So, this wasn't the best weekend for ONU men's volleyball.
We competed in the MIVA Championships at Ohio State University this weekend. Against some of the best teams in the country, we finished the weekened with a 1-5 record. Not what we're use to.With one starter unable to play because of a finger injury, we experiemented with several different lineups and had different personel on the floor throughout the weekend.
It's difficult to reflect on tournaments like this, because as a competitior, I want to immediately erase this from my memory. However, these are the athletic experiences when we have the greatest opportunity to grow and learn as a team and as individual players. In the words of the great John Wooden, "failure is not fatal, but failure to change might be."
This quote by the legendary UCLA basketball coach could not be more applicable to our situation right now. Our season has not come to an end, and we have an opportunity to look at what we did this weekend and make the necessary changes before the national tournament in two weeks.
The national tournament is three days of nothing but volleyball. It's a race to the finish, and teams that run out of gas are left behind with no AAA to bail them out. Each team is faced with adversity during the three day event, and the teams that handle adversity the best are the ones that are successful. Our team didn't handle adversity as well as we could have this weekend.
So even though, I want to throw this weekend out and immediately take out the trash, I need to go through the junk and search for the important elements that I can't play without. Even in the eight short hours since the tournament ended, I've thought about the ways I need to be a better player, teammate and leader.
This year's team has something special, and I refuse to end this season on the same note as my two previous years as a Polar Bear. Even though, we're frustrated with the way this weekend played out, it could be a blessing in disguise. This could be the wake-up call that we needed, and the final lessons that we had to learn before our run to reclaim the national title.
Joe, I completely understand where you're coming from. The softball team is facing some adversity of its own. We've already lost more games than we did in the regular season last year and it's not even April yet. But sometimes a slap in the face is just what the doctor ordered.
ReplyDeleteAs much as I didn't want to think about losing both of our games last Sunday, reflecting back on them has really helped me. With each loss came a better understanding of what needed to be addressed in practice and what I needed to address within myself.
I know your team is so incredibly talented. You guys are capable of great things and I know that all of your blood, sweat and tears will pay off in the end. Bears thrive in all climates... including climates of adversity.
As tough as this weekend was for us, I think that it is year in and year out the most important tournament for ONU Men's Volleyball. We've never finished better than fifth at this tournament, and this year we got ninth. But, like you said, there were a few things that were hindering us as a team this week. I honestly believe that MIVAs will help us more than it hurt us in the long run. We've got three more days of volleyball to play this year, and in my career, and I fully intend on winning out and coming home from Texas with a medal around my neck. We've got the ability, and when we pull it all together as a team, we are unstoppable.
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