Well, all good things must come to an end. This past weekend, the volleyball team was competing in the NCCAA national tournament in Florida. Upon arrival, we zoomed over to our service project where we wrapped Christmas presents for less-fortunate families. That night, we all got "pretty” as we sat through the welcoming banquet.

Our first game was a victory in three against Southeastern, however the other games wouldn’t be so easy. That night, in our second match, we lost in five in a very, very tough match against King. In our second day of competition, we knew that we had to come out with fire if we wanted to play in the semifinals. We faced a very good Bryan team, which we played earlier in the season, so we knew how strong of a team they were. We pulled out a victory in five very close games. Now, all was riding on our last game of pool play. It was all or nothing, do or die. We played a very solid and consistent game against Northwestern and won in four. So, we qualified for the semifinals the next day!

We faced Malone in the semifinals. They are in our conference, so we were very familiar with their play. We were headed to the finals as we beat Malone in four. In the finals, we were up against Campbellsville. I felt like in that match we couldn’t do anything right and they couldn’t do anything wrong. We couldn’t find any answers and couldn’t get a run on them. We lost in three and received runner-up in the tournament.

Since we were so depressed and down about the loss (a little sarcasm), we decided to drown our sorrows in Downtown Disney! There, we ate at the Rainforest Café and danced with sidewalk entertainers. For the most part at nationals, we ended on a very good note because we faced solid competition and held our own proving that we are a great team.

In my four years here, I could not have asked for a better athletic experience. Every year, I have been a part of a team that has great chemistry. We all have so much fun together, whether it may be at practices, games, or just hanging out. I think I speak for everyone when I saw that we could not have asked for a better coach as well. Coach Swanson is such a goofball and makes our athletic careers here a memorable experience. I am honored that I have gotten to play for him for the last four years. Our sports information director, Dave Parsons, makes us look good with all the stories about us and all the hard work and long hours he puts in for not only us, but for all the teams as well. We appreciate him more than he will ever know! My athletic career ended on a special note because of the individuals involved. So, thank you to all of those individuals and you fans as well. Go Cougars!