Volleyball Player Blog

Entry #9, Jenna Hatfield (Sr., Norfolk, Neb.)

We’ve just returned from our second weekend of competition and it was a tiring one both emotionally and physically. The trip to Des Moines was much shorter than last weekends eight hour bus ride to Wisconsin which was definitely a plus, and we felt very confident after our efficient walk through at the gym on Thursday night. We headed back to the hotel for a good nights sleep before rising early the next morning for our match against Centenary.

The match started out a little rocky, but after everyone got their first match jitters out of the way and refocused the rest of the match went smoothly. The game was in our control and was about what we were doing on our side of the net. We got a short break after the Centenary match to eat a quick lunch and then it was back to preparing for our second match of the day. This was an important match because it was against the home team and we wanted to be the first ones to take a game from them on their home court this weekend. The match against Drake was definitely a rollercoaster ride with USD finally squeezing out the win in the fifth game. Our goal for the next day was consistency. We knew we were good enough to come out of the tournament 4-0 we just needed to work on staying focused and being the aggressors for more than one game at a time. No curfew was necessary back at the hotel as everyone was pretty worn out after a long day of volleyball and fell asleep soon after we returned.

Day two of the Hampton Inn Drake Invitational began with our match against Valparaiso which ended up being a heartbreaker. We started out strong winning the first two games and controlling the tempo of the match. With a slight let down in focus we lost the third game but came out determined and strong in the fourth. Unfortunately, six points into the fourth game our starting setter Gina Baldwin went down with an ankle injury and was out for the rest of the day. Jolene Slagter confidently filled in for Gina but with a few moments of chaos on the court Valpo ended up taking the fourth game as well. The fifth game was not quite so chaotic but we still weren’t able to pull out the win. Coach reminded us that it was ok to be disappointed in the loss, but not to be disappointed in how we played. He felt that we handled ourselves very well given the situation. We had a few hours to relax and went out for a team meal to rejuvenate and have some fun before refocusing for our fourth and final match of the weekend.

The last match of the invite was against Texas A&M Corpus Christi. This game was once again about what we did on our side of the net. We controlled the tempo of the game, but it was definitely noticeable on the court that both teams were showing fatigue. The level of excitement and energy was lacking on both sides and while the match ended in three games it seemed to drag on for much longer than that.

The bus ride home was a quiet one as most girls were exhausted from the long weekend. Sunday was definitely a nice day to catch up on some sleep and get the laundry done. No sense in unpacking my bag as I must repack it tonight as we prepare to travel to Manhattan, Kansas tomorrow to face K. State. Our practice today went well and it seems like the Coyotes are definitely ready to pounce on the Wildcats tomorrow night.

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