Hylte, Angelholm and a Holiday ahead

I felt very good about playing against Hylte. I thought we had a very good chance to beat them. We had a great warm up and were ready to go in the first set. Our team got to 6 points first and eventually 25 to finish off the first set with a win! The second set was a disappointment and we lost pretty badly. The next 2 were close with a win and a loss. So, we were at last in a 5th set with a team we could seriously beat. However, with our team being inconsistent in our play and the outsides (myself included) not scoring enough it was difficult to finish victorious. We ended the match with a loss, 8-15 in the last set. The up side, we got a point for taking it to 5 sets! I was awarded player of the match for my team however I didn't feel I deserved it. My attacking was not as it should be. Being consistent is the main thing that I personally need to work on, its important to the outcome of the match and my own game.

On a side note, Miss Sweden was there handing out the player of the match prizes. Apparently she is from Hylte and had just come back from competing in Miss World, taking 8th place in over 100 contestants. Anyway, she was wearing an eye catching gold sparkly dress that went to the floor in length. If you know me you know that I can be easily distracted, especially with shiny dresses. Well, her dress caught my eye a few times during the match but I tried to stay as focused as I could. After the match, I had to tell her that her dress was gorgeous. We then proceded to take a few pictures which I was not expecting and a little embarrassed about since I was still red faced from the match and sweating! It was like I was standing next to a barbie doll, she was tiny. The manager from the Hylte club sent the pictures to me and so I chose the one that was not so close up and you can also see the dress she is wearing, enjoy:

The last match we played before the holiday was non other then Angelholm, my old team. The trip down went fast since I had been sleeping most of the time. It felt almost surreal to play them. I didn't really know what to expect. When I walked into their new gym, things seemed slightly foreign to me. The people I saw and remembered were cordial and welcomed me back "home" with open arms. It was nice to see all my old teammates and coach as well.

 They are a strong team, on top of the league as always. Us being inconsistent in passing was a real problem this match. There was no way we could get ourselves out of a hole if things went awry. We started out great in the first set but the glory did not last long. We got to 6 points before they did but things went downhill after about point 8. They put a little more pressure on the serve and that was it for us. Our nerves got the best of us. We ended up lossing in 3 sets. It went by so fast for me, felt like it didn't even happen really. To beat them we would have had to play our top match. Unfortunately we were not on our game. Our blocking was weak making our defense even weaker by not being able to pick up hard hits. Our passing was inconsistent making our attack struggle as well. And our serving was not tough enough. We were all trying hard, I don't deny that, it just wasn't enough to win us the match or even a set. What we need is more confidence in ourselves to go out there and get the job done. 

After the match I talked to a lot of the girls from A-holm and the coach Tina. It was really nice to catch up a little. I just hope next time we meet them, we will be able to give them a lot more of a challenge. As a team we have a lot to work on but mainly its what is going on in our heads (nervousness and so on) that needs to be figured out. We have the skills to pass perfectly and make the ball better, its the nerves that blind us when it comes down to it. Practice makes perfect, lets hope that after the holiday break everyone will be ready to give it their best and to make the second half of the season better then the first. Making moves starts now! 

For Christmas I will be reunited with my parents in Stockholm. This will be the first time I spend Christmas with them in 2 years. I am super excited and very happy to have them here. Jake will be coming as well which will be even better. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to everyone! Take care! 

Win!

FINALLY! We won tonight and what a great win it was. The match began with a first point win taking it to a 6 point lead. Our goal was to get to 6 points before the other team did in every set of every match. That goal was achieved indefinitely. The team we played was not a very strong team which is why our coach put emphasis on what we do on our side of the court making all the difference in the match. It always makes us or breaks us in every match but this time we really had to make things happen and fast to win the match. This was the only match where we would be given time to get our team out of a hole we put ourselves in. I knew we were going to win and so did everyone else. It was a great feeling after the match to finally have a win under our belt. The girls were excited and over joyed. Now its time for more wins!

A Change is Going to Come.

We met up with one of the top teams, Katrineholm, this past weekend. Going in to the match I knew we were going to have a rough time trying to beat them. They had the height, the speed and the ball control needed to win matches. Which they have been successfully doing from the start. I had imagined us playing well and taking them to 5 sets at least. However, my thoughts did not materialize as I had planned them. We played inconsistent, again. There were some very good things and some very bad things through out the entire match. However, our spirits stayed high, we never let our heads hang or show that we were super down on ourselves through our facial expressions. We carried on like we were winning. The will to win was there, we did our homework and studied the other team, we understood and accepted their strengths and weaknesses. They were just a better team then us during the match. We ended up losing the 0 sets to 3. Hopefully further down the line, when we have more players in the second half of the season we will have more of a chance to beat them or make them really earn a win against us.

We have been playing hard in practice lately. Our goals as a team are stuck to my refrigerator door allowing me to look at them everyday. Friday night of this week was by far the best practice we have had this season. Things were flowing together and working beautifully. It felt great! I hope that we can take that feeling into the game tomorrow and kick some butt! This is our chance to play out all the skills we have been practicing and focusing 100 percent of our energy on. This is our chance to show this league and our fans that we are a team to be watched. I invision us taking advantage of every easy ball we get. Taking advantage of every hole in the block we receive. Of every serve they put over the net. I am so excited to get playing tomorrow that I am already fired up! I hope that the rest of the team feels the same and really goes for it tomorrow. Like my coach said, "The outcome of the match this weekend is based entirely on what we do as a team on our side of the net." I totally agree 100 percent. I have confidence in the team and in myself. I definitely think we can pull out a win tomorrow, in fact I know we can!

OREBRO VOLLEY ASSEMMMMMBBLLLLLLLE!!!!!