Union Catholic Volleyball was a legacy known to almost any volleyball player in the state of New Jersey. Every year since the program began the team was blessed with phenomenol players and a great coaching staff. As good as the team was they never could clinch the state title that they had been longing for for years. Five years in a row they were in the finals and suffered a terrible loss or a tragedy. Three out of the five years the star players of the team were faced with serious injuries that hindered their participation in the rest of the game. This broke the flow of the team and lead to yet another loss at their chance to become state champions. The seniors of 2006 and I were determined to stop the curse and lead Union Catholic to its first state victory ever.
The 2006 season was looking very promising. All of the girls on the team were friends both on and off the court enhancing the overall chemistry and performance of the team. They engaged in many team bonding activites all having to do with the spirit of the team. There was a full house every game and the fans would go nuts when the Vikings would run into the gym. Young girls from all over the area would come to watch the games in hopes of one day being able to play on the team. There was such an adrenaline rush when we ran out onto the court, and you could just see in all the players eyes that we were in it to win it every game. Things that did not have to do with volleyball went away for those two hours and a victory was the goal that was set in everyone's mind.
As the regular season was coming to an end and county tournament time was approaching practices were becoming ten times harder. You can tell everyone was becoming anxious for the upcoming events which led to chaos and some mixed emotions. This would be the time that would test the players and who was really in it for the long hall. We had the conference title under our belts going into the county tournament, but never really got excited about it. This was not enough we wanted to go all the way and worry about what was ahead of us. Before each game we had a team meditation session and prayer time which I think really helped everyone. It put us in the zone and gave us time to just relax and gather all our thoughts together. The team of 2006 took all the right steps to the path of victory.
County tournament time was now here and the first three games were won without any effort. We found ourselves in the semi-finals literally without breaking a sweat. Some of the girls became very cocky after these victories and it really showed in the semi final game. People were not giving 100% because they figured that this would also be an easy win for the Vikings. To our suprise we found ourselves down two games and in a serious bind. Myself and the other captains of the team were not going to let it all end like this, we were not gonna let our coaches and fans down when they believed in us all along. We came back the third game with a bang and went on to win the next two with hard work. This showed that in the toughest situations we could still pull it together. At this moment I felt like the younger girls really listened to me and pulled through in the clutch. As stressful as being captain was this particular moment made it worth all the stress.
We were now in the county finals against one of the top ten teams in the state. Everybody found it very hard to think positive when our opponent had two players with full scholarships to divison one schools. The seniors on the team looked past that and thought of this as any old game. We went into the final fired up with all of our fans screaming and cheering for us. I have never seen a team play more fabulous then we did on that day. We won the game in three straight sets and went on to gain another title, County champions. Now with two championships under our belt we would be entering this state tournament. This is what all the hard work would come down to and there was absolutely no room for error. There would be three games before the state final against the best of the best. We won each of these games without much effort. We were not the best team overall but we had the most heart which goes a long way. Here we were once again for the sixth year in a row, the state championship.
The game was neck and neck the entire time. Union Catholic one set, Calwell the next, Union Catholic, and Caldwell. We were now on the fifth game which would be the deciding factor for it all. It was still back and forth the whole entire time. The crowd wsa screaming, the adrenaline was pumping, and I was not going to let us walk out of that gym without a state title. My fellow seniors and I made a speech to the younger girls and coaches during the timeout that really put everyone at their A game. We went back in with a score of 11-10 Caldwell. Our best server was at the line and serving exactly where we had said but they were able to send it back ove everytime. The score was no 13-10 and you could just see the disappointed looks on everyone's face. I did not let this affect me one bit and continued to play my heart out. Everyone was all of the sudden terrified and did not want the ball. I told the setter to give it to me and I would take care of it. Three perfect sets later and it was a tie game. Shortly after it was our game point, this was it this was the moment we had all been waiting for. The other team thought they knew exactly what I was going to do and already had their block strategy against me. Little did they know that I left my best move till the end of the game. The ball was up I took my best approached and power tipped the ball to the left where none of the girls were standing. The ball hit the floor, the fans went wild, and we won our first state title. Every girl was crying and this was truly one of the best moments of my life. All the hard work paid off, the title was now ours. Having faith in those around you and working the hardest you possibly can will always lead to success. It took six years which made this victory all the more sweet. The girls volleyball team of 2006 will go down in history as the team with the most heart that led UC to great success.
1 comment:
I really enjoyed reading your story. It was very suspenseful, and met all the criteria required for the assignment. I really liked how you made the reader seem almost as if he or she was one of your team's fans. There were a few gramatical and spelling errors, and a couple awkward sentences, but other than that it was very well written. It had a nice flow to it and it was easy for the reader to understand. Perhaps one of the best parts of the story were your transitions. They were smooth, and really helped build up the suspence.
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