Blog:  (Nov. 24) - by Nakia Williams

Going into the Big East tournament, we all had stars in our eyes. A season goal had been met and we were all ready to do damage.  Coming in as the eighth seeded team in the tournament, we were ready to show people what we were made of.  The week's practice brought intensity and a sense of readiness to take on the top teams of the Big East.  We headed out on Wednesday to the bitter cold of Pittsburgh where there was plenty of snow to look at and marvel over. It was the first time for some of the players to see snow.  There was a lot of excitement over it and the ability to play with it.  The night that we got in, there was no snow, but the next day brought snow and smiles to many faces.  Pictures were taken of the snow and holding snow.  On Thursday the coaches surprised us with a trip to the bowling alley.  We separated into teams, and the trash talk had already begun.  Bowling revealed the good and the ugly of our skills. Austin, our sports information director, shocked us all on his bowling skills.  In fact, the entire coaching staff including our trainer and administrator beat us all hands down.  Personally I couldn't understand why they were so good at this sport, I think they secretly get together on the weekends to bowl. Who knows!  One of our own had secret bowling skills; Jarka pulled out strikes like a pro bowler.  I believed they enjoyed having us there because next thing you know, the black lights came on and music videos playing on screens over the alleys.  This made the experience even better and just what we needed before we played.
 
That night was the banquet in which teams and people received special honors.  Before the banquet, many pictures were taken, even some with the locals of Pittsburgh.  All of the seniors were recognized and given a rose for all of the hard work they have done over their four years.  The names started to be called for the second all-conference team.  I listened for familiar names and faces, then the last selection was called and to my great surprise, it was my own.  This was an award that I always wanted and was humbled when finding out that I had finally received it.  I was close to crying and then held back the tears for the pictures!  The first team was announced and our very own Marcela Gurgel was part of the team once again.  I know that our coaches felt a sense of pride having two players to receive awards.  After the banquet meant the beginning of the tournament play the next day. 
 
The next day brought yet another great surprise.  The long-missed Johari Williams (Fall 2006 alumni) surprised us all by showing up just before we left to go to the game.  I would say that it was the best surprise I have had all my life.  Having a piece of my "confidence room" there was a great addition to the day.  Before our game, UConn fell to the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame.  We were about to face St. John's, the co-champion of the league.  We knew that we had to be on our A-game and play USF volleyball.  Throughout the game, we stayed with them and played good volleyball.  In the end it was a sprint to the finish line and we came up short for all three games.  This was a disappointment to the team because we all knew that this team was beatable and we felt as if it was our time.  The cards were dealt and our luck ran out.  Personally this loss meant the end of my USF career forever.  This was the same for the other two seniors, whether we play after college or not, we will no longer play for USF.  After four years this reality seems hard to grasp.  With the end of one chapter is the opening of another and with this comes excitement about the future.  Through the pain, our coach reminded us of the great things we have done and not to hang our heads low but to stand tall and know that we played well. Flashbacks of our lone senior last year, Kristina Fabris, couldn't help but come to mind. 
 
We left to come back to Florida the next day early in the morning.  Leaving meant saying goodbye to my best friend Johari.  It wasn't so sad because I know that I would see her soon again.  Attending the Big East conference taught us all a lesson about the seasons to come and how hard we have to work to get back.
 
Nakia Williams #25
 

Blog:  (Nov. 18) - by Allie Boaz

This past weekend was one of the most exhilarating throughout the entire season. Before this weekend we were 5-7. The two teams we had to face were Seton Hall on Friday and Villanova on Sunday. It came down to these two matches. Between Seton hall and us, whoever won was going to the tournament.
This weekend was parents weekend as well and as our parents started to arrive on Thursday and Friday, everyone started getting really pumped up. Friday night was the big night. We knew we had it from the get go. With the fans support as well as our family's we came through with a hair pulling, teeth gritting and nail biting win in five sets against Seton Hall.  Not to mention I think more than half of the team said they peed their pants!
 
Saturday we had practice and for the last hour the parents were allowed to come watch.  After practice, all the underclassmen put together some great posters and rap/rhyme/poems for the seniors.  Myself, Brittany, Marcela and Alli O had Nakia.  We made her a poster with a little letter from each of us on it saying how much we appreciated her and will miss her.  Marcela made a wonderful rap and Britt and her mom made their unforgettable ice cream cake.  Alli A, Caitlyn, Mari and Mollie made a poster for Augi.  They also put together a lovely scrapbook with letters from the whole team included.  Kelsey, Christine, Rachel, and Jarka made a poster for Cynthia and a funny rap too!  After we all celebrated the seniors, the team and their families went to the football game.  It was amazing to get to relax in the sun in shorts and a tee with no coat in NOVEMBER!  It was phenomenal. (And getting to be with our parents was the icing to the cake).  We all missed them so much and LOVED getting to see them.
 
Sunday was a battle. We played Villanova.  We were at breakfast in the morning at First Watch like we always do.  Everyone then ventured to the Corral to get ready to play.  We walked into our locker room to find it decorated from ceiling to floor with black lights, a disco ball, green lights, glow in the dark flowers on the walls, posters above our lockers with our names and blow up chairs!! It was the best surprise EVER!!! Everyone was so thankful and really appreciated all the work the coaches put into decorating it for the team!  Anyways, Villanova was already out of the tournament so they were playing to keep us from going.  We were fighting to keep our dream alive!  We came out with a great win in four over Villanova and we were off to the tournament! 
 
With the weekend coming to an end, parents leaving and the team exhausted from a very eventful weekend, USF was proud to say "We're going to the ship!"
 
Thank you coaches, parents, and staff for all your help and support! We love you!
 
GO BULLS~
Allie Boaz #8
 

Blog:  (Nov. 10) - by Mollie Echols

Coming home yesterday was probably one of the toughest days of my life. Yeah, we made light of it by playing games on the plane, but I had a huge test to study for and we were all exhausted. On the weekend, we lost both volleyball games. We went up there to prove ourselves in the Big East and to secure our place in the tournament. I don't know what happened. We have talked about it ALL year and there is still something missing... We still have a chance to make it and we are hanging by a thread. We need to kick butt this weekend and show our conference that we deserve to be there.

We had a great week of practice last week. We were prepared. We knew what we had to do. We went up to NYC with Warrick Dunn on our plane Thursday afternoon.

Between matches on Saturday we went to Manhattan to see Battery Park, Ground Zero at the World Trade Center and Times Square.

Sunday we woke up to beat our opponent. Even though we fell short we still BELIEVE.  We could still make it but we gotta work hard.

GO BULLS !

Mollie Echols #3

Blog:  (Nov. 3) - by Alli O' Connor 

After a blissful three week stand at home, the Bulls were finally “on the road again,” heading to face the Cincinnati Bearcats and the Louisville Cardinals. The trip was off to a fun start. Some of the girls cashed in their Bulls Bucks [a team reward system] and breaking out their jeans. As we boarded the plane, thoughts of our excellent week of practice filled our heads, giving us a sense of confidence that we haven't always felt before games. We knew we were truly ready to take on our opponents, and whole-heartedly believed that we were going to defeat the Bearcats and the Cardinals.

Arriving at the Vernon Manor hotel, there was talk of the “ghosts” that resided there. Some girls didn't believe such things existed and others were a little bit scared. Regardless, everyone had fun staying in the “haunted hotel.” Every weird song that played in the hallways, every slam of a door and every flicker of the lights caused gasps and excited conversations about whether or not it was the “ghost.”

While the first game against Cincinnati started off slow, and we all knew we weren't playing at our best, we were spurred on to greatness in the next two games. The level of play we were at during the second and third games was amazing; the amount of energy on and off the court was phenomenal. With every kill and block, there was cartwheeling and dancing happening on the sidelines. Despite the loud, obnoxious fans, we kept our cool and continued to play in a focused manner. Although we fought hard and truly gave it our all, we fell two points short of winning. Everyone was downcast as we entered the locker room, at a loss for words to make the disappointment lessen. When the coaches came in, I think that their words, while not driving away the letdown of the game's conclusion, really did help. Their words helped get our heads ready to face the Louisville Cardinals, and gave us the goal of avenging the loss by beating them.

As our bus drove into Louisville, I was filled with happiness at the sight of my hometown. I was anxious to see friends and family that I hadn't seen since I came down to Florida, and was even more excited about playing against my best friend in the upcoming match. Spending time at my house was fun for all; watching football, playing games, talking, and even looking at my embarrassing childhood photos. It was great to be able to get out of the hotel and do something fun outside the gym. After a day of fun, the team really felt relaxed and ready to take on the Cardinals. 

For the first time all season, we came out STRONG in the first game, playing great and really controlling the beginning of the game. As the games went on our block became a wall, stopping the ball, and channeling it to the defense behind us. While it was a very competitive game, we again came up short in the end. This loss really provided us with the focus of what we need to work on in the coming week of practice. I know that we will do our best to improve and we will stay hungry for the Big East tournament.

GO BULLS!!

-Alli O'Connor #21 

Blog:  (Oct. 20) - by Marcela Gurgel

This was a long week of preparation for our game against Georgetown. Since we only had one game this weekend, we had an extra day of practice which helped us on getting ready to face one more Big East challenge. We all know that from now on, every game and every point will make the difference on making the Big East tournament or not. In the locker room before the game started, we prepared both mentally and physically for the game. Mollie brought in a CD with a speech from “Any Given Sunday” by Al Pacino in which he talked about fighting for every inch on the field. The speech was towards football but we could easily relate to the volleyball game.

On the speech he said that one second late can be too late and that it can make the difference in between catching the ball or not. And so it is in volleyball. One second late can make the difference in between passing the perfect ball or not. Every inch and every second matters and this is what makes the game so exciting and so much fun to play. After that, we visualized as usual and then...we were ready!!

The game started and we did not start very strong. Some passing and attacking errors cost us a few points in the beginning of the game. However, we turned the game around by serving and blocking really well. We started off better and stronger on the second game, but towards the end, we let them come back few points on the scoreboard. We had been playing really good defense in the second set but we let down towards the end. Still, we won the second set which gave us a comfortable stand on the match.

Coming out of the locker room for the last set, we had committed in starting strong and playing hard all the way through the set. We knew we couldn't relax because Georgetown would not give up. It was great to finish the match in three and this victory gives us momentum to our next match which will be this Friday against Rutgers. Now, we have this entire week to prepare for the game and plus our "Dig for the Cure" match which will be a great opportunity to play with no pressure while having fun, but at the same time working on things that will make us better and more prepared for our conference game on Friday. 

Blog:  (Oct. 12) - by Alli Arbogast 

This past week as a team we prepared for our opponents as we usually do. By Friday we were more than ready to take on Marquette. It seemed as if we could make no mistakes and we easily beat Marquette 3-0. On Saturday we had an early morning practice and tried to prepare for a very good Syracuse team. Our efforts fell short and we did not come away with a win. I think we did learn something from the loss. We played against a team that we want to be like. We want to be the annoying team who plays disciplined defense. This next week in practice I think we will all strive for that discipline. 

Off the court we met with a sports psychologist named Joe. We had a session in the locker room with him that was very productive. We talked about our problems as a team and how to overcome them. Using Joe's famous words, "sensation and location", we were able to cope better with our stress and confidence issues on the court. We saw a direct improvement in our practice. Thanks Joe!

Also, we had some recruits come visit us and hopefully we showed them what being a Bull is all about and that they want to join us in the years to come!

Overall this weekend showed the world how good USF volleyball can be...this challenge now is to bring that talent and teamwork every day.

Go BULLS!!

Alli Arbogast #12

PS: Some locker room improvements will hopefully be underway soon....disco ball and strobe lights!? Thanks Claire ; )
 

Blog: Road Trip Within the Big East (Oct. 6) - by Rachel Matos

After a long week of practice we set out for what would be a tough weekend on the road. 

We played Pitt first.  From the beginning, we knew it would be a fight but we knew we could win. From the moment we began serve and pass, the atmosphere didn't seem quite what would be expected for game day. We seemed tired and quiet, not very enthused. But it was just serve and pass; surely we would pick things up for the game.

But we didn't. Games one and two were disappointing and it wasn't until we came out of the locker room, down two games, that we woke up.

I don't know what happened in the locker room, but we were a totally different team games three and four. We fought hard and took the match to five. We ended up losing however. The rest of the day was pretty much done after that.

On Sunday we played WVU, and once again there was something missing out on the court. We lost the first game, won the second and third game and lost the nail-biting fourth game by two points.

We were in the fifth game once again. We knew we had not done so well in the fifth in past matches, but there was no way we were going to lose this one. We fought so hard and pulled out a win. It wasn't the prettiest game and it wasn't our best, but good things did come out of it. This weekend, our team's go-to persons were not our outsides, but our middles. Nakia and Alli did so great this weekend and as a team we showed that we could win when our outsides are not as productive as usual.

Everyone stepped up their game in order to compensate for those who were simply having a bad weekend and because of this, we won that game. We also finally won a match in five!!!!! Overall the weekend was a learning experience and we improved as a team.

 

Rachel #33

Blog: Conference Play Starts (Sept. 28th) ? by Jarka Havlickova

               The first Big East Conference match for the USF volleyball was approaching quickly, as the week ran by us in exciting preparation for the Irish of Notre Dame.  The new chapter of the season was about to unfold and we started with the blank record of 0-0 after the challenging pre-season matches and lots of traveling. The excitement rushed through our veins while we were getting ready in the locker room, visualizing the game with Notre Dame and listening to the murmur in the crowded Corral, with fans ready to cheer on top of their lungs, for it was the night of competition for the loudest cheer.  The locker room energy was great, not only did we visualize the game ahead of us, but Mollie also brought little leprechaun puppets as Notre Dame representation which helped us during walk-through. 

                As we ran out of the locker room door in our sleek uniforms that keep us sometimes little bit too hot, we began the warm up, and with our middles piercing the floor with kills, the outlook for upcoming game was more than positive. We were ready. Despite our excitement, we were not able to close the first set on the victorious note and lost 22-25.  The second set called for improvement and we defeated the Irish 25-21. After the second set, we knew that there was more work to be done and that this team was beatable with our full effort, yet the next two sets were tight loses 21-25 and 22-25. The loss was burning and aching us.  This was definitely not the beginning of Big East we had in mind.

                Saturday's practice got us ready for the following match with DePaul, but the shadow of the loss from last night took a toll on us. How great was it of Brittany's parents to make a lunch for us at their house, where we could relax and enjoy the nice afternoon of an early fall day. The grilled chicken and steak by Brittany's dad did wonders to our bodies. When Sunday's match came, we were fully regenerated from the previous loss with higher motivation to win than ever. The first set started off well.  We fell 23-25 but found out about the other team's weaknesses and strengths. The second set was better as we won 25-16 and we knew that we can and must play better in order to win and feel confident after this weekend. After the break, with two more games ahead of us, the court became our dancing party and the energy among the players on and off the court was pure confidence. Even though we were running really tight in our last set, our crisp hits, impermeable blocks, irresistible digs and marvelous sets spiced up with the joy from the game, and gave us the victory we deserved.  There is no such a feeling like winning at home court and leaving the Corral with the sense of pride to be a USF volleyball player. 

Jarka #7
 

Blog: Home Tournament (Sept. 19th and 20th) ? by Kelsey Palmer

After two weeks of plane rides and long road trips, the team was relieved to have a home tournament. We were all stoked that our fans could all come watch and support us in our four match tournament with Georgia Southern, Harvard, Toledo, and James Madison. After so many away games, we were all excited to have the excitement and energy of the crowd on our side. Not only that, but we were all excited to sleep in our own beds and have the freedom from packing a suitcase.

These were all small factors in each of our games, and I am sure that they contributed to how well we played. But the real change in our play was our attitudes. The sense of TRUST, ENERGY, and DESIRE was evident on everyone's faces. Our communication was at the highest level it has ever been this season. A fire burned in our eyes as we began our match against Georgia Southern, and continued to burn for the entire match, giving us a 3-0 win.

This same intensity followed us into the locker room as we began to prepare for the Harvard game. Everyone was pumped. With Nakia's glow sticks, we had an awesome pre-warmup warmup. We carried our energy out onto the court, and handed Harvard a crushing 3-0 loss. Getting ready to go home after the game, there were energetic cheers going around the locker room.

Our last two games (against Toledo and JMU) were just as exciting as the previous two. And similarly, we kept our intensity and drive up for the entire match, finishing on top with a 4-0 record for the tournament. The locker room was a great place to be after the tournament came to a close. Everyone was proud of how we'd played and how we'd kept our intensity and fire up for whole matches -- not just games. We finished games, just like we knew we could all along.

As we head in to practice next week, we are all looking forward to our first league game, against Notre Dame on Friday. We have prepared long and hard for this, and I am confident that when game time comes, we will come out fighting, and come out on top 

GO BULLS!!
-Kelsey Palmer #15



Blog:  Alabama Trip (Sept. 11- Sept. 14)  - by Mariana Thon

Last week was a week of preparation and hard work at practice designed for us to get better as a team and to correct our weaknesses on the court in close matches... We needed to focus and be ready.  We had another competitive tournament on the road ahead of us at Tuscaloosa, Ala.

We left on Friday, Sept. 11 at 10:45 a.m. from the Sun Dome to go to the airport. The team was very nicely dressed as always and we looked pretty good on our way to Alabama ; ) . The flight was only an hour and twenty five minutes to Birmingham. As soon as we landed I was curious to see what Alabama looked like because it was my first time there. After walking down to the baggage claim we headed to the bus, got situated on our comfortable seats, and waited. The drive from Birmingham to Tuscaloosa is about an hour so we all either fell asleep, studied, or watched the movie that was on for us. We got to the hotel and left our bags in our rooms.  My roommate was Jarka from the Czech and as soon as we were ready for practice we headed down in our sweatpants and waited to leave in the lobby. I definitely made my important nice cup of coffee with Britt before we left too. That night we practiced at the University of Alabama gym, which is a pretty nice gym I might say, and had very nice people. 

The next day, we played Murray State at Noon in a very, very, very close match and beat them in three sets. Later that night we played the Alabama team and lost in four... ( Marcela I love you, WE ALL SAW IT DON'T WORRY).  We had our last match of the weekend scheduled for us to play at Noon against Samford. Samford had a very energetic and quick offensive team.  After the game we had the whole afternoon to ourselves to hang out with teammates, talk to the coaches, do homework and sleep. Sunday, when we got back, it was very nice to be able to rest and recuperate and get ready for the next week to come.

Overall, the whole weekend was very competitive and helped us find what we need to get better at to be the AMAZING, IMPACTING, and DOMINATING team that we are. We all agreed that we would stay positive, keep working, and keep having fun in what we love to do.

-          Mari # 13

For a look at previous blog entires from USF players this season, click here.