court kill. Freshman for Ramapo, great vert, nice shoulder... if they could get him to glide a bit more instead of jumping straight up he could become a VERY strong player over the next few years.

22-15 Back-to-back kills by Velez. Elms showing some life...

23-15 Quick by Kohler to sideout.

23-16 Lift by a Ramapo player after 2 pancakes in the same play... Yikes.

24-17 Point Elms... but another pancake by Ramapo, they're not letting anything hit.

25-17 Sierra wins a joust against Cruz for the point.

26-17 Donahue tools Andujar for the point. Elms is using a lineup where he hits a couple rotations... which I just don't understand.

27-17 Hitting error by Andujar. Scary moment when Donahue seems to land on Andujar's foot, coming up limping. Timeout Elms, and he seems to be walking it off.

28-17 Roof by Donahue on Andujar. Guess he's fine.

28-18 Nice cross-court shot by DeLeon to get the ball back. I just realized I haven't been writing much about Bravo... he's on the sideline. They can't afford to keep him out for long stretches like that. It seems like he hasn't taken many swings.

30-18 Ace Ramapo to end the set. Crowd is starting to disburse, most likely to check out the Stevens/EMU game. If Velez/Bravo don't catch fire, this could end quickly...

SET 4:

0-1 Ace by Andujar to start the game.

1-1 ... Followed by an error. Wish he missed that much against us...

2-1 Bravo with the error. Why is he starting in the 2?

2-2 Quick by Cruz ties it up. Bravo's in the backrow now... And they're keeping him in. I suppose that's acceptable as I realize they want to get Velez to the front.

6-3 Ramapo picks up a few clutch digs to make a nice run.

7-4 Donahue with another backrow attack. I'd be interested to know what his hitting percentage running the pipe, sometimes I think he hits that better than he does frontrow.

8-6 Velez to the back, and Bravo to the front... they finally put them opposite again. This seems to have been their best lineup when they play us, I never understood why they don't do it from the start.

9-8 Kill by Sebastian - Elms' middles have come a LONG way since the beginning of the season, which is probably a big reason they've come on strong to finish the season.

11-9 Elms gets two soft blocks on Donahue... only to let the cover put it over and let the ball hit the ground. They cannot let that fall.

11-11 A rightside kill by Bravo where he seemed to never come down followed by a block ties it up.

11-12 hitting error by Elsasser (13) gives Elms the lead!

11-13 Castillo goes to hit the pipe and takes it back in his face - ouch.

12-14 Kleckner with a nice cross-court kill to sideout.

13-14 Castillo with a nice tool on the outside.

14-14 Velez under the net to tie it up...

14-15 After a long volley, Sebastian puts the quick down to give Elms the lead. Nice that they're getting production from the role players, that will be key if they want to go to 5.

16-15 Castillo tools the triple block, and Elms calls timeout. Hard to say if either team has the momentum, both are making big plays.

19-15 Velez hits out on the x. Jesus goes under the net saving a ball. DeLeon hits one out. They're starting to give looks to the refs. Not a good way to come out of a timeout.

21-16 Donahue down the line for the kill. Not sure if Elms can make up the difference with the way Ramapo is siding out.

22-16 Ace by Ramapo, and Elms' frustration is evident. They call timeout.

23-19 BRUTAL no call on a lift, good thing Cruz puts it down because the crowd would have erupted.

25-19 Hitting error by Velez/Ace by Ramapo. Elms cannot let balls drop - the aces aren't even being touched.

26-20 Nice slide by Donahue.

27-20 Hit long out of bounds by Cruz. Elms disagrees. You can feel each point hanging over their head for the next 2 plays (sound familiar?

27-22 GREAT dig by Cruz leads to a tool by Velez.

28-23 Missed served by Elsasser (13). Elms needs to run...

28-24 Sierra above the plain on a dump, backrow attack violation.

28-25 Timeout Ramapo. Velez jumps early for the flat 4, but has such a nice arm that he still gets the tool on pure strength.

29-25 Castillo with the clutch kill on the outside. I don't believe he started this match - I wonder if they'll keep him playing the remainder of the tournament.

30-25 Hitting error by Kleckner. They fought hard, but Ramapo was simply more consistent. It's a shame Elms got the 14 seed - if they could have gotten the nervousness out of their system against a weaker opponent they may have been able to claw back. Oh well, that's the craziness of the tournament.

Although I was originally thinking of doing a journal for the third game, but I want to watch both matches, and as their in different gyms I gotta shut it down. I will post tonight with more recaps/thoughts on the day. Wish us luck!

So Many Subjects, So Little Time: First-round Predictions and More!

I want to start by saying that I will be posting eventually about this last Wednesday. To put it in cliff notes' version, I heard a lecture from the co-founder of Harpoon Ale, saw a great 15-minute interview of Knicks head coach Mike D'Antioni (spelling is wrong, I can just tell), and then sat front row to listen to Johnny Earle (better known in his cult following as Johnny Cupcakes) give one of the most inspirational speeches I've ever listened to. This post WILL happen. Very important stuff.

To give everyone a heads' up, I will try to do a LIVE running diary of the NECVA tournament. As I've never done it before/am unsure of how the MIT wireless network is going to behave, it may hit a few snags at the beginning. However, in a perfect world, starting at 2 pm EST I'll be constantly updating the thread with scores/details on the games. At 2 PM I'll most likely be covering Nazareth/Emmanuel, then at 4 pm Ramapo vs. Elms, and although I'll need to stretch, I may catch the beginning of the Vassar/MIT match.

Time is running short, but I want to get predictions for the first round in. Here we go!

RIVIER (1) vs. HUNTER (16)

Hunter is one of the flashiest teams in Division III, with two of the most explosive under-6 foot hitters in the nation in Wajubiak (spelling) and Ripoll. However, their size has been their achilles' heel, and with Rivier having arguably one of the best middle tandems in the country with Wright/Ferreria, as well as bangers at the pin in Anderozzi/Soucy... This one could get ugly fast. Led by potential All-American Zach Hansen, this could be one of the most lopsided matches in the tournament.

Prediction: Rivier in 3.

NAZARETH (2) vs. EMMANUEL (15)

Nazareth is one of the few teams I haven't seen this year, but I've heard nothing but good things about them. With Senior All-American Leahy running the show, and led by powerhouse freshman outside Billy Gimello, they've compiled an impressive 24-4 record. Many insiders I've talked to feel that they may be favorites to reach the finals (which as a 2 seed would make sense!).

Meanwhile, Emmanuel is an intriguing first-round matchup. They have their flaws, but when they're hot, they compete at a level as high as any team in this tournament. An aggressive serving team with an offense that moves their two outsides from pin-to-pin, they can catch teams off guard. I'm giving the sweep to Nazareth, but don't be surprised if the scores are closer than you'd expect.

Prediction: Nazareth in 3.

RAMAPO (3) vs. ELMS (14)

I remember when Ben Wallace signed a 4-year, 60 million dollar contract with the Bulls. Although the city was excited at the time, he struggled his entire time there, and ended up being a huge bust. Bill Simmons discussed this concept in one of his columns on ESPN, discussing how a player can be underrated, then plays with a chip on his shoulder, then everyone realizes he's underrated and proceeds to talk him up. Eventually, so many people talk about how unappreciated the player is that he becomes overrated.

Elms is one of my favorite teams in the tournament. I have more friends on this team than any other non-Newbury team. However, I feel that with all the attention they've gotten in the last week, a) They've lost their "nobody believed in us!" advantage, and b) You better believe Ramapo is using this as fuel to their fire. Elms is going to put up a great fight, and if they did win, I wouldn't be completely shocked. At the same time... Ramapo is no pushover, and I think that they'll show why they were able to come out on top of a division including teams like Stevens and Vassar. Expect it to go into extra sets, but that's where Ramapo does its best work.

Prediction: Ramapo in 5.

STEVENS (4) vs. EASTERN MENNONITE (13)

Stevens started the season obliterating everyone in its path, and a narrow 5-set loss to Juniata led people to believe that they would be a lock as a top 3 national team for the season. However, injuries and inconsistency stemming from it has led to them dropping to a 4-seed. However, Bocchichio seems to be getting back to full strength, they still have arguably the best middle in the country in Cranford, and Trinsey will not want his career to finish on a sour note.

EMU has a young core with a lot of potential, but it seems like they haven't quite hit their stride. Rumor has it one of their players is out due to grades, and that will definitely hurt if he's as good as I hear he is. Coto's one of my favorite players, but I believe he'll have to wait another year, because they drew arguably one of the best 4 seeds this tournament has ever seen.

Prediction: Stevens in 3.

ENDICOTT (5) vs. NEW PALTZ (12)

A somewhat interesting match-up. Endicott has had a great season, upsetting many goliaths on the way. Coleman is one of the top liberos in the nation, and Witofsky is one of the most versatile middles in Division III. Meanwhile, New Paltz has quietly put together a nice season, and although they finished 4th in their division, keep in mind the 3 teams above them were seeded in the top 6 of this tournament. They're one of the few Division III teams to defeat Stevens (although Stevens was short-handed, it's not something easily done).

They have a nice 1-2 punch in the middle with Stross and Moore, but their setter's height is a liability in the front row, and the outsides on Endicott are pretty big. I expect them to run a pretty nice offense, but they'll struggle with Endicott on the defensive end, and although they may steal a set, I see Endicott advancing.

Prediction: Endicott in 4.

VASSAR (6) vs. MIT (11)

A battle of the brains! Vassar has had an interesting run, going 4-0 at the Nazareth tournament all against nationally ranked teams, but ended the season being swept at home by Endicott. It looks as if Leserman (one of the best liberos in the country) has been moved back to the hitting role. Time will tell if they can get some chemistry going in time, but with 2008 Coach of the Year Johnathan Penn running the show, I am confident they will do well.

MIT has silently compiled a 19-2 record over the last 21 games, and don't take home court advantage lightly. Despite that, Vassar tends to have a faithful crowd following them, and they may even that out better than most teams in the tournament. Although I actually want to give MIT the upset special... my gut tells me Vassar's experience and 2008 NECVA POY Phil Tully will give them the edge and help them prevail.

Prediction: Vassar in 4.

NEWBURY (7) vs. PHILLY BIBLE UNIVERSITY (10)

Very excited for this match. I don't want to go into details before the match, but I will make up for it with a detailed post-game analysis upon my return tonight.

Prediction: Newbury in 4.

BARUCH (8) vs. MEDAILLE (9)

I'm openly admitting bias here. Medaille as the 9 seed still boggles my mind... However, I don't see it being that much of an advantage. I saw Baruch play at the Endicott tournament, and was not impressed as Emmanuel handed them a 4-set loss. However, rumor has it they fell victim to the flu bug like my team did, and all my sources say they've hit their stride as of lately. It's not how you start, but how you finish, and I see Baruch coming in with a big chip on its shoulder and taking it out on Medaille.

Prediction: Baruch in 3.

Alright. Time to get some lunch and head over to MIT. I will try to post when I get settled in! Wish me luck!

NECVA TOURNAMENT SPECIAL: Mini-Interviews!

When I step on the court, everyone on the other side becomes the enemy. Although they may be nice guys, they are all obstacles in the way of my goal, and I'll do whatever I have to in order to take the win from them.

However, I do enjoy talking ball with the guys off the court. It's always interesting to get different perspectives and see how things work at other schools. After thinking that people may be tired of just seeing my views all the time. I decided to get some information from other players on their thoughts on the NECVA tournament. Thanks to the guys that got back to me on it!

Ivan Andujar, Junior Setter, Elms

Most exciting first-round match? elms vs. ramapo then hunter vs. riv then newbury vs. PBU

Most under-rated team in tournament (other than your own)? Baruch and Stevens

Biggest Upset of the Tournament? Well after ours... I think Hunter could take Rivier.

Team most interested to watch at the tournament? Stevens.

Any friends on other teams in the field? Bryan "cant pass Ivan's serve" McDermand (Editor's Note: I can't pass Ivan's serve because he's afraid to bring it my way!) and Voytek Jakubiak and Pablo Oliveira.

Random Fact about your team? There is only one American on the team.

Finals Prediction? Elms in 4 over Stevens. I love my team :)

Any last words? I hope to play newbury one more time before the seasons over!!

Believe me, the feeling's mutual :)

Curtis Abram, Sophomore OH, Emmanuel

Most exciting first-round match? I feel like it would be Newbury vs. PBU. It just seems to depend upon which team shows up.

Most Under-rated team in the tournament? I would say EMU, just because of the low seed. If they play consistent they could give Stevens a match.

Biggest Upset of the Tournament? I'm gonna say SUNY New Paltz over Endicott. I feel Endicott has been on a bit of a down slump and SUNY can fire up and take down a big team like that. Or I could be entirely wrong and Endicott pulls out of the slump for the tournament.

Team Most interested to watch at the tournament? Medaille, I'd like to see how a team one game over .500 is a 9 seed.

Do you have any friends on other teams in the field? Haha, yea Wright's (Rivier) a character, but no I don't... being out of the area, I don't know any of the guys from club and such.

Any random facts about your team outsiders may not know about? 6 of our players set for their team in High School, we may have the shortest outside hitter in the nation at 5'8 (Townsend), we don't have a player from MA in our starting lineup and 3 are from CA.

Finals Prediction? Rivier over Vassar in 4 sets.

Any last words? I feel that this years NECVA's is gonna be determined by which teams show up. Alot of lower seeded teams have an ability to knock off top seeds if those lowers come out and play.


Zach Hansen, Junior Setter, Rivier

Most exciting first round match? I personally think the best first round match will be elms vs. ramapo. I can see an upset.

Most under-rated team in the tournament? (although you probably just answered it) haha yea Elms is the most under-rated at 14.

Team most interested to watch at the tournament? Stevens

Do you have any friends on other teams in the field? Yea, one friend on Endicott

Any random facts about your team outsiders may not know about? Our OH Anderozzi had heart surgery the summer before freshman year... that's all I can think of.

Finals Predictions? Riv Over Naz in 4.

Frankie Coto, Sophomore Middle, Eastern Mennonite

Most Exciting first-round match? Well, we will be really pumped and fueled to go out and beat Stevens. Stevens is a cocky team and I really don't like them, besides my good friend Stephan is on their team.

Most under-rated team in the tournament? I really don't see any underrated teams. I could see PBU pulling some upsets, but once Justin gets tired I don't see them getting far.

Do you have any friends on other teams in the field? Haha, besides you, not really. I know the setter/libero from Stevenson, and Stephan from Stevens.

Any Random facts about your team outsiders may not know about? My team is all freshman and we only have one senior, other than that, no. No secrets, just that we might be getting some sick players next year, but I don't want to ruin the surprise. I'll hint that we should be getting a Cuban star from Miami and a Puerto Rican setter.

Finals Predictions? I don't have any predictions because this whole season has been weird for me. But I am going to say that we will not have a repeat performance from the Western Tournament. I am really embarrassed after that poor performance that my team called volleyball.

Any last words? I'm leaving it all on the court.

Joe Trinsey, Senior Outside, Stevens

Most exciting first-round match? I think Vassar vs. MIT will be the most exciting first-round matchup, purely because of the home-court factor. MIT seems to be playing fairly well and Vassar is struggling a bit, so I think it will be close. However, I think Vassar pulls it out in the end.

Who is the most underrated team in the tournament? PBU seems to be under-seeded, but I'm not sure they pull off an upset. Vassar is also a pretty strong 6-seed. I think they are a little like us last year in that they've been pretty inconsistent and most won't expect them to get to the finals, but they're going to be a very difficult second-round matchup.

Who are you most interested in watching at the tournament? Rivier, because we haven't seen them (outisde of watching their webcast matches) and hopefully we'll be seeing them in the semi-finals, so I'm looking to see what their team is like.

Any friends playing that aren't on your team? John Kessenich from Vassar was on my club team. I hung out with some of the Nazareth guys at the NECVA banquet; we were all bummed out after losing so we kind of split out to watch the basketball games. Other than that, I think it's more of a mutual respect factor, especially with some of the seniors who I've matched up with for four years.

Random fact(s) about your team: We've won NECVAs in 2003, 2005 and 2007. Maybe the odd-numbered years are good for us?

Finals Prediction? Well obviously I'm going to pick us and on the other side, it seems like Nazareth is playing the best lately so I will say/hope that it is us over Naz in 4.

Pablo Oliviera, Sophomore Outside, Baruch College.

Most exciting first-round match? In my opinion the 2 most exciting matches are going to be Elmsx Ramapo and Newbury xPBU.

Most Under-rated team of the tournament? The most underated team of the tourney in my opinion is Elms and yes they might upset Ramapo.

Who you're interested in watching at the tournament? I definitely want to watch Elms, Rivier and Newbury(unfortunately its the only team i havent watched yet).

Random fact(s) about the team: Oh well about us I would say just like it happened with you guys(Newbury), a lot of our guys were sick, and this flu definitely did not help us, so i think we are playing more solid now and definitely better.we will see what happens!

Finals prediction: As every player should believe in their team i believe in mine therefore i will say Baruch 3x2 over NAZ, and i do know especially us that we have a tough schedule till then, Medaille, probably Rivier then Stevens, but anything can happen. So lets ball out and see what happens, NECVA will be fun and interesting this year!!

A couple random notes:

I plan on writing my predictions for NECVAS tomorrow.

I confirmed with Paul Dill of MIT that both gyms have wireless. Therefore, I'm looking to get to the gym for the first games and write a few running diaries as the matches progress. Perhaps I'll do an interview or two as well. We shall see!

I was lucky enough to get a hold of Reid Priddy from the USA Men's Volleyball team, and he graciously said yes to doing an interview. If you have a question for the gold medalist, e-mail me at Bpmcder@gmail.com and I'll be sure to include it!

Another update shortly about the day.