The irony about me is with one leg longer than the other, standing in a place for an extended period of time can really mess with my body. I played 24 games this weekend and felt pretty good afterwards: The last two days, work has required me to stand looking down at small objects for 8 hours each day, and I feel like I've been hit by a train!
This did not bode well for me in my co-ed doubles league, as I played TERRIBLE as we dropped a set, which would be our third loss on the season. I may sound like a snob complaining about "dropping" to 25-3, but when you're tied at 12 and proceed to have four hitting errors in a row, it's disappointing knowing that playing even average for yourself most likely would have secured the win. I suppose I shouldn't complain going 5-1 on the day. Next week is the last one for the regular season, and going 3-1 will secure 1st, although being greedy I want/expect the 4-0. I am lucky to be able to click with the significant other on the court as well as we do off of it!
That being said, August 3rd is beginning to creep up on me, and I can't help but feel depressed knowing we're so close to the one-year anniversary of Coach Dave's passing. I will be helping Bob Vilsoet at the opening practice for the Harper Women's Volleyball team, and although I hope that it'll be a distraction from the pain I'll feel, I'm sure doing some coaching myself will only remind me more of him. Time will tell I suppose.
Anyways, I should shower and head to bed, just felt like posting as I'm trying to get back on track updating this thing. I will try to write something tomorrow as well.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Monday, July 27, 2009
A Typically-Overdue Update - The Ups and Downs.
As usual, I find myself flying all over the place this summer and by the time I get to sit down at the computer and have the ability to blog, I find myself wanting to check my mail and go to bed.
However, tonight I find myself still flying high after a wonderful weekend of volleyball and spending time with friends. The 20th annual Spike for Kids tournament was Saturday and Sunday, and this was the 5th year I had participated.
I look back on the first year I played it with my friends Kevin and Juan. We got on the court, looked at the other team, and started muttering to ourselves how easy it was going to be. Funny thing was, they had won it before (other than the Luau, this is the probably the most competitive grass 3's tournament of the year for IL), and proceeded to annihilate us. We made it out of pool play, but was bounced out of the playoffs the first round. The next year I didn't make it out of pool play, the only time I've been sent packing before playoffs since I started playing grass touranments.
Fast forward to this weekend, and things have changed a bit. Last year we made it to the semis, but ran out of steam and ended up settling for 3rd. Josh and I picked up a new setter who played on the Cameroon National Team, and he did not disappoint. We faced the defending champions in the semi-finals, and games were to 21. Two of their players were on the team that beat us in the USAV BB National Championship in May, as well as the team that beat Josh's team in the Waupaca Semis, so redemption was necessary. One of the closest matches I've ever played, we won in straight sets, 24-22 28-26.
We advance to the finals, where we face a team we split with in pool play. They had a hammer of an outside, as well as a strong setter and big opposite, so it was going to be a tough one. They came out very strong, taking the first set 21-14. We re-grouped for the second and edged out a 21-19 victory to force it to a 3rd game.
Although my defense felt great all tournament, my hitting was definitely our weak point, as I hadn't played much rightside this summer and was struggling to get my timing down. Luckily, Set 3 starts off well, as I put down 2 straight kills down the line, then make a diving left-handed pop-up to Josh who set Patrick on the rightside for a 3-0 lead. We never looked back, and after two HUGE digs in a row by Josh to give us match point, we took a 15-11 victory to win the tournament.
This was by far the biggest victory of my career. It seems like just yesterday I was at the Luau (the actual year was 2005) and watching the Open Division in complete awe. My friend Orest, a veteran of the local tournaments, was sitting beside me as I basically admitted that these guys killed any trace of an ego I had. He said that he remembered how they played at my age and that I just needed to be patient.
Sure enough, 4 years later and the work seems to be paying off.
The next day, Juan and I teamed up with the girlfriends for the co-ed 4's, really just playing for fun and not really having expectations. Although we rotated and had everyone hit, our defense was very strong, and we ended up winning the 2nd highest division, despite the fact that most teams didn't rotate and had the guys blasting away everytime. So I ended up 2-for-2 on the weekend, thanks to some great play by some incredible teammates!
Aside from that, I've played a few pro sand tournaments, taking home a 9th and a 17th. Not the best finishes, but I'm winning matches at each tournament, so it's nice to know I can at least hang in there with the big guns. On top of that, it's been another eye-opening season as to what I need to work on the most, and although I'm having a blast and don't want the sand season to end, I can't WAIT to hit the weight room and start the P90X workout this fall.
With one month to go before heading back to school, I look forward to cramming in as much volleyball as possible before REALLY taking an off-season and staying of the court for a few months. It's literally been about 5 years since I've stayed away from any sort of competition, and although at Newbury I used to play a lot of grass/do the fall season with the teammates, I plan on really disciplining myself short-term so that I can reap the benefits next summer. I'm in talks with a few potential sponsors, and if all goes well, I should be traveling around the country in 2010 competing in AVP/EVP events. A lot can happen before that though, so for now I'll take it one step at a time and enjoy the last few weekends in Chicago.
More to come at another time.
However, tonight I find myself still flying high after a wonderful weekend of volleyball and spending time with friends. The 20th annual Spike for Kids tournament was Saturday and Sunday, and this was the 5th year I had participated.
I look back on the first year I played it with my friends Kevin and Juan. We got on the court, looked at the other team, and started muttering to ourselves how easy it was going to be. Funny thing was, they had won it before (other than the Luau, this is the probably the most competitive grass 3's tournament of the year for IL), and proceeded to annihilate us. We made it out of pool play, but was bounced out of the playoffs the first round. The next year I didn't make it out of pool play, the only time I've been sent packing before playoffs since I started playing grass touranments.
Fast forward to this weekend, and things have changed a bit. Last year we made it to the semis, but ran out of steam and ended up settling for 3rd. Josh and I picked up a new setter who played on the Cameroon National Team, and he did not disappoint. We faced the defending champions in the semi-finals, and games were to 21. Two of their players were on the team that beat us in the USAV BB National Championship in May, as well as the team that beat Josh's team in the Waupaca Semis, so redemption was necessary. One of the closest matches I've ever played, we won in straight sets, 24-22 28-26.
We advance to the finals, where we face a team we split with in pool play. They had a hammer of an outside, as well as a strong setter and big opposite, so it was going to be a tough one. They came out very strong, taking the first set 21-14. We re-grouped for the second and edged out a 21-19 victory to force it to a 3rd game.
Although my defense felt great all tournament, my hitting was definitely our weak point, as I hadn't played much rightside this summer and was struggling to get my timing down. Luckily, Set 3 starts off well, as I put down 2 straight kills down the line, then make a diving left-handed pop-up to Josh who set Patrick on the rightside for a 3-0 lead. We never looked back, and after two HUGE digs in a row by Josh to give us match point, we took a 15-11 victory to win the tournament.
This was by far the biggest victory of my career. It seems like just yesterday I was at the Luau (the actual year was 2005) and watching the Open Division in complete awe. My friend Orest, a veteran of the local tournaments, was sitting beside me as I basically admitted that these guys killed any trace of an ego I had. He said that he remembered how they played at my age and that I just needed to be patient.
Sure enough, 4 years later and the work seems to be paying off.
The next day, Juan and I teamed up with the girlfriends for the co-ed 4's, really just playing for fun and not really having expectations. Although we rotated and had everyone hit, our defense was very strong, and we ended up winning the 2nd highest division, despite the fact that most teams didn't rotate and had the guys blasting away everytime. So I ended up 2-for-2 on the weekend, thanks to some great play by some incredible teammates!
Aside from that, I've played a few pro sand tournaments, taking home a 9th and a 17th. Not the best finishes, but I'm winning matches at each tournament, so it's nice to know I can at least hang in there with the big guns. On top of that, it's been another eye-opening season as to what I need to work on the most, and although I'm having a blast and don't want the sand season to end, I can't WAIT to hit the weight room and start the P90X workout this fall.
With one month to go before heading back to school, I look forward to cramming in as much volleyball as possible before REALLY taking an off-season and staying of the court for a few months. It's literally been about 5 years since I've stayed away from any sort of competition, and although at Newbury I used to play a lot of grass/do the fall season with the teammates, I plan on really disciplining myself short-term so that I can reap the benefits next summer. I'm in talks with a few potential sponsors, and if all goes well, I should be traveling around the country in 2010 competing in AVP/EVP events. A lot can happen before that though, so for now I'll take it one step at a time and enjoy the last few weekends in Chicago.
More to come at another time.
Friday, July 10, 2009
Italy vs. USA Recap
Brief observations, as my better half is waiting patiently for me. Italy came back from losing the first set 25-20 to winning the next 3 20-25, 21-25, 24-26.
observations:
* 2nd OH is definitely a liability. Salmon wasn't necessarily a go-to guy, but you never felt like he was killing your team the way I felt watching Jablonsky struggle tonight against Italy. Couldn't block, most kills were tools that could have gone either way, backrow was par at best. Touzinsky was put back in the game late in the 3rd, but the momentum had shifted by that point. I really hope that Anderson/Rooney stay healthy/motivated, because I just don't feel comfortable with anyone else from the newer generation of National Team pipeliners.
* What I'm surprised no one touched on is the 2nd middle. Kudos to the setter that came in for Italy late in the 1st set (#5) for running a FAST offense. Middles were unstoppable, and were getting solos all day for the pin hitters. Savani (#11) was a monster for Italy, and the lefty opp (#7) was a workhorse as well, going over triple blocks a time or two. The pace of the sets were near unstoppable, and by the 4th set the U.S had no answer. Hein/Smith both show a lot of potential, and Hein seems to already be there on the offensive end. However, until they can close a block on the regular basis, it won't matter how much height we have on the sides.
* Stanley looks TIRED. I feel like Priddy mentioned previously that he was worried about Clay not taking a break, and my thoughts are the same. His serves were all over the place, he was hitting into blocks, and just never seemed to hit his stride. Patak is one of the brightest prospects we have, why not give him more time? Billings also has a ton of experience from the 04 games.
* Rooney has grown A LOT as a player since last year. Very impressed with his confidence compared to last year when they played Bulgaria. His bic's were unstoppable, and I look forward to watching him continue to progress. However...One of the things that stuck out about last year's team (perhaps even moreso now after watching tonight's match) was the mental toughness and poise they showed. No matter how bad of a run they were on, they came to the middle. Every player. Every time. This year? Rooney shows some fire when things go well (Had a FANTASTIC pancake, sprung up, and fired a cross-court bomb to the corner), but when things went wrong, he was always going away from the team, obviously pissed off, even kicking the side panel once in frustration. I understand the age, and I realize he'll get better with time, but if he wants to be a go-to player NOW, then he's gotta grow up a bit faster, because it seemed like the overall camaraderie wasn't there.
* Crucial play that I'd like others' opinion on: 21-23, 3rd set, Patak bombs a shot to my corner (I was in reserved seating) that I'm pretty sure went in. Line judge called it in, but up ref over-ruled it. No replay on the jumbotron. Am I crazy or was that an ace? HUGE momentum shift from being down only 1 coming off an ace compared to missing a serve giving the other team set point.
* Hansen seemed to set well, although his block is a liability. I realize people on the board were never fans of Ball's blocking, but Hansen looked lost on there for some stretches (He did have some great solos from time to time). I liked his leadership, I think if he continues to develop his game he could definitely become something special. Suxho came in late in game 4, had a great serving run to get them back in the game, but I felt his sets had no tempo (granted, it's hard to warm up in that type of scenario).
* Lee looked great. It's nice to know we have one staple in the middle. If Hein continues to work on his defense we could have a nice 1-2 combo, with Holt ready to jump in as well.
* Anyone have any insight to Anderson's absense from the roster? I hadn't checked their final roster and didn't know until watching warm-ups he wasn't there, what a huge disappointment. Hopefully it's for strategic purposes only.
* Italy's offense/serve receive looked fantastic. #11 (Savani) was a monster, the lefty opp was consistent, and 15 and 17 were great in the middle (15's back 1 was killer). The times USA were doing well always seemed to be in sync with getting them out of sync regarding serve receive. If they want to get the split, we'll need to take their passing out of system so they can't continue to create solo blocks.
That's it for now. Looking forward to match 2!
observations:
* 2nd OH is definitely a liability. Salmon wasn't necessarily a go-to guy, but you never felt like he was killing your team the way I felt watching Jablonsky struggle tonight against Italy. Couldn't block, most kills were tools that could have gone either way, backrow was par at best. Touzinsky was put back in the game late in the 3rd, but the momentum had shifted by that point. I really hope that Anderson/Rooney stay healthy/motivated, because I just don't feel comfortable with anyone else from the newer generation of National Team pipeliners.
* What I'm surprised no one touched on is the 2nd middle. Kudos to the setter that came in for Italy late in the 1st set (#5) for running a FAST offense. Middles were unstoppable, and were getting solos all day for the pin hitters. Savani (#11) was a monster for Italy, and the lefty opp (#7) was a workhorse as well, going over triple blocks a time or two. The pace of the sets were near unstoppable, and by the 4th set the U.S had no answer. Hein/Smith both show a lot of potential, and Hein seems to already be there on the offensive end. However, until they can close a block on the regular basis, it won't matter how much height we have on the sides.
* Stanley looks TIRED. I feel like Priddy mentioned previously that he was worried about Clay not taking a break, and my thoughts are the same. His serves were all over the place, he was hitting into blocks, and just never seemed to hit his stride. Patak is one of the brightest prospects we have, why not give him more time? Billings also has a ton of experience from the 04 games.
* Rooney has grown A LOT as a player since last year. Very impressed with his confidence compared to last year when they played Bulgaria. His bic's were unstoppable, and I look forward to watching him continue to progress. However...One of the things that stuck out about last year's team (perhaps even moreso now after watching tonight's match) was the mental toughness and poise they showed. No matter how bad of a run they were on, they came to the middle. Every player. Every time. This year? Rooney shows some fire when things go well (Had a FANTASTIC pancake, sprung up, and fired a cross-court bomb to the corner), but when things went wrong, he was always going away from the team, obviously pissed off, even kicking the side panel once in frustration. I understand the age, and I realize he'll get better with time, but if he wants to be a go-to player NOW, then he's gotta grow up a bit faster, because it seemed like the overall camaraderie wasn't there.
* Crucial play that I'd like others' opinion on: 21-23, 3rd set, Patak bombs a shot to my corner (I was in reserved seating) that I'm pretty sure went in. Line judge called it in, but up ref over-ruled it. No replay on the jumbotron. Am I crazy or was that an ace? HUGE momentum shift from being down only 1 coming off an ace compared to missing a serve giving the other team set point.
* Hansen seemed to set well, although his block is a liability. I realize people on the board were never fans of Ball's blocking, but Hansen looked lost on there for some stretches (He did have some great solos from time to time). I liked his leadership, I think if he continues to develop his game he could definitely become something special. Suxho came in late in game 4, had a great serving run to get them back in the game, but I felt his sets had no tempo (granted, it's hard to warm up in that type of scenario).
* Lee looked great. It's nice to know we have one staple in the middle. If Hein continues to work on his defense we could have a nice 1-2 combo, with Holt ready to jump in as well.
* Anyone have any insight to Anderson's absense from the roster? I hadn't checked their final roster and didn't know until watching warm-ups he wasn't there, what a huge disappointment. Hopefully it's for strategic purposes only.
* Italy's offense/serve receive looked fantastic. #11 (Savani) was a monster, the lefty opp was consistent, and 15 and 17 were great in the middle (15's back 1 was killer). The times USA were doing well always seemed to be in sync with getting them out of sync regarding serve receive. If they want to get the split, we'll need to take their passing out of system so they can't continue to create solo blocks.
That's it for now. Looking forward to match 2!
Italy vs. USA Tonight!
We are less than two hours away from the first serve of Italy vs. USA tonight! Tonight I'll be in the reserved seating, then tomorrow back in general admission. The Sears Centre is a pretty nice facility and viewing will be good from virtually every seat.
I am a bit upset with how I dropped the ball on obtaining a press pass for the event as I could have with some work, but unfortunately my schedule has been unbelievably hectic since my return to Chicago this summer. This has been a true eye-opener to the real world, and although I'm rising to the occasion it sure does make it difficult to fit everything into my schedule. Regardless, I do plan on beginning to write more frequently from this point on, starting with a recap of tonight's match, so keep your eyes peeled for it!
Prediction: USA in 4. I have heard nothing but good things about the EXTREMELY tall line-up with Rooney/Anderson/Hein/Patak. Talk about stealing Russia's style! Last year vs. Bulgaria, the first night was composed of the starting line-up, with the second having more reserves get playing time. It will certainly be a different look than last year, but I look forward to seeing the future of USA Volleyball, with a lot of guys in their mid-20's starting to hit their stride!
I am a bit upset with how I dropped the ball on obtaining a press pass for the event as I could have with some work, but unfortunately my schedule has been unbelievably hectic since my return to Chicago this summer. This has been a true eye-opener to the real world, and although I'm rising to the occasion it sure does make it difficult to fit everything into my schedule. Regardless, I do plan on beginning to write more frequently from this point on, starting with a recap of tonight's match, so keep your eyes peeled for it!
Prediction: USA in 4. I have heard nothing but good things about the EXTREMELY tall line-up with Rooney/Anderson/Hein/Patak. Talk about stealing Russia's style! Last year vs. Bulgaria, the first night was composed of the starting line-up, with the second having more reserves get playing time. It will certainly be a different look than last year, but I look forward to seeing the future of USA Volleyball, with a lot of guys in their mid-20's starting to hit their stride!
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