NVL Preakness, MD

Mon, 23 May 2011 10:42:07 -0700

The first tourney of the year... the first time many of the “pros” have been together since July of 2010... the first test of the NVL... and the first time I have felt proud of two losses. Let me expand on the last “first” point.

When the AVP tour folded in July of 2010, I started working more, traveling more, and abruptly stopped training in the sand. A large part of that was emotional - I needed time to recover from that crushing disappointment. What is significant about not training was that since I first started playing beach volleyball in 2002 I have NEVER taken six months off. N-e-v-e-r. The upside is that my body really rested and healed.

July turned into Fall turned into Winter, and come this February, Raquel Caulkins (my partner from the second half of 2010) contacted me because she was coming back to the US for one month, and one tournament. Together we decided to make a push at the Preakness NVL, knowing she was heading to Sweden right afterwards for the rest of the summer. The possibility of playing with Raquel in this one tournament was enough for me to rally out of volley depressed hibernation. I spent a month trying to get back into decent shape, regain reasonable ball control, and polish our “team touches” so we would have a chance at a solid finish.

THE SOLID FINISH ELUDED US. We went 0-2 in a double elimination tournament. Props to the teams that out-played us - Meri-de Boyer and Juliana Evans; Paige Jensen and Tracy Jones.

So why am I proud of the two losses? Because they remind me of a few things...

1) To play this game at the elite level, you have to be in damn good shape.
Sorry about the cuss word Mom but I needed it for emphasis. For me to be successful, it’s not just being able to get through a game of volleyball without my heart exploding in my chest. I have to be strong, explosive, and flexible. That takes time. A LOT of time. Consistently. In this tournament and during the month of our training, my joints hurt. Any injury I every had was aching a bit. I would be sore in weird places, and one hard workout would have me broken down for a couple of days. In peak condition you recover faster and hurt less.

1) Teamwork doesn’t happen overnight.
The teamwork Raquel and I put in last year was frequent and intense, and it paid off. We had countless reps of passing and setting each other. We knew in X situations we would make Y adjustments. We knew the words to shout to illicit the best response from each other. We knew what buttons to push, what lines not to cross, and we were in sync. I over-optimistically thought we would be able to plug right back into that, but... the reality is... it wasn’t that simple. Some things felt great, others were quite a struggle. Teamwork requires “work”. Duh.

1) The competition is only getting better.
Beach volleyball is attracting more talent. There are younger athletes showing up, players getting more invested, and the level of play is raising. Despite that the AVP tour folded. Despite that the future of any unified professional tour is still uncertain. Players train on, compete on, and are only getting stronger.

I am proud of my losses in this tournament because they remind me that this coveted “professional” status isn’t a casual goal... you have to work hard for it.

Oh, and being in Baltimore with host families (thank you BJ and Curt!) and experiencing Preakness was phenomenal!!

AVP Long Beach

Mon, 26 Jul 2010 10:37:58 -0700

The Long Beach AVP event was for the top 16 teams, our smallest event of the 2010 season thus far. With Jen & April being out of the country, Raquel and I were seeded 13th. The weather “gods” hooked us up with a bright sun-shining day, which was more than welcome after weeks of consistent gloom and morning fog-drizzle. The beach of LBC has shallow dusty sand, and despite the AVP’s best efforts, the courts were uneven at best. I don’t know what kind of operational miracle it takes to level a sand court, but the “good side” this weekend was often chosen as the downhill side. I think it’s easier to hit to a higher side (balls hit the ground faster, whereas if you hit towards a lower side your deep balls may sail out). Alas... our results...

First round we drew Tyra Turner and Angie Akers. These two are a class act, not to mention physical specimens. They are the most ripped team on tour, but somehow maintain a very pleasant disposition. Their game plan was to go after me the entire match. Angie served me deep, then short, then deep, then short... I am proud to say I wasn’t aced but a perfect sideout game alluded me. Defensively they were hard to stop. I started the first game with several blocks early on, but these two veteran players adapted quickly, pulled their sets off the net, started running quick sets out to the antennas, and kept control of both games. Late in the second game Raquel went to the net so I could focus on tough serving, and immediately she scored us two stuff blocks and the third rally I dug a cut shot. It was awesome... but sadly not enough to pull out a win. I was inspired by this match - by where I need to improve and also by the level of volleyball I want to be consistently playing at.

Next up in the contenders bracket we faced Jenny Kropp and Whitney Pavlik. I knew these two had picked up their game performances since we saw them in Virginia Beach, and we intended to go into this match with a lot of focus and aggressiveness. However the first game didn’t prove that. They got an early lead and kept it. Game one went by quickly and I felt frustrated, like things weren’t clicking for Raquel and I. We talked about a change in our defensive strategy going into the second game, and what we thought we ought to adopt to better side out. The second game was a different story, a much better story for us, right up until the very end. We lead 19-16, and ended up losing 25-23. Ugh! Again Jenny and Whitney served me most balls, and to say I am disappointed in blowing that lead and losing this match is a heavy understatement. It took me quite a while to hold my head up high after this loss. We end the tourney with a 0-2 record, a 13th placed finish, and I am nursing a very sore back. I small pity party commenced Saturday afternoon. Thankfully my parents were still in town and after encouragement from them and Raquel, I have bounced back.

It’s a new experience for me, getting served most every ball in a tournament. It shows me where I need to improve, how steady and focused I need to be throughout a match, and where Raquel and I will need to build new tools. After a good night’s rest and some reflection, I am looking forward to this new challenge and pleased we are showing up in these elite tournaments as a team that must be taken seriously. Anxious for the next tourney...

AVP Hermosa Beach

Mon, 19 Jul 2010 22:57:32 -0700

I can’t help but smile. Hermosa Beach AVP was fantastic, in large part due to the attendance and loyal support from Family and Friends. My Mom and Dad were here from Key West Florida, and since I don’t see them more than a few times a year, I was especially adrenalized having them around. The weather was perfect… mostly sunny, hot enough mid-day that sand socks were required but otherwise it was comfortable beach temps, with just enough wind to have a good-side/bad-side.

As the 15th seed we drew the 18th seed first round, Keao Burdine and Jen Fopma. Standing 6’1” and 6’3” respectively, we knew this team would be hard hitting and big blocking. Ironically, we had trained against them earlier in the week. That’s a funny thing about this sport. There just aren’t that many professional teams to practice against, and you really have to train at the level you want to play at, so before knowing we would be playing each other first round we had scheduled practice. Not that it gave us any edge. Keao and Jen came out strong. The scores in this battle were 19-21, 21-17, 10-15 in favor of them. When Raquel and I were debriefing the game we gave the girls credit for having very precise offensive plays – tagging the lines on the perimeter of the court consistently. Admittedly though we both felt we had started slowly and played too tense. I personally felt really nervous this match, from the warm-ups through the final point. These two went on to have a great tournament so I don’t mean to take anything away from them. They will continue to be a tough team… I just sleep better believing that part of this loss was something I might be able to control better in the future.

Second round we drew the up-and-coming youngster phenoms, Summer Ross and Jane Croson. I knew that Summer had upset some teams already this year and that we shouldn’t take them lightly. After the first round loss Raquel and I were really focused and didn’t give these two an opportunity to get much momentum started. Being such talented indoor players they came after us with hard hits, feeding into our defense nicely. I think I had 5 blocks this match, which is a lot for women’s blockers in two games. I expect to see this duo in the main draw more frequently, and it’s scary they are this good in the sand so young. This win put us in 17th place.

Next up was Nancy Reynolds (maiden name Mason) and Kelly Wing. Nancy is one of the top players in the game, recently retired but still a legitimate threat. She paired up with Kelly - an indoor sensation - for this tourney since it was local. Neither are playing full-time this season, but again that doesn’t negate them as a threat. They came at us with great ball control, veteran game knowledge, scrappy defense, and Kelly’s sick jump serving. Thankfully though Raquel and I sided out well against them, with a combined hitting percentage of just over 0.500. We passed them up in two close games earning a 13th so far in the tourney.

Our fourth match, playing for 9th place, was against a team Raquel and I have recently become fast friends with… Kathryn Babcock and Erin Gray. They had pulled a fantastic upset first round against the new team of Brooke Hanson and Lauren Fendrick. Our match against them went to three games, with the first two games being lop-sided in opposing directions (21-13, 12-21), then a nail biting 3rd game that went our way (15-12). Notably, Erin Gray was really remarkable in this match. Our game plan was to target Kathryn, and Erin was aggressively passing 75 to 80% of the court. If we didn’t serve Kathryn to her sideline, Erin was taking the ball and manifesting a great point scoring play. Both Kathryn and Erin are tough servers and cover a lot of court on defense. We were pleased to have pulled off the win.

The draw for 7th will rarely be an easy one. This tournament Raquel and I drew Dianne DeNecochea and Brittany Hochevar. The first game Raquel and I came out strong, with a team hitting percentage of 0.548 and Raquel with 16 digs. Even with those stats we narrowly beat them 21-19. The second game Di and Brit stepped up their offense, and we struggled to match it. They lead most of game two and beat us 15-21. Third game begins. If you would have asked me, I thought my body was still feeling strong, despite this being the fifth match in a grueling day. However our sweetly honest friends and family told us after the 3rd game loss of 9-15 that we looked like we had run out of steam. I hate to give “steam” any credit so I would prefer to say that Di & Brit really kicked it up a notch and outperformed us the final two games of this three game match.

I continue to feel like Raquel and I are growing as a team. Our communication is direct, honest, and always in the best interest of the team. We both agree we play best when we are more relaxed, with smiles and celebrations between plays. We also want to make sure we start off tournaments stronger. On a fashion note, we also had many compliments on our new suits by Nina’s Keenies this weekend. Stay tuned for more to come!

AVP Belmar, NJ

Tue, 29 Jun 2010 17:59:17 -0700

Back in Belmar. It was a grand reunion! Highly attended even during the Friday qualifier and despite the scorching temps. Raquel and I were hosted by an super generous and cool local woman and that made this tour stop all the more memorable. Top ten finish never hurts either.

First match of the day we drew Megan Wallin and Chara Harris, a gorgeous and talented Florida team that has come on strong this year. They matched up well against us... as we are similar teams. Tall left side blocker, smaller but strong right side defender. There were many blocks, digs, great kills, and rallies... this match we were excited to pull off in overtime of game 3.

The reward for winning your first match as the 15th seed is you play the #2 seed - Misty May Treanor and Nicole Branagh. It’s hard to keep any momentum going when you go up against them. We played on a packed Court 1, where not only the fans cheering mainly for Misty, but the wind was blocked by the stands so the temps were dramatically higher. We had a hard time siding out against them (were either dug by Misty or blocked by Nicole), and they breezed by us. The upside was Raquel and I felt like we learned a few distinct things in this match, and no doubt benefited from it.

Our third match of the day is almost immediately after the close of the last. This isn’t good news with Raquel in the medical tent from near heat exhaustion. I try my veteran game stalling tactics, but alas when Raquel finally wobbles over to our court, we have missed warm-ups and start right into our battle against Emily Day and Claire D’Amore. I am surprised by two things in this match. First, Raquel plays almost flawlessly. I wonder if the heat exhaustion made her brain quiet down and simplify - she had laser focus and executed beautifully. From how disoriented she was after the Misty match, this was a huge relief and confidence booster for me. The other surprise was that Emily and Claire seemed to be struggling in this match. I made decisions to pull off the net and dug a lot of balls that way, and they seemed to never change up their strategy. I have a lot of respect for these two and if we draw them again I think it will be a much closer challenge than the scores of this bout.

A funny anecdote leading into our fourth match. Once her adrenaline cooled off, Raquel was once again feeling shaky from the heat. I tell her to get back to the medical tent, that I will check the board and let her know when and who we are playing. She says, “just please don’t tell me it’s the Lindquists”. Sorry girlfriend... three minutes later I had to tell her just that. The one team you know you will exhaust yourself playing, in this crazy oppressive humidity. The first game of the match they crush us. I am getting served, can’t get into the sideout rhythm you have to find against them, and walk off the court irritated. Raquel gives me a pep talk, and game two is a total reversal. We change strategy about who to target, they seem weaker than minutes ago, and suddenly I am finding my sideout game. Raquel is coming up with big defensive plays... and we cruise to game three. As luck would have it, the momentum we built in game two just kept flowing, and game three wasn’t that close. This marks the first AVP tournament I have ever beaten the Lindquists. If we weren’t rushing to our next match I think I would have gotten sentimental.

Fifth match is against Jenny Johnson Jordan and Annett Davis. Raquel and I are in energy conservation mode so we barely warm-up. You wouldn’t know it though. We play a tremendous first game against Jenny and Annett. Siding out strong, getting stops on defense... things are still flowing for us. At 19-18 (we are up), them serving us, I make a critical move. I call a timeout. In my head, I was thinking that I wanted a minute to get water and compose myself so I would be 100% focused and ready to earn us that 20th point. Instead, we don’t score for 3 plays and they beat us in game one 21-19. Ugh!! Thankfully the second game we play much like the first. I honestly felt like Raquel and I were really hitting our stride - playing a consistent high level game. We sneak a win in this game, scores looking much like game one. It goes to three. There is quite a crowd around us at this point. Game three is even 5-5, but then they get a few points in a row... and it slips away from us. They win game three. We were so close!

This tournament did a lot for building my confidence personally and in my new teammate. I love the East Coast!!

AVP Virginia Beach

Tue, 22 Jun 2010 17:28:47 -0700

Virginia Beach rivals my new favorite tour stop, largely because of the people I met there, and the perfectly refreshing calm ocean. It was well attended for a first-time site, the weather was sunny and warm... oh if only we had won more games. Alas...

First tourney for Raquel Caulkins and I. Raquel was Rookie of the Year in 2009, a left handed Brazilian who everyone is watching because expectations are high. Whether it was feeling out our new partnership, a sleepy start with jet-lag, or the strong showing from Janelle Allen and Brooke Langston... we lose our first round game quickly and without much fight. They played strong and fearlessly, stopping our offense frequently and we just didn’t return the favor. Kudos to them, both true sweet hearts. And congrats Brooke on your recent engagement. I hope that balances out Raquel breaking your finger in this match by tooling your block that one play. Ouch!

Second round we play an unfamiliar team of Abby Gregory and Kendra Van Zwieten. This team has a great scrappy defender who is small however and struggles siding out without the perfect setup. Abby likes to go over on two to assist with scoring, but we kept them deep on our serves and controlled most of the match. First win for the new team, and built some momentum.

Third match we draw Whitney Pavlik and Jenny Kropp. Much to my surprise, the first game we blow right by them. All cylinders firing. Second game we started off the same way... but somehow even with a 17-11 lead, we blow it. Or maybe better said, I blow it. I have thought about this game at length since then, and I can’t get over what happened. It was like... nothing happened. I relaxed a little with our big lead. Maybe I stopped looking at the court, maybe I wasn’t as aggressive, maybe I started thinking about our next round, maybe they just figured me out. Who knows, but suddenly we give up our lead and they pull of an incredible come-back. Go into the third game of the match, and it’s a barn burner. Raquel gets a dig late in the match with a swing to give us game-point... and it tapes slightly and lands inches out of bounds. That’s just how that match went. They beat us in over-time. We were stunned, and I was more disappointed than I remember being... almost ever. Confidence? Shot.

The silver lining of this event was Raquel’s speech to me after that loss. Part of me was ready for her to put the loss on my lap (I was doing it!), but instead she looked at me with a lot of true emotion and said she really enjoyed playing with me all tournament and really believes we could be a strong team with more work. What a relief! I am get goose-bumps reliving the moment. Very touching, and bonding for us.