Sept. 18, 2006

NEW ORLEANS, La. - This past weekend, we purposely challenged ourselves by playing nationally ranked teams. The level of volleyball we competed at with these teams is among the best in the nation and will no doubt help us get better as we start conference play next week.

These schools come from strong conferences and they will probably place at or near the top of their respective leagues. This being said, we did what we could and discovered that we can contend with just about anybody in the country. Our win-loss record may not show it, but there were points in the match where we played great volleyball and dominated. We can compete at that high level and it was good to see.

No team we have played has run away from us. It was a case of making an occasion error, and therefore it is within our ability to correct. That may sound odd, but it is a good feeling. It we play like we know we can - up to our skill level we do everyday in practice - we will be very successful this season.

Other schools in our conference use these preseason tournaments to bump up their record and gain confidence with easy wins. We instead are playing challenging teams and putting our new, talented team against the best the country has to offer. We wanted a fight and we got it this weekend. In the end, I believe the challenge and the taste of our team's potential will give us that extra drive to excel in our conference play, starting Friday again East Carolina.

Now is when our record counts. Up until now, we have been working out the kinks, trying different lineups, and seeing how we can best work together. Our pre-conference matches have tested us in several game scenarios, so that now, we feel more comfortable in our individual ability and the ability of our teammates. We are limited only by ourselves and we know that. Friday should be the beginning of something great! Come out and see for yourself!

Roll Wave,
Sara