Alternative Workouts

 Occasionally we do "alternative workouts" which normally means going in the pool on a Monday after a long weekend.  Sometimes it could mean a team hike, or stadium runs, but mostly it means a pool practice.  We have a few traditions we do when we get in the pool in addition to our workout, and I have a couple of pictures to share.  The first is our "Martha Washington" hairdos!  I can't remember what class started this, but we still enjoy doing it!  Then we have some calisthenics in the water, and our "whirlpool", which is always fun.  Good times!

Opening Weekend a Success at J&W Tournament

Opening Weekend...with our whole team...nice.  Unfortunately, we had to leave very early in the day, so several people missed classes on Friday, but overall this year our schedule is great, so at least it won't happen that often.  We loaded up the bus, headed south to Rhode Island, and started our season on the road.  Despite having never been to Johnson and Wales, some things about our trip seemed very familiar, including a stop at Panera to pick up our lunch on Friday, and of course, a stop at Dunkin' Donuts on Saturday morning!

In all, we played four matches:  against J&W on Friday night, and then against UNE, Wheaton, and Mt. Ida all on Saturday.  It was a clean sweep for the Panthers, not dropping a set all weekend.  As a team, we hit .316, which was great.  The full stats will be on the web, but here are some highlights:

Amy had 9 kills hitting .304 in the opener against J&W
MJ had 9 kills, 6 aces, 5 assists, and 5 digs against UNE
Meg served 18 points IN A ROW against Mt. Ida, sprinkling 5 aces in that streak.
Piper hit .727 against J&W with 8 kills, no errors on 11 swings
Olivia had 8 kills, hitting .467 against Wheaton
Lizzy had 9 kills, and 6 aces hitting .389 against Mt. Ida
Lauren had 15 digs against UNE
Katie had 10 digs and 2 aces against Mt. Ida
Kathryn averaged close to 10 assists per set all weekend
Melanie had 8 kills on 9 attempts against Wheaton
Charlotte had 1 kill, 2 assists, 2 digs and 2 Blocks in her college debut
Gabi had 7 kills on 9 attempts for a .778 hitting % in her college debut
Hannah had 15 assists and 5 digs in two sets as the 5-1 setter against Mt. Ida

Playing 3 matches on Saturday was a bit tough, and we won't have that situation again all season, thank goodness.  The team took advantage of our "match off" to eat and refuel, sleep, and study, as you can see below.

It was a great team weekend with everyone contributing significant minutes.  After competing against each other in practice for almost two weeks, it was great to have other opponents that we didn't know anything about.  We have never had such a long pre-season before, at least so it seemed.  It's always nice to play different teams, and J&W couldn't have been nicer hosts for a great volleyball tournament experience.  MJ was named to the All-Tournament team for her efforts, so congrats MJ!



We had several parents on hand, which was also great!  Lauren's dad made it out for Friday night and even came armed with a whole big box of delicious cupcakes for Lauren's birthday!!  Katie's parents put out a huge lunch spread for us on Saturday, which was healthy and wonderful.  Meg's parents, MJ's parents, Katie's parents and brother, and Lauren's dad were all on hand, and I think several others were tweeting (yes, we have a Twitter now @middvball) during the matches. 

Now, we have all week to recoup, and get back to work in practice on our skills before we face off with our first NESCAC opponent, Colby, on Saturday afternoon, Sept. 21 for our Home Opener! 

Cast of Characters for MCVB 2013

The night of our BBQ, Paul took some great shots of almost everyone. (Thank you so much, Paul, these are great!) I think we have everyone in here now! 

 Meg, MJ, and Katie







Amy

Olivia, then Piper, then Lizzy (the juniors)

 The CA sophomores:  Kathryn and Lauren

Now, here our freshmen:  Gabi, then Hannah. 

 And, then Melanie and Charlotte.

In addition to the Team, we had several parents, my family, Steve (our Faculty Affiliate) and his wife Sharon, and Brian (Asst. Coach) with his wife Sylvie, and daughters Shea and Rowan, so here goes:  a toast by John Hart, then Hannah's mom, Andy.

 Charlotte's dad (Mike), with Lizzy's parents below (Amy and Dave)

 Angela Jarchow and Gabi's mom, Jennifer

Piper's mom, Melanie, Richard (Katie's dad), then my daughter Lois and I.

Piper's parents, Charlie and Melanie:










My husband, Rob--grill master, and super-dad, especially during the volleyball season...

Lois and I, then Melanie's dad, David, and Steve (Faculty Affiliate)

Steve and his wife, Sharon, with Meg's mom (Ann) in the background, and Melanie's mom (Tricia) to the right.  Again, no pictures of Paul, (Meg's dad), who was behind the camera, but we'll get a photo of him soon.  It was a very fun evening, and it's been great to work together during pre-season in our "professional athlete mode" of operation.  Now, real college life begins with classes, homework, and other "distractions" and activities.  In reality, that just means more training for real life by having to balance everything and keep sane!! 

MCVB 2013 Unites!

We kicked off our new year the same as we have for many years now--with a BBQ at my house.  It's always so fun to see everyone again, and have the new freshmen with us also.  The seniors were all abroad in the Spring, so it had been a long time since we'd seen them, too.

It was a gorgeous evening for our cookout, and many parents were able to join us, along with Steve (our Faculty Affiliate) and his wife Sharron, and Brian and his wife Sylvie, and daughters Shea and Rowan.  Lois felt like she was reuniting with old friends as well since she got to travel with us a couple of times last year.  Max was being shy, and was hiding and "shooting" people with his Nerf gun while asking me to introduce him as "Captain Balgi."  I have no idea what that means.  And Lydia enjoyed seeing everyone, was trying to get the names straight, and always enjoys playing with Shea and Rowan.

Thank you to the parents and Sylvie who both brought beautiful flower arrangements.  They smell and look so nice!  Also, thanks to my husband, Rob, who was our grill master.   

Everyone survived the fitness test the next day, and I thought for the most part, everyone came back in very good shape, so it was a great beginning to our season.  We have a new trainer, Judd, who is GREAT.  We were sad to lose Rachel, but Judd is fast becoming a total stud in every one's eyes, so THANK YOU, JUDD!!  He's got us doing band workouts to strengthen our shoulders, continuing the leg band routine to prevent ACL tears, and has also given us new ankle stability exercises.  All that in addition to taking care of the "normal" aches and pains.


We're utilizing our pre-game room this year for film, scouts, and ice baths.  It's a real multi-purpose room this year due to the massive construction project going on here for the new Field House.  We are all making due with less rooms for classroom activities like meetings and film, constant jack-hammering, and other various pleasantries that go along with multi-million dollar renovations!  It will all be worth it when the new Field House opens next Fall!!

AND, we've already had a birthday--Charlotte, who just turned 18!  Happy Birthday!!  Nothing like having your birthday on the first day of college volleyball practice.  Two cakes later (or maybe more?), and a dinner out at Sabai Sabai, it had to have been a pretty good day, even though we had two practices?!

The parents seem to be getting started on a good note together also, which is always fun!  Some parents got together after the BBQ at the local wine bar down town and continued to get acquainted and catch up.  GO MCVB Parents!  :)

We have opted out of playing this first weekend since our freshmen will all be away on Orientation Trips in various fun locations around VT.  We'll miss them, but can't wait to hear about their adventures when they get back. 

MIDD Receives AVCA Team Academic Award Again

LEXINGTON, Ky. (August 7, 2013) -  The American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) announced last week that 622 teams have earned the AVCA Team Academic Award for the 2012-2013 season.  This number once again breaks the previous year's total of 536 and sets a new all-time high for this award. 

The award, which was initiated in the 1992-93 academic year, honors collegiate and high school volleyball teams that displayed excellence in the classroom during the school year by maintaining at least a 3.30 cumulative team grade-point average on a 4.0 scale or a 4.10 cumulative team GPA on a 5.0 scale.

"Excellence doesn't happen by accident, either on the court or in the classroom," said AVCA Executive Director Kathy DeBoer. "It takes consistent preparation, relentless effort, and determined leadership. A full year of academic achievement, by an entire team of individual students, is a remarkable achievement.  What better way to start a new season than with a celebration of an award so emblematic of all that is necessary for sustained success."     

This was a press release from the AVCA, and Middlebury College was one of 93 Division III Women's teams that was honored with this award.  I'm very proud to say that we've qualified for this award every year, which is quite impressive, I think.  That about sums it up!  Well done, TEAM!! 

Summer Fun in CA!

Kathryn sent these fun photos of her with her father at a sprint triathlon this summer.

Way to go, Kathryn!  You both look great, and you are looking especially strong in the second photo!  :)  I'm glad to see you out enjoying some summer family fun.  It's always good to see cross-training taking place. 

It turned out that a couple of MIDD alums approached them to say hello when they say Kathryn's MIDD tee shirt.  Plus, a couple of Maddie's relatives--Rabbit and an uncle--were participating in the same event.  Fun MIDD times out on the West Coast!  Happy August, everyone!

Reunion 2013 etc.

Two alums returned for reunion this year, but unfortunately, I wasn't there to see them.  Lindsay and Lexie returned for the weekend, and took this picture outside of the "old homestead" where they lived off-campus their last "super-senior" semester.  I'm sorry to have missed them, but despite the miserable weather, I think they had a wonderful time reuniting with friends at reunion.

In other alumnae news, I had this picture from the mid-way point of the Boston Marathon before the tragedy struck.  This was Lauren looking very strong and great at the half way point, but she would be pulled off the course just shy of the finish line because of the bombings.  Thank goodness she wasn't caught in the wrong place.  A very scary tragedy, and our heartfelt thoughts
still go out to the victims!!