The last day of the tournament, with our Flight Three Champions trophy

Nationals for a First Time: by Katy Burge #13

My grandmother, mother, and I were finally on the road towards Berlin, Ohio. After sitting on airplanes all day, then sitting in the car rental place for another hour, I was looking forward to getting up and going. Unfortunately, Berlin is a two hour drive from Columbus. The drive was filled with gorgeous, green farmland that stretched for miles. All the houses were brick, making me feel as if I had been transported back in time. There was hardly any traffic besides the occasional horse and buggy combination driven by the Amish, adding to this feeling of time travel. We reached a little town called Millersburg and were just in time for the firework show. Then we drove to Berlin to stay the night.

My grandmother arranged for us to go to Berlin because one of the largest populations of the Amish community resided there. Unfortunately for us, it was Sunday - the day of rest. So we weren't able to experience Amish stores or their culture. Instead we went back to Millersburg where we explored antique shops, the old Victorian house, and a glass museum. I learned more than I'll probably ever need to know about glass, but who knows? Maybe it'll come in handy. Then we drove all the way back to Columbus, where we will be staying the rest of the trip.

I met up with some of my teammates and we went shopping at the nearby mall. I'm not much of a shopper so most of the time was spent letting my friends know my opinion of what they tried on. "Oh that looks gorgeous on you!", or "Mmmmm I don't know about that one..." were common phrases. Towards 7 o'clock, I was starving. Good thing we went to Olive Garden, where the bread sticks and salad are endless! After we met quickly to be briefed on the tournament schedule for the next day. As it is my first time at nationals (basically, it's my first year playing club volleyball), I'm extremely excited and extremely nervous.

The convention center was busy. Courts spread throughout the space as far as the eye could see. We won our first game - a good way to start the tournament. Our next two games did not go as smoothly. The only thing to do was shrug off the losses and prepare for tomorrow. The firework show over the city lifted our spirits. It was a dazzling and grand display - possibly the best firework show I've ever seen.

The next day was rough. We played two very talented teams and kept up with them. Even though we fought hard, they ended up victorious. We kept positive, knowing that tomorrow we had to get some wins under our belts.

We started the day with two wins, meaning we took first in our pool and earned a crossover game. The crossover game was a battle straight down the end. We lost but we had given it our all, and were satisfied.

The final day went well, winning both games to ultimately bring home 29th place. Altogether, I really enjoyed my nationals experience. I had the opportunity to play high performance teams, improve my skills, and elevate my game. I'm very pleased with my decision to join club volleyball this year, it was definitely worth it.

Some Background Information

Our story begins on the first day of practice in January 2012.  We knew from the moment we stepped on the floor that this year held one goal: make it to Nationals for a third time.  Through countless practices and tournaments,  ups and downs, disappointments and victories, we reached our goal with a repeat Regional Championship in March.  Unfortunately the tournament wasn't until July, so the team experienced a bad case of the "hurry-up and waits."  Finally, however, July came and the adventure could really begin.

This blog documents that adventure from the perspective of individuals on our team.  From the ones that drove, to those who flew, to seeing the Ohio amish, to team bonding, to the actual play, we'll cover it all.  So now we ask you to join us as we recount the experience that was Columbus.