Hey everyone! I hope that you are reading this in a comfortable position because this is going to be a long one. We have had a couple busy weeks so I have seven matches to catch you up on and I will not waste any more time and just dive into the highlights.

We played Indiana Wesleyan at home and they have always been a great team to play. They have a big front row and they really can hit the ball. We knew we were in for a great match, and we came out with a lot of intensity. It was not enough, though, because we lost in four. We played decent, but there were little mistakes that we made that will definitely be fixed by the next time we face them.

The next day we played Marian and we did not know what to expect from them. We ended up losing in three, and as much as I hate to say it, they played a great match. They were not letting any of our balls hit the floor. They were playing lights out defense and they truly just outplayed us. We all know that the same outcome will not happen the next time around, so you can bet that we will be ready.

The following week we played Goshen at home and it was a fun game to be a part of. We started off slow losing in a close first set, but then we took control of the second and third sets killing them. We were playing so well together and it was awesome to see us have that cohesiveness that I have been longing to see. In the fourth set, we got into a huge deficit, but then came back with a five-point run to take the lead and take the match winning 28-26. It was a nail-biter, and definitely a fun game to be at because the energy in the gym was great. Thank you to everyone who came to support us. Having you guys all there to cheer us on definitely helps.

That weekend we then traveled to Indiana once again, but this time we were playing No. 13 ranked in the NAIA Taylor University. Going into this match could be intimidating, but we figured we have nothing to lose because we were the obvious underdogs. We hung in there with them the entire match just barely losing to them in the first two sets. In the third, we barely lost again with a score of 25-23. We played well because we did not let them get the best of us and destroy our confidence. Just because they were known to be a great team did not affect our play. We just need to keep working hard and realize that we are more than capable of beating teams like that, and instead of just staying along with them, we need to learn to get over that hump and actually learn to take the lead.

The next day we traveled to Huntington. Coming from that loss to Taylor and yet actually playing well kind of sparked a fire for us. We came out right away with intensity and we never let up the entire match. We dominated in three sets winning the match. Our block and defense played so well, and we were not content even when we had a big lead. We finished to point 25 each set which was great to see our team do. Tom West, the MVNU alumni director, was able to come and make it down to the match and invited MVNU alumni to come watch. After the game, he took us all out for pizza and we were able to meet some of the old alumni, which made for a good way to end the weekend. Thank you, Tom West!

Now to this past week. Kenyon made the long trip (5 minutes) to our place where we yet again dominated in three sets. Kenyon had a lot of great hitters that were killing the ball, but we never let that get us down. We had a slow start, but we picked it up and started to play awesome defense and our offense was just flowing so easily. We were having fun on top of that which just adds to how well we were coming together to play as a team. Getting that win with the home crowd made for a great atmosphere as well.

Finally, we are now at our last game, which was at Otterbein just the other day. Going into maybe not even the seventh point of the first set, there was an accident in setting the block which made our middle hitter, Kendra Votaw, tweak her knee and fall to the ground. We were of course all nervous about her condition, and she unfortunately had to sit out the rest of the match. Having to sub Hannah Rehm, freshman setter, as our new middle was definitely something we had to learn to adjust to fast. Not making excuses, though, we kept on with the match. The block Otterbein had was sometimes too much for us because it was hard for us to get a lot of kills. They just played an awesome match, and losing the first two sets, we were bound and determined that we had to win the third to stay alive. We started off in a deficit, but then we all of the sudden started to play great volleyball having a seven-point run to come back. Eventually, though, the comeback came a little too late and they ended up taking the match. I do not know why we struggled so much in the first two sets, but I think that it all starts in practice so we really need to keep going hard because I think eventually we will get there. I know that I can speak for the team when I say that we are not content with our record right now, and we are not content on losing to these great teams. Yes, they are awesome teams, but I think we can be even better. We have shown little spurts of it throughout the season, but now we have to get to the point where we become consistent with that level of play.

Now that you are all caught up, I will introduce the final freshman on the team. She is from Smithville, Ohio and she is a setter who wears number 17. Her name is Hannah Rehm and if I had to describe her role on our team it would be the team mom. She has extra of everything! No matter if it is a pair of socks or an extra pair of kneepads, she has them ready just in case someone forgets theirs. Hannah is a sweetheart. She always makes herself available to talk if you need her, and she is one of the genuinely nicest girls I have ever met. She really cares about the team and us in general. She asks us how she can pray for us and if we have any problems without ever asking for anything in return. As a volleyball player, Hannah has such a great attitude. She is always working hard and wanting to get better, which I love! She wants to stay after practice to get more reps in, and she is just always trying to better herself. As I mentioned earlier, she had to step in and play our middle during our last match. The crazy thing is that first she was recruited as a setter, then once the season started she became our outside hitter, and now we needed her to be our middle hitter. She has been a great sport about it all, and no matter where we need her, she is always ready to go and giving it her all. I really admire her work ethic and determination because that is exactly the kind of attitude we need on our team. If she keeps at it, I know that she will just keep improving every single day and will be a phenomenal player. I love you, Hannah!!!

We actually get this weekend off, so none of us know what we are going to do with our lives now that we don't have volleyball. We all will just have to relax and mentally prepare for the upcoming week. We are going to have a great week of practices along with some great matches. We play Malone at their place on Tuesday, and then have two huge home games next weekend. We are starting over in our matches for our conference, so we will play Spring Arbor on Friday and St. Francis on Saturday. This time around we will be a whole different team, and we will be coming after these great teams. We are done being passive and ready to win more of these conference matches. We really need all of your support, so make sure to come out this next weekend to cheer us on! Thanks and until I see you in those bleachers, stay classy, MVNU!