Northern Lights U18's in Italy

25th Torneo International Volleyball Tournament
Pordenone, Italy

Day 1: Pordenone
Day 2: Pordenone
Day 3: Pordenone
Day 4: Pordenone

Pordenone day 3

            Happy Easter!!  The Easter Bunny came to our hotel last night, aka Tawny’s mom.  We scoured the room for colorful baskets, which Tawny decorated, and found them filled with Easter candy.  Adam also brought us a huge chocolate egg to eat after our matches.  Easter breakfast consisted of chocolate, apple, and cream filled croissants along with juice and fruit. 
            With full tummies, we were off to play against the Bulgarians.  Although it wasn’t our best volleyball performance, we beat the Bulgarians in 3 games, with a semifinal match versus Long Beach up next.  For lunch we had the same red sauce pasta, slab of meat, roll of bread, and salad as the previous two days.  After lunch we headed back to the hotel for a long break and a long nap before our 5:00 match. 
            Finally, we loaded the bus, picked up Long Beach, and endured an awkward ride to the gym.  We shakily began the match and dropped the first two games to Long Beach by 3 points.  Seeking revenge, we came out strong in the third game retaining a lead throughout the game and finally winning.  During a time out, Allie had a frightening experience with a huge wasp in her hair.  Bravely, Allie remained still and calm and refrained from screaming until Adam saved us by killing the bee.  The fourth game was a hard fought battle.  Unfortunately, the refs were making horrible calls, mostly against our team, and we lost the match on an over-the-net call on a great block by Brook. 
            Although we were heartbroken and angry after our disappointing loss, we still had a dance to look forward to.  With only an hour to prepare, we sprinted to the shower, quickly fixed our hair, applied make-up and dressed in our cutest clothes with anticipation for our night out.  Arriving at the dinner hall, which also served as our dance floor, we were excited to receive a standing ovation from the expectant boys eating their dinner.  After a quick dinner of the usual food, we headed to the dance floor, pursued by a large group of eager boys.  Although the sound system, lighting, and music was somewhat disappointing, we managed to make ourselves a good time, dancing mostly with our favorite local Italian team.  One cute Israeli boy was a particularly good dancer and entertained us for some time. 
            After a long day and a fun night, we wearily headed for bed and instantly fell asleep with an early morning ahead of us. 
            Happy Easter again to you all! We love you and miss everyone and wait to come home again in two days!!

            Love,

Kresson, Susan, Tawny, Allie and Naomi