	Tough 17th in Charleston, SC
Tough one in Charleston, SC Stop #4 was in Charleston, South Carolina over this past weekend, and it was a tough one to swallow. Coming off a great weekend in Huntington Beach, Saralyn and I were excited to continue improving and try for a 9th place finish. I flew into Charleston on Wednesday night with fellow players Stacey and Alicia. We had a great dinner, and then headed to the hotel to get some rest for the next day's competition. We were scheduled to play at 9:00am but once we got back to the hotel, we found out that a team pulled out, so the bracket changed and placed us up against Sarah Straton and Jenelle Koester. This is the same team we barely beat 17-15 in the third game in Huntington less than a week ago. So we knew they would be ready to play. Upon arriving at the site, it was a wonderful location despite the nasty humidity and heat. We played at the Family Circle tennis club, and they actually made the center court inside the main stadium. So if you watch Wimbledon, it's like instead of a court, they put sand in, but the stadium seating exactly the same. So the site was really nice! Unfortunately Saralyn and I didn't get to really enjoy that too much. We started our game around 11:00am. They only had 4 courts total, and because of this they made the tournament single elimination. "Win or go home." We knew this game was crucial and they would want revenge. The game began and already it felt so different, a little slow and not much excitement from the two of us. They took game one 21-15. In the second game, we tried to make some adjustments but really nothing was working for us and we lost 21-13. Ouch! It's crazy to realize the same two teams playing against each other less than a week later can be so different. Since it was single elimination, we were done. So my trip to SC was the shortest and most expensive 24 hours ever! Ha ha! Being an athlete I know that I win some and lose some, but as I get older its harder to swallow those losses that get away from you. I always told my students I coached to leave it all on the court so you can walk away with your head high. Well, this was extra tough, because it felt like we mostly beat ourselves. You wouldn't think there would be too much complexity in the game of volleyball, but there really is. To win at this high level, both players need to be "on," full of energy and playing well. We can't go into these top games and expect teams to roll over. It's tough when you lose, but tougher to lose when you didn't play well. It's taken me a few days to be able to process my thoughts but my amazing H.S coach Joe Houck always said, "Never lose twice for the same reason!" So I hope to bank that one in and move ahead for this coming week In expressing my frustrations to my wonderful grandma, who is trying to help me find flights for all of my crazy tournaments and always wants me to be happy, she asked me "Is this really worth it Ang? All the travel? All the frustration? Are you sure you want to continue to play? It seems like I ask myself this everyday and some days it's harder to get out of bed and head to practice for the 4th day in a row, or watch airfares sore in price to the $475-$650 range (ps....anyone know of a airline sponsor?? JK! J ) , fly across the country while missing work for one game and then being done, or spending numerous hours trying to find and afford hotels and car rentals in each of our locations. It all wears on you. But then the day comes along, when its 72 degrees on the beach, I am all sweaty and running after volleyballs at practice, or playing a match in the third game and its 13-13, and I realize that I do love this game. I love what I am doing. I guess that is why people play golf right? Their first swings are tough and not pretty, but once they hit that good one, they are hooked for years! Ha ha! There are so many sacrifices I have to make, but it's hard to not follow my heart. There is still something inside of me pushing me, driving me, to play. When making my decision to choose the college I would attend, I made numerous pro/con lists for each school. In this situation, although the list of cons might be longer, the pros are far more impacting. Following dreams are hard, and I know that my time is limited to pursue this dream and I have to rely on God that he is going take care of me, meanwhile doing everything I can do to be the best player I can be. I also realize the people who have helped make this dream possible and I'm so thankful for this opportunity to follow my dream. I don't know how much longer I have so I'm trying to make each moment count. In hard losses, they make you question what you're doing, but when it comes to it, even though it's really expensive and there are a lot of downsides, there are upsides and I really love playing. Another thing I love is meeting new people, and all this traveling has allowed me to meet fun people in airplanes, hotels, etc. This weekend we play in a local tournament in San Diego before heading to Louisville, Kentucky next Thursday (May 24-26) then Atlanta, GA the week after (May 30th). Please keep us in your prayers and thoughts and as always if you know people in these areas who love volleyball and are interested in watching or learning, please let me know! Thanks always for your love and support! Angela

Tough 17th in Charleston, SC

Tough one in Charleston, SC

Stop #4 was in Charleston, South Carolina over this past weekend, and it was a tough one to swallow. Coming off a great weekend in Huntington Beach, Saralyn and I were excited to continue improving and try for a 9th place finish. I flew into Charleston on Wednesday night with fellow players Stacey and Alicia. We had a great dinner, and then headed to the hotel to get some rest for the next day's competition. We were scheduled to play at 9:00am but once we got back to the hotel, we found out that a team pulled out, so the bracket changed and placed us up against Sarah Straton and Jenelle Koester. This is the same team we barely beat 17-15 in the third game in Huntington less than a week ago. So we knew they would be ready to play.

Upon arriving at the site, it was a wonderful location despite the nasty humidity and heat. We played at the Family Circle tennis club, and they actually made the center court inside the main stadium. So if you watch Wimbledon, it's like instead of a court, they put sand in, but the stadium seating exactly the same. So the site was really nice! Unfortunately Saralyn and I didn't get to really enjoy that too much.

We started our game around 11:00am. They only had 4 courts total, and because of this they made the tournament single elimination. "Win or go home." We knew this game was crucial and they would want revenge. The game began and already it felt so different, a little slow and not much excitement from the two of us. They took game one 21-15. In the second game, we tried to make some adjustments but really nothing was working for us and we lost 21-13. Ouch! It's crazy to realize the same two teams playing against each other less than a week later can be so different. Since it was single elimination, we were done. So my trip to SC was the shortest and most expensive 24 hours ever! Ha ha! Being an athlete I know that I win some and lose some, but as I get older its harder to swallow those losses that get away from you. I always told my students I coached to leave it all on the court so you can walk away with your head high. Well, this was extra tough, because it felt like we mostly beat ourselves. You wouldn't think there would be too much complexity in the game of volleyball, but there really is. To win at this high level, both players need to be "on," full of energy and playing well. We can't go into these top games and expect teams to roll over. It's tough when you lose, but tougher to lose when you didn't play well. It's taken me a few days to be able to process my thoughts but my amazing H.S coach Joe Houck always said, "Never lose twice for the same reason!" So I hope to bank that one in and move ahead for this coming week

In expressing my frustrations to my wonderful grandma, who is trying to help me find flights for all of my crazy tournaments and always wants me to be happy, she asked me "Is this really worth it Ang? All the travel? All the frustration? Are you sure you want to continue to play? It seems like I ask myself this everyday and some days it's harder to get out of bed and head to practice for the 4th day in a row, or watch airfares sore in price to the $475-$650 range (ps....anyone know of a airline sponsor?? JK! J ) , fly across the country while missing work for one game and then being done, or spending numerous hours trying to find and afford hotels and car rentals in each of our locations. It all wears on you. But then the day comes along, when its 72 degrees on the beach, I am all sweaty and running after volleyballs at practice, or playing a match in the third game and its 13-13, and I realize that I do love this game. I love what I am doing. I guess that is why people play golf right? Their first swings are tough and not pretty, but once they hit that good one, they are hooked for years! Ha ha! There are so many sacrifices I have to make, but it's hard to not follow my heart. There is still something inside of me pushing me, driving me, to play. When making my decision to choose the college I would attend, I made numerous pro/con lists for each school. In this situation, although the list of cons might be longer, the pros are far more impacting. Following dreams are hard, and I know that my time is limited to pursue this dream and I have to rely on God that he is going take care of me, meanwhile doing everything I can do to be the best player I can be. I also realize the people who have helped make this dream possible and I'm so thankful for this opportunity to follow my dream. I don't know how much longer I have so I'm trying to make each moment count.

In hard losses, they make you question what you're doing, but when it comes to it, even though it's really expensive and there are a lot of downsides, there are upsides and I really love playing. Another thing I love is meeting new people, and all this traveling has allowed me to meet fun people in airplanes, hotels, etc.

This weekend we play in a local tournament in San Diego before heading to Louisville, Kentucky next Thursday (May 24-26) then Atlanta, GA the week after (May 30th). Please keep us in your prayers and thoughts and as always if you know people in these areas who love volleyball and are interested in watching or learning, please let me know! Thanks always for your love and support!

Angela