Hey all! After the 3 losses in a row, the team had a free weekend to shake off the disappointment and have a little fun. Kiah (American setter and roommate) and I went to Vingaker (town Jake lives and plays in) to socialize with people other then our team, not that we don't like our team, its just a natural thing to want to do for everyone.
After the weekend it was back to work, we had an important game coming up against a top team in the league. We studied their tactics and our coach told us their 2 main middles would not be there for this game but that didn't matter, their outside and opposite were getting most of the sets anyway. There was so much desire in us to win and to get back what we had lost so many times before, however our team has been in a slow downward spiral this past week. Our outside hitter Nikki has been told by the team Physical Therapist that she has one ligament in her ankle left which is why she has been having so much pain in her ankle. Unfortunately the injury has led to the end of this season. It is frustrating to know that there is nothing any one of us can do to get her back to playing (unless one of us can perform orthopedic surgery for free...anyone? anyone?), however what we have succeeded in is comforting her by giving her chocolate and lots of hugs. We love her and want her to know that just because she can't play does NOT mean she is not part of this team anymore. She will always be an Orebro volley player no matter what.
To add to the heartache of losing a fallen teammate, one of the middle/outside fell during a blocking/hitting drill and fractured her toe. GREAT! Thankfully she will be back in about 3 to 4 weeks but she could not play this past wednesday. So our line-up was as follows: myself and one of the liberos as outsides (plus Anna subbing in occasionally who is getting better and stronger every day after being sick for about a month), our coach and Kiah as opposites/setters, our second libero as libero and in the middle was the same as previous matches. We went into the match knowing we may not win but we were going to give them a fight, which we most certainly did for two of the three sets. The first set was so much fun! We could tell the other team was struggling and were surprised at how well we could play with what we had. The energy on the court was some of the best energy I have felt on this team. We played with confidence and picked up where we were lacking on the court. Everyone helped and everyone was putting it all out there. Our second libero was all over the court, picking things up and digging like a mad woman.
With the good comes the bad unfortunately. When we hit the 20 point mark, it was difficult for us to finish the set. Our service was weak and only a few people could put any pressure on the other side. The middles were having trouble keeping up with the quick sets going pin to pin, something they have voiced to the team and the coach to practice this week, I agree. Our attack was also weak, we needed more hitters to share the load.
Overall a loss is a loss and it sucks! However, I hope we can take this match, learn from it and move on. The next time we meet this team and all the others we have played already, we will be stronger, healthier and will be ready to show them that they won because we had a lack of players not because they thought they were better then us. Our next opponent is the volleyball high school RIG. They have two good hitters on their team this year so if we shut one or both of them down we can shut their team down and get ourselves a win! Remember its not how you start that counts, its how you finish and we aren't finished yet. Practice hard this week and keep going, never give up.
Friday, November 11, 2011
Sunday, October 30, 2011
3 Losses But Moving on Up!
The past 3 weeks have been a mini roller coaster of emotions. Orebro's volley went to our first match of the season in Stockholm and walked away with a crappy 3-0 loss to Sollentuna. Positive note: we played better then I was expecting from what we had on the court that night, a sick opposite, a setter who got to Sweden a week earlier, an outside whose arm was ready to fall off, 3 middles two of which have never played middle and me a nervous wreck.
The second match was a home opener against a usually weak team, Gislaved. It was a close match but we ended up losing 3-0. We were low in attack (especially me...) and were making way to many errors. Gislaved was a different team but they weren't unbeatable, no team is. Positive note: Our defense and passing was getting better and becoming more consistent.
The third match was last night against Ljungby. A team coming from the first division with a mission to let the league know they were a team to be reckoned with. The match started out like it was anyones game with constant jockeying for the lead. They came out on top. Second set went to us with a huge lead that shrunk to only about 6 point difference in the end. Third set went to them with 28-26 as the final score. Fourth set we had a fighting spirit in the start however it began to fade little by little once the other team hit 20 points and from then on there was not a whole lot we could do to bring it back. I don't remember how the last point of the game played out but I can remember the other team celebrating loudly and the crowd cheering wildly. It was their first win of the season. Positive note: despite us missing 2 key players that night (opposite still sick and middle working) we won one set! We just proved to ourselves that it is possible to win. We are continuing to improve in all areas, personally my hitting was a lot better last night, the passing and defense was almost perfect and we got to play with our coach and former national team setter. Over all the feeling on court was good and we felt like a team so I count that as improving. Once we get that first win the feeling stays and I know non of us want to lose it so we will continue to fight for that feeling the rest of the season.
Besides volleyball, Orebro is still awesome and alive during the weekends with people and students in the bars and clubs. The leaves are falling rapidly from the trees meaning only one thing, winter is on its way. I am so excited for the first snow, it will make things around here look brighter and believe it or not warmer. So heres to the first snow, Skoal!
The second match was a home opener against a usually weak team, Gislaved. It was a close match but we ended up losing 3-0. We were low in attack (especially me...) and were making way to many errors. Gislaved was a different team but they weren't unbeatable, no team is. Positive note: Our defense and passing was getting better and becoming more consistent.
The third match was last night against Ljungby. A team coming from the first division with a mission to let the league know they were a team to be reckoned with. The match started out like it was anyones game with constant jockeying for the lead. They came out on top. Second set went to us with a huge lead that shrunk to only about 6 point difference in the end. Third set went to them with 28-26 as the final score. Fourth set we had a fighting spirit in the start however it began to fade little by little once the other team hit 20 points and from then on there was not a whole lot we could do to bring it back. I don't remember how the last point of the game played out but I can remember the other team celebrating loudly and the crowd cheering wildly. It was their first win of the season. Positive note: despite us missing 2 key players that night (opposite still sick and middle working) we won one set! We just proved to ourselves that it is possible to win. We are continuing to improve in all areas, personally my hitting was a lot better last night, the passing and defense was almost perfect and we got to play with our coach and former national team setter. Over all the feeling on court was good and we felt like a team so I count that as improving. Once we get that first win the feeling stays and I know non of us want to lose it so we will continue to fight for that feeling the rest of the season.
Besides volleyball, Orebro is still awesome and alive during the weekends with people and students in the bars and clubs. The leaves are falling rapidly from the trees meaning only one thing, winter is on its way. I am so excited for the first snow, it will make things around here look brighter and believe it or not warmer. So heres to the first snow, Skoal!
Friday, October 14, 2011
TV bit for Orebro :)
Here is a local TV bit for our team, its the second team they talk about so if you don't see me or someone you recognize from my team in the first few seconds just wait a little. Kiah Fiers our setter was also interviewed as was our coach Matilda. Enjoy!
P.S mom your sweatshirt made the cut, look for my arms :)
www.svtplay.se
P.S mom your sweatshirt made the cut, look for my arms :)
www.svtplay.se
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Orebro, Sweden
Hey everyone! Its been a while but I have finally made it to another season in my favorite country, Sweden! Thats not even the best part, but that comes later. I arrived in Stockholm on a Wednesday morning feeling like I had returned back home once again after only spending a brief time during Christmas break. I was greeted at the international terminal of the Stockholm airport by three of my teammates, one holding a sign with my name on it :) One was an Aussie and the other two were Swedes. I was happy to see them and was excited at how animated and fun they seemed to be already. In an almost drunken like stage I sat in the front seat on our way to Orebro. It took us around 2 hours to get to the apartment I was to stay at for the time being, it was occupied with yet another teammate, Sofia the libero. She wasn't home yet so I decided to post up on the couch and immediately pass out. Thankfully it was the one day off during the week so I was able to pretty much sleep all day, waking up to eat dinner and also in the middle of the night, since my body was still on USA time and all.
The next day I went to the morning practice and had a go to try out my court legs after the long trip over. I wasn't half bad. Still exhausted however I wasn't my best. That night was a lot of the same feelings although I tried hard to show that I was in fact good for the team and wasn't sand bagging because I had just gotten there. Practice seemed like a fog through the end of the week and then we had a weekend off! This was perfect because my boyfriend Jake signed with a team 45 minutes from me and was playing that weekend (this is the best part about being back in Sweden, hands down!) So I decided to go visit him for the weekend through monday afternoon. It couldn't have gone better, we had a lot of fun in the small town he is living in. Surprisingly there is quite a bit to do there. They even have cosmic bowling!
The next week flew by with practices, Jake coming to visit me, coffee's, moving into the new apartment, Kiah our new American setter arriving, getting internet, phone, etc. It was a whirlwind of excitement. Well the excitement ensues. This week we are getting ready for our first league match against Sollentuna. In the past this team has been slightly stacked with a good outside hitter, a setter and a libero who could all hold their own. This year both the libero and outside have left so it will be interesting to see what they "serve" up for the match. I believe that we will have challenges this season but with those challenges I see achievements and success. Maybe not all the time but I think if we come together as a team, focus and play smart then we will be able to win a lot.
Below are some pictures of where I am living this season before it starts to snow, which I assume will be coming along shortly. Enjoy and a new post will be along soon. Take care all!
The next day I went to the morning practice and had a go to try out my court legs after the long trip over. I wasn't half bad. Still exhausted however I wasn't my best. That night was a lot of the same feelings although I tried hard to show that I was in fact good for the team and wasn't sand bagging because I had just gotten there. Practice seemed like a fog through the end of the week and then we had a weekend off! This was perfect because my boyfriend Jake signed with a team 45 minutes from me and was playing that weekend (this is the best part about being back in Sweden, hands down!) So I decided to go visit him for the weekend through monday afternoon. It couldn't have gone better, we had a lot of fun in the small town he is living in. Surprisingly there is quite a bit to do there. They even have cosmic bowling!
The next week flew by with practices, Jake coming to visit me, coffee's, moving into the new apartment, Kiah our new American setter arriving, getting internet, phone, etc. It was a whirlwind of excitement. Well the excitement ensues. This week we are getting ready for our first league match against Sollentuna. In the past this team has been slightly stacked with a good outside hitter, a setter and a libero who could all hold their own. This year both the libero and outside have left so it will be interesting to see what they "serve" up for the match. I believe that we will have challenges this season but with those challenges I see achievements and success. Maybe not all the time but I think if we come together as a team, focus and play smart then we will be able to win a lot.
Below are some pictures of where I am living this season before it starts to snow, which I assume will be coming along shortly. Enjoy and a new post will be along soon. Take care all!
Monday, May 2, 2011
First 2 Countries Pictures
Three countries+10 days= :)
Becca and I started our "fly by the seat of our pants" adventures through 3 different cities in 3 different countries at the Tampere, Finland airport. We arrived to find the airport was about the size of a small warehouse and looked like a bunch of portable classrooms duck taped together to make a terminal. We checked our bags and made our way to the restaurant section of the airport for a beer before our flight. Unfortunately for the both of us, we had to say a premature goodbye to our assistant coach Izmo that same morning, he wasn't going to be around when were to be back, to say the least we were sad and already missing him. Therefore the two beers we decided to purchase were just what the doctor ordered in that situation. Boarded the flight and were on our way to our first stop, Frankfurt, Germany.
Touching down in at the Frankfurt-hahn airport (approximately 2 hours by bus from the center) to the realization that the snow had melted long before we had gotten there and now it was what we thought was hot. The actual temperature was around 65-70, felt hot to us. With squinted eyes and already sweating armpits we de-planned, got our bags, grabbed a quick bite and headed to the bus for our 2 hour ride into the city. My dad was very kind to help us out with accommodations during our stay in Frankfurt, so our destination when we got to the central rail station was to head to the Marriot...which was 15 minutes walking down the main road. I had recently bought a new pair of high top shoes that I am in love with and thought it would be a good time to wear them...I was so wrong. By the time we got to the lobby of the hotel, I was hobbling around on the outsides of both feet, trying not to look like I was in extreme pain. What we didn't know was that there was a music trade show going on in the city at the time. There were a bunch of rocker style people walking around and a few world class musicians hanging out, some in our hotel. What we were not expecting was that the woman checking us in handing us an executive lounge key and then telling us that they were having happy hour at the moment...my heart just skipped a beat. We quickly got settled into our room, showered and headed up to the Exec lounge. They were serving food as well so we decided to eat a bit and have a couple drinks before we went out. To make a long story short, we ended our night at a salsa club with a world class Italian accordion player. I also met this man who apparently plays in a popular Hungarian heavy metal band, interesting night to say the least.
The next morning Becca and I rose to a misty hang over. We headed up stairs for a wonderful breakfast, ate as much as we could to last us through the day, showered and headed out for the day of exploring Frankfurt. Walked to the old town Romerberg via the Rhine river. It was a beautiful day, we got very lucky with the weather while we were there, it was warm and sunny the entire time. The buildings that surrounded us were a mixture of old and new. It was interesting to look at the skyline and see much older buildings shadowed by high rises. The rivers edge was the destination of our spontaneous afternoon picnic, which wasn't an uncommon idea among the residence of Frankfurt on that beautiful day. After the impromptu picnic we headed back to the hotel pretty exhausted from the days walking tour of the city and the partying that was had the night before. There was a sauna and steam room in the gym at the hotel which we decided to take advantage of, I am so glad we did. Relaxed and super tired we headed upstairs to eat and drink a little at the happy hour only to come back to our room, settle into our beds and rent a movie. I actually fell asleep half way through the movie with how tired I was. Plus the next morning we had a long long day so it was good we stayed in that night.
Woke up at 6:30am, took a quick shower and headed to the train station on foot. Being that it was a Saturday, there weren't very many people on the street which was great for us, since we were hauling our big bags. Got to the station and realized were all the people were, they were in the train station. Today we were on our way to Klagenfurt, Austria to see our guy friends who were playing volleyball there. Our time on the train was to accumulate up to 9 hours, yess! The ride wasn't that bad though, there was a lot to see and it was yet another beautiful day. Slept a little but the movement of the train kept me awake. Once we got close to Klagenfurt we both changed into something more appropriate for the match we were going to see. One of our mutual friends, Jake, gave my detailed directions on how to get to their gym from the station. Their match wasn't until 6 and we arrived at 5:20 so I believed we could afford to take our time. We grabbed a small sandwich each and some water then headed out on our trek. I must have read his directions wrong because we ended up walking 2 kilometers in the wrong direction. We gave up at a gas station and opted to call a taxi. Becca and I were a little tired and frustrated about going in the wrong direction that we also purchased beers while we waited for our savior to come get us. We arrived at the gym laughing about the whole situation and literally seeing where we had gone wrong. Walking inside the gym we were stopped by this guy who asked if we were Becca and Whitney. As he went to get something, we wondered what we had done wrong this time only to realize he was bringing back two white roses, from Jake for us both. He told us if we needed anything, beer, food, anything to let him know, so I said that we would love a beer when we got out of the bathroom. Walked into the gym and continued to watch our boys unfortunately lose the match. Only got to see two sets since we were 30 minutes late. We met up with one of our friends girlfriends who was visiting from the states, while we waited for them to shower and come out from the locker room.
A small side story: Becca went to college with Jake and Matt. I met Matt for the first time at a mixed adults volleyball game happening every wednesday in El Segundo last summer. I was introduced to Jake at the same volleyball night but later on in the summer. I have been talking to Jake on skype a lot ever since then. Needless to say, it was a very happy reunion for us all.
I got to meet a lot of the guys that I had been hearing so much about and one turned out to be the funniest Austrian I have ever met. I also met their famously confusing and weird coach, turns out, he was just the person I thought he was, no surprise there. We all piled into his van, some of us sitting on laps, and headed back to the boys flat in Viktring, 30 minutes away. Becca and I showered quickly, threw on some going out clothes and then headed to the bar the guys always go to. The boys decided to buy a huge over sized bottle of Jameson for the back room, which is where we were. Filled our glasses with Whiskey and coke, continued to drink in celebration of the boys being done with their season. The night was a glorious one thats for sure. The next day, Matt, Jake, Aryl, Becca, and myself walked to the Monostary located a couple blocks from where they lived. It was such a beautiful day for a walk and plus the trees were showing themselves in full bloom. Afterward we walked up to a restaurant the guys swore by and had a great meal outside on the patio in the sun. Heading back to their flat, Jake mentioned the lake near the town which was about a 30 minute walk, being that I didn't want to go inside and I was looking to hang out with Jake a bit one on one, I was down for that walk. We ended up walking down to and around the lake for about 2 hours, well worth the sore feet later. Got back to the house and was told it was to be a wine night, so perfect after the day of walking around in the sun was over. We decided on a movie that night which was a good call since the night before was a long one of partying.
Visiting the center of Klagenfurt was top of the list the next morning. We headed out fairly early, stopping to get a chocolate dipped croissant on the way. The center was decorated in time for Easter weekend. There were many kiosks selling wooden bunnies, elaborately decorated eggs, fake colorful birds, countless assortments of jewelry, and food. The trees were adorned with egg ornaments and the streets were lined with egg lights. Needless to say they were ready for Easter. We met up with Aryl and Matt for a afternoon drink. I must say the European lifestyle is something to be valued, relaxing outside with coffee or beer at any time of the day is the norm. Im going to miss that about Europe. After the drink in the center we decided to make it sort of a sunday funday, only it was monday instead. The guys took us to a "locals only" bar, had a drink then traveled to the next bar which was the same bar we went to 2 nights before. A few drinking games later we were home getting ready for the night. Ate an amazing Italian dinner at a restaurant in Viktring, got ready, and headed out for night two in Klagenfurt. We went back to the bar we were at before and proceeded to have one of the best nights of the trip. The owner of the bar handed the keys over to a bartender and said to lock up when we were finished….we left at 5am that morning, great night! Our last couple hours of the trip were spent laying around and packing for Becca and my next adventure, London. We said our goodbyes to everyone and headed to the airport. Luckily Jake came, so he and I were able to say a proper goodbye :) London here we come.
*Pictures of Frankfurt and Klagenfurt are on the next blog page.
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Winners in the end!
This past weekend our team traveled yet again to Lapland to play the 1st league champs Wovo. This was to be our last match of the 3 out of 5 series. We had already won 2 matches so our chances were in our favor to winning. Every set we played we became more keen on what they were and were not capable of. Cutting to the chase, we killed them in the third match. The scores were 25-16, 25-12, 25-10. It felt great to put them where they belonged because of all the trash talk they had been doing since we began to play them. Saying the last two matches were given to us, they were "gifts"...the only gift would have been for them to forfeit so we wouldn't have had to go through all that traveling and could have began to celebrate sooner. Their Libero was quoted saying Rebecca's jump serves were not as hard as people said they were so in retaliation Becca aced her 5 times in a row in the last set. Pretty good way to shut her up I think. We celebrated the fact the team was going to continue on in the Premier league by popping champagne corks and taking time that night at the hotel to revel in the three most important wins of the season. I was and still am proud of the girls who stepped up and took charge of the game, we really came together as a team. I was asked to write up a little something about the match for the LP Kangasala website while on the 8 hour train ride home and this is what I came up with (the edited version):
"The final countdown came all too quickly in this best of 5 series. Match #3 was upon us and LP was ready, grrr! There had been so much said about the last two matches, 99% coming from the Wovo head coach, about how the last two matches were "gifts" from them...thanks, but no thanks. I believe we beat them with out their help.
"The final countdown came all too quickly in this best of 5 series. Match #3 was upon us and LP was ready, grrr! There had been so much said about the last two matches, 99% coming from the Wovo head coach, about how the last two matches were "gifts" from them...thanks, but no thanks. I believe we beat them with out their help.
Although the simple mistakes, like serving out, hitting directly into the block, giving us easy free balls were welcomed with no complaints from our side. So thanks for that, but we are the better team in this situation, enough said. Personally, if you are going to give matches away, why even play them? The real gift would have been if they were to of forfeited the matches instead of us going through the torture of traveling so many hours to Lapland (however I did enjoy taking the night train and visiting Santa's Village for the first time).
Anyway, we arrived to the Wovo fighting grounds around 8:15 Friday morning. With sleepy eyes, we made our way to the gym for breakfast, reminding Erica to please try and refrain from eating 7 to 8 hard boiled eggs this time, misfortune claimed her stomach last time she made this fatal mistake.
Our afternoon training session was mediocre at best however everyone was still pretty tired from the trip. In addition some were nursing injuries and exhaustion. We all were prepared for this match to be our last win of the season. After practice we ate and a few of us went to Santa's Village for a quick visit but were back in time for a nap before the match. Marko and Ismo fired us up with advice and pep talks for each of us individually. Ismo mentioned the fighting spirit of the "antelope and jaguar", an analogy he uses quite often before a match. As soon as we stepped into the gym our game faces were on and we all believed we were going to win.
The beginning of the first set was a balls out, fight for the lead. Once we made point 8 there was no turning back, we took the lead and kept it finishing them off 25-15. An important part of our game strategy was to serve tough to the libero who was struggling. Their Libero had said earlier that Rebecca's serves were easier to pass then float serves. So, in return of that comment Rebecca had it out for the Libero at the service line and showed her exactly how hard her serves can be, she finished the match with 5 aces. The team together had 17 aces and 6 mistakes in three sets, got to be some kind of a record.
Almost every person who served got at least one ace. The second set was a little easier then the first, however with the same scores 25-15. During the 15 minute intermission, Marko talked about making this last set memorable and to have fun. Bottom line, the match wasn't over until that last whistle blew.
It was a special time for our starting setter Sanna Melonen, this was to be her last set for good. Retirement awaited and her knee injury had had enough. On a time-out the announcer spoke about it being her last time on the court in the Premier League and she will be missed. The entire Wovo crowd applauded as she nodded her head in appreciation. We will definitely miss her as an inspiring figure on and off the court and not to mention her more than exceptional technique as a setter.
The third set was a complete blow out, it felt like the other team fought for 2 or 3 points, then gave up on any possibility of a win. The scores were 25-10. We ended the match with a rally circle including the coaching staff. There were smiles all around, we knew we were still in the league, time to celebrate! On the train back to Kangasala with a mission: to have fun and enjoy the time we have together. As for Wovo, I think they are exactly where they are supposed to be, better luck next year. GO LP!"
Lucky for us the train ride home was only 8 hours instead of 10. Once back in Tampere most of the team headed to the bank where the sauna, food, and some "welcome home"drinks were waiting. Unfortunately everyone was so dead tired that most went home after a couple hours hanging out. Becca and I went for a drink with our manager but shortly after falling into our beds exhausted.
Coming up now is Becca and my trip to Germany, Austria, and then to finish, London. We are both very excited and we hope that everything goes well.
Coming up now is Becca and my trip to Germany, Austria, and then to finish, London. We are both very excited and we hope that everything goes well.
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