Before I get into introducing another new teammate, I thought I would say a few words about our week of competition.  We played Ohio Dominican last Tuesday on the side court because the wonderful roof was leaking on half the main court. We won pretty easily against ODU.  This weekend, we traveled to Georgetown, Kentucky for a three-game tournament.  We battled a solid Trevecca Nazarene team and won in five. Our next challenge was #6 Georgetown.  They ran a very quick game and were very talented as we lost in three.  Rounding out the tourney, we played Calumet-St. Joseph, which was a pretty easy win.  It was good to see all of our players getting out there and competing.  As always, it was so good to see you fans there on Tuesday.  We appreciate every one of you supporting us as we play the game we love, especially when each of you have to pack into three or four rows on a side court. :-)

And now, introducing #2, freshman Lauren Percival!  Lauren came into our program as a setter, but Coach Swanson has also challenged her as a defensive player as well.  On the court, Lauren is very quick and strives to be at every ball whether it is to pass or to set.  There are times in a game or in practice where I think to myself how in the world did she play that ball.  It amazes me how dedicated she is to make every point a win for us.  Lauren is a fellow lefty (chalk one up to the lefties) and, as a setter, she is very unpredictable.  She is seen as an attacker just as much as a setter.  Equipped with her heart and drive, Lauren will do great things in the next three years as well as the rest of this season.

When we first met little Lauren on her campus visit, she was very quiet and timid.  However, it was only a matter of time before we saw her true spirit.  Lauren came to us from Amherst Steele High School in Elyria, Ohio.  Lauren was an immediate hit with our team with her witty remarks and personality.  We are a team of uniqueness and she adds to that characteristic with great ease.  Her older sister, Katey, was also a setter at the Naz and it is funny to listen to Lauren’s old stories of Katey pounding balls at her in the backyard when she was little.  Lauren is a Biology major, which makes her super busy adding volleyball to the picture.  I could not have asked for anyone better to complete our team.  Personally, I believe she will accomplish great things in her life and I am truly blessed to spend my last year here with her.