June 9, 2011

The motto of the day: Serving and Passing… Two simple concepts of volleyball that can be your best friend or your enemy.  I would claim serving and passing as my personal enemies today. 

For this trip we only have eight on our roster which doesn’t give us much breathing room.  So during practice we have been working hard on getting adjusted to several different lineups.  Many of the girls are playing in multiple positions and are doing really well at taking on the challenge and making the adjustment.  This morning we practiced and scrimmaged a few sets to 15 with the Chinese.  We started out playing focused and clean, winning the first set pretty easily.  The next two did not go as hot.  Let’s say we all learned a lot and knew what we had to do in the afternoon, “serve and pass.”

After breaking for lunch, napping and a little Skype time with the family, we returned to the court for our first match.  We all knew what we needed to do… serve and pass, through we felt it was not necessary until the third set (thought we would make it interesting, and boy did we).  We took them to five sets losing the first two, winning the third, fourth and fifth!  The fifth being 17-15… talk about close call.  All around it was a great match to win because we had to battle for it.  We played well when we needed to and were forced to make plays in tough situations.  And although our play was less than stellar the first two sets, the last three sets we never lost control.  We had some great serving runs by Monique, Kaleo, and Michelle, strong plays at the net and overall passing was a solid performance.  I would say our best plays were made in long transition rallies.  I believe our team performs the best when we get into longer points. We know how to play disciplined when the point builds the momentum.  We just couldn’t make the rest of the game easy on ourselves I guess. 

After the win we were all ready to get our grub on at the Pizza Hut a couple blocks away, but to no surprise, our translators Chris and Nancy told us they were getting pizza for us!  They have been nothing but accommodating and truly generous to us since we arrived.  They also got me a birthday cake last night after dinner!  We are very thankful to them… and to Pizza Hut being in China.

So far during our free time most of our group has gone and adventured the streets of Shanghai.  Kaleo has already purchased a pair of shoes and Brian and Dr. Ryan (the dynamic duo known as B-Ryan) claim to have found a “Cracker Barrel” this morning.  They aren’t fooling anybody.  I have not found my way around Shanghai due to the foreign body that used to be mine but has now been claimed by exhaustion, severe sweating from the humidity and the concrete slab that is disguised as my bed. 

We only have two days left and much more fun to be had.  We are scheduled for a river cruise to see the city of Shanghai and a couple other sightseeing trips the last days we are here.  And I also wanted to give a shout out to my Mom, without her I wouldn’t be where I am today.  So happy 21^st birthday Mom!!!   Yes, ironic that I’m 25 and my mom is 21!

Fun facts of the day:
It takes an hour to get outside the city limits of Shanghai.
Passing with your chest is not the best option.
People with one arm are really good at ping pong too.