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Well today started out with a wonderfully superb breakfast put on by our
magnificent Hotel Piramida. We proceeded to travel by sweet Euro vans to the
gym where we played our first match of the Global Challenge tournament
against the Slovenian Youth Select team. We had mixed emotions going into
the match because Will (LBC libero) told us that it was a totally different
team from last year. We jumped out to an early lead and never let up from
that point on in the match. We swept the Slovenian Youth Select team in 3
games to 0. After our first match we had lunch where we played our first
match then went back to the hotel for our power naps before our match
against a Slovenian D1 professional team.
It was a long journey to their gym, roughly an hour and a half through
beautiful Slovenian countryside. We optically experienced lush green
rolling hills and beautiful mountain sides. When we arrived at the gym and
walked in, our first impressions of the team was that:
1) they are definitely huge,
2) we are probably going to get crushed, and
3) but we were still pumped and honored to play a D1 professional Slovenian
team.
The first game started and we start crushing them, they were in the palm
of our hands the whole game because they probably didn't take us too
seriously. We crushed them 25-16 which got us really excited. The second
game was a different story. We started out point for point but then one of
their servers went back and got them going on what turned out to be a 6 to 0
point scoring run. Which opened up the game too far for us to battle back.
They won that game 16-25 getting us dead even at one game a piece. In the
third and fourth game, the same thing appened. They made great plays, as
did we, but we just couldn't put down any balls and they won the 3 and 4th
game which gave them the match. But for the training aspect of the trip
their coach wanted to play 1 more game to 15. As they proceeded to be
beasts among little men (as they should be because they are D1 team) there
was one little a.k.a. big play that personally affected me...
I'm front row and their setter sets a red (back set). As I begin my
blocking move I'm sizing this guy up. He's probably about 6'5" 250 pounds
and I'm about 6'0" 165 pounds. So this guy rips the ball and of course I'm
in the right spot, because I wasn't brought on this trip for nothing (ahaha
totally kidding). I roofed (blocked) the total complete obliteration out of
this guy's hit. The ball slams to the floor before we both even land and
our bench just goes insane and I land and go crazy. But of course while
we're all soaking in the moment, the ref ( who was horrible the whole match)
decides to call a net on me, which I definitely did not. I argue with the
ref for a good 5 minutes while Will is just cracking up (as is with
everyone) because I did not net and I was very mad. But all in all it was
still a sick (cool) block, it was still a great honor to play them, and it
was still a good [morning] win against the Slovenian Youth Select team.
Being able to play all these different European teams has definitely been
a great experience and has given all of us a completely new aspect of the
game. From the pro German team in Friedberg, to playing the UAE, and now
these two Slovenian teams, we definitely have learned and enjoyed learning
new styles and skills of this sport we all love to play. |
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