Super Cup and Fete des Vendanges

This past weekend was really special in two ways! The first was Super Cup, which was a tournament for most of the teams in the A league and second was Fete des Vendanges in Neuchatel which was a big wine festival.

It all started on Friday when the team had to work a our NUC booth at the fest. We got there a bit early so we could have a look around. This festival is HUGE! All of the stands were in the center of the town along all the streets. At times there were so many people that it took a good 10 mins just to get through to another street. They had tons of food, (a lot of Indian and Chinese), candy, and of course wine and beer. I don't think I've ever seen so much alcohol in one place! There were also street vendors selling necklaces and scarves. It was really neat because many of the sports teams had there own booth just like our team. I saw water polo, skiing, ultimate frisbee, soccer, and even american football. Another thing that was cool was the amusement rides. We have a festival in my home town called Heritage Fest and I even recognized some of the same rides over here! What a small world!

Look at how huge that is! Those are vegetables for some Indian food.

Yum Candy!!

Here is a booth! I love how the Dj's are over the bar!

It was finally time to work so we headed over to our booth. I liked how they had a volleyball net around the top as well as some jerseys. We were selling wine, beer, hot dogs and other alcohol. Lindsay, Bryn and I all worked the same shift... which probably wasn't the smartest planning but it ended up being fine. You could tell in the beginning that we were all kind of nervous because we all stayed towards the back of the booth so we wouldn't have to take any orders. But we soon built up some courage and took some orders! Once I got into the hang of things it wasn't bad and I actually had a lot of fun! There were a couple of times that I wouldn't understand what they were asking, so I would call someone over but in general the night went by really smoothly. My favorite drink to make was called the cactus. It was a mixed drink but the best part was the dry ice we put on top to make it fizz!

Here is our booth. Sabine, Sara, Barbara and Nadege are working! Notice the volleyball net around the top!

It was packed!!

After we were done working, I headed back home because I knew it was going to be another long weekend. One my way to the bus, it looked like a parade just ended because there was confetti everywhere! At times I couldn't even see the road because there was so much. And of course there was a bunch of kids running around, scooping it up and throwing it at un-expecting people. I wish I could have seen the parade but I'm glad I wasn't covered in confetti.

We had to wake up pretty early to drive to Koniz where the tournament was being held. We had two games on Saturday. Our first match was against Volley Toggenburg. We won lost the first set because we were struggling in serve receive. I think we were just a bit nervous. After getting that out of our system we played a lot better and won the next three. I actually didn't play much of that match because of my knee. This past week my knee was acting up a lot from camp so they had me sit out of practice wednesday and thursday so that some of the swelling could down. Those couple days off really helped. Our next match was against TSV Dudingen. We played pretty well and won in three! I played in this match but it wasn't my best performance. I know I can play a lot better and I'm sure I will. Since we won both of our matches we made it to the semifinals!

On Sunday our semifinal match was against Sm'Aesch-Pfeffingen. This match was pretty crazy because it went to five. I played in the first two sets but I played pretty terrible at all so I sat for the next three. We lost both of those sets but then ended up winning the next three! We were up by a lot in the first set but then at 20-20 they went on a five point run to win that set. The final three sets were pretty intense but we ended up serving aggressively which helped to slow their offense. It was a great team effort and by winning this game we were headed to the finals!

The final match was against Volero Zurich. They won Super Cup last year and also won the Swiss Cup. They have one good Swiss player but most of their players are from Serbia, Croatia or Bosnia. The only rule that the league has is that you have to have at least one Swiss player on the court at all times. Last year NUC got second in Super Cup so we were ready to have a rematch. I played all four sets and I played a TON better than earlier that morning. I was proud that I was able to forget what happened this morning, have a positive attitude and just play! Bryn reminded me to just have fun and that really helped! The first set we started off really flat and we didn't start playing until the end when it was too late. We won the second set! We passed better, played defense better and served tough. There was one long play that I remember where the rightside for Volero hit the ball so hard I couldn't get out of the way fast enough so it hit me in the shoulder and knocked me over! I got the ball high enough that Bryn set Nadege on the outside and we got the kill! The third set they started off strong and we had difficulties passing so we lost that set. The fourth set was a true battle. They were up for most of the set but we fought back to get to 22-22. We hit a ball out and they got a kill to end the match 23-25. Overall we were pretty happy with our performance because we fought hard. We had some ups and downs this weekend but it ended strong! It was nice to finally play other teams and a perfect way to lead into the season.

Camp

What a busy weekend!! The entire weekend was filled with lots and lots of volleyball. Camp is just another word for two-a-days and its the last weekend to get a lot of practice in before the season starts. I'm really excited because this coming weekend we have our first tournament, Super Cup, where we get to play against a bunch of teams in our league.

On Friday we started off by getting a good lift in the weight room. We did a lot of leg, arm and core exercises. I can feel my arms and legs getting bigger from all the lifting we do! It's also a time where I can work on special exercises for my knee. Overall the strength in my knee is pretty good but my inside quad muscle, the Vastus Medialis, is still a bit smaller than the one on my right leg. Our strength coach Ophelia, gave us a Mobilo, which is a little disk that you have to balance on. I use it a lot because its perfect to strengthen that muscle. I've gotten so good that I can balance on one leg with my eyes closed!

Right after practice we headed over to the gym. It was quite a quick turn around but practice went pretty well. Since we are getting closer to the start of season we are working a lot on 6 vs 6 drills, especially first ball side out (its where you have to score right off of the serve). At times our passing can be a little off but I think that will improve throughout the course of the season. I think the best thing is our defense has gotten a lot stronger. The rallies are lasting a long time and its a lot harder to score. It will be interesting to see how our defense holds up against other teams. We had lunch quick as a team and then we were able to go home for a bit. I took a nap but could have honestly slept a lot longer! We had another practice that evening where we worked on the same things. This time we actually got to play where you serve and rotate which was fun! We were all pretty tired from the long day but we had a team activity which was going to see a local men's volleyball team play. I'm always amazed at how different the two games are even though we are still playing the same sport. After the match was over, we stayed for dinner and ate with the two teams. And of course we made our presence known by doing our traditional toasting cheer... Sante!!!! Overall it was a good day! We got home around 12 30 so we went straight to bed.

The morning definitely came too soon but it was time for another practice. This practice was mostly all scrimmaging because we had an inter-squad scrimmage for the public in the afternoon. We were split into our two teams and played two sets but my team lost them both. We had a short break back at home and then it was time to head back to the gym. I think we were all excited to play in front of fans and to show off our team. Before the game started we presented our jerseys to the crowd as well as introduced the players. The majority of the team is the same but there are a couple new people like myself. In the first set my team, the black team, beat the red team 25-8. We attacked them from every position but especially the service line. The next set was a bit different. We won 25-22 and came back from 20-22 to win. Charlotte went on a 5 point serving streak to close the set. In the third set we switched setters. It was close but we lost 22-25. There was quite a few people there and Jo our president told me that everyone is very excited for the season to start. And after the game it was like Christmas because we got all of our gear!!! We got two different warm-ups (jackets and pants), a warm up shirt, knee pads and some socks. I always love getting our warm-ups! We quickly showered and went to another team dinner. We were supposed to go to a local concert but it was raining so after dinner we headed home.

It was finally Sunday and our last practice of camp. We were all pretty tired and I could tell because usually we talk a lot before practice starts but this morning we were all pretty quiet. My knee wasn't feeling the greatest so I just worked on serve receive with the liberos and some other people hit. It was a low key practice but we still got work done. Philippe actually ended practice early which was so nice! It was a very long weekend but I think it got us prepared for Super Cup!! Can't wait to play some other teams!

The weekend wasn't quite over! One of the girls on the team, Laura, has her birthday on Tuesday so Lindsay, Val and I decided to have everyone over to our apartment for a team dinner. A lot of the team hadn't seen our apartment yet but were very impressed with how big and nice it was. We made tons of pasta and it ended up being a great meal. Laura was turning 25 and when you turn 25 over here its a pretty big deal. Whenever someone turns 25 over here they are given a hat that has a lot of funny little items on it. For example, we call our team les vaches or the cows so people put some small cows on her hat! She also wears a bunch of different watches so we had to put one on there as well! Here is what her hat looked like! It was a great way to end the weekend.

Welcome Weekend Day 2

The first day of welcome weekend was a lot of fun and the second was just as good! We were all pretty tired from staying up late dancing but we finally packed up our stuff and left the cabin. Philippe told us from the beginning to pack good walking shoes because we were going to be doing a lot of physical activities on Sunday. Well it turns out he was right because the first thing we did Sunday morning was go on a hike!

They took us on the Jura Peak Trail and brought us to this beautiful gorge called Creux du Van. And of course we passed a bunch of cows on our way over! I had seen parts of the gorge from our bus ride but it was spectacular standing on top looking out over Switzerland. I am blown away every time at how beautiful everything is here! It was a bit scary if you got to the edge because there was no fence so if you accidentally slipped you were in big trouble. I found out that the gorge was created by water erosion from a glacier a long time ago.

The NUC Volleyball team in front of the gorge!

How beautiful is that!!

Having some fun!

This picture actually has a crazy story attached with it. Lindsay, Sandra and I were having a lot of fun taking pictures and we were falling behind the group. Lindsay first took a picture by the sign so then I of course wanted to take one by the sign as well. Well since we couldn't really see the group any more I hustled over to the sign and on the way over I rolled my ankle on a rock... Ouch. I definitely was in a bit of pain but just walked it off for the rest of the day. On Monday it was bruised and swollen a bit. No worries though because I'm still able to play! :)

After our hike we took a break for lunch at a local restaurant. The neat thing was they had cheese fondu! Looks like Sandra and Diiva are enjoying it!

We were even more tired now but Philippe had one more surprise for us. He told us that we were going to Adventure Park to do some high ropes courses!! I was super pumped because those are always really fun. I had no idea what to expect but man I was in for a surprise. We got to the park, were told the rules and then where on our own. They had about six different courses ranging from beginner to advanced. We were told to go on a beginner course first to get adjusted to everything and then we could try some of the harder courses. I thought we were going to have someone always attached to our harness, who is on the ground, like I've done in the past, but here all you have to do is make sure your carabiners are attached to the cable. If you were moving from platform to a part of the course you always had to make sure that at least one was attached. The first course wasn't too difficult but the last couple I definitely worked up a sweat. Some of the courses were long and lasted over half an hour!

The beginning of the courses

I was pumped up and ready to go!

Lindsay and I on a platform!

There were all different types of things that you would do on the ropes courses. Most of them were walking on planks or even on some cable. The more difficult ones had some really interesting things! There was one where you had to swing across on a trapeze bar to reach the other side. Another one had a snow board that was attached to a cable so you could pretend like you were riding through the trees. A lot of them even had zip lines where you had to attach a certain pulley on your harness and you were good to go. My favorite one I did was a pretty difficult course. You first had to do a bunch of small balancing tasks like walking across different size planks. Then you had to climb a ladder which was suspended by cables so it would sway side from side when you climbed. Don't worry- they had a safety line just in case you fell. After that you had to swing across on this giant ball to another platform. This platform was my favorite! You had to climb a real tall pine tree!!!! They didn't have any special footholds or things to grab onto because you were supposed to just use the branches to climb up which was such a neat idea! Once you got to the top of the tree to another platform, a zip line was waiting to take you across a cleared out field. This was the longest zip line they had and I think it was about the size of two football fields. The whole experience was really incredible!

Just some of the courses! Many of them are scattered throughout the trees!

Bryn and her mom tackling the course! Look at the ladder she has to climb down!

Having a bunch of fun!

Look at the concentration!

The zip line!

The hardest course was closed because it was drizzling so I really want to go back and do that some time. It was a great way to end the weekend!

Welcome Weekend Day 1

This past week we put in a lot of hard work but now it was time for welcome weekend! Welcome weekend is a chance for everyone to be together outside of the gym and enjoy each others company. I have heard from the girls that welcome weekend is always a lot of fun so I was really looking forward to it!

We loaded up the vans early Saturday morning and headed to our destination up on the foothills. They had told us to bring sleeping bags because we were staying over night in a cabin. You know its going to be a lot of fun when you put the whole team into one room with a bunch of bunk beds! We finally made it and the place looked really cool! There were a bunch of small cabins, a building that can hold special events, soccer field, swings and of course a great view.We had two big rooms full of beds- one room was for people who wanted to stay up late and one room for people who wanted to go to bed early. The place reminded me of White Pines Ranch which was a camp that I used to go to as a kid!

My teammates and I in the party room of course! It's kind of hard to tell from the picture but there were about 6 or 7 bunk beds along the walls.

The other room with bunk beds!

The tennis courts! It was early in the morning and we were stuck in a cloud so we couldn't see the lake but it cleared up in the afternoon!

This is the building that held receptions and parties. There was actually a wedding reception on Saturday night.

This was our cabin that we stayed in.

I will never get bored of this view!

Rommies!!

Here is a video of the view!!

Once we were settled the first thing we did was take individual and team pictures which I think will be on our website. Here is the NUC Website for anyone who is interested but unfortunately it is all in french! We had a nice lunch as a team and then it was down to business. Philippe told us that the afternoon would be mentally exhausting but then the evening would be more relaxing. He first went over guidelines and rules for the season. Ophelia went over our physical results that we had done a couple weeks prior. She also talked about what to expect for our weight program for the whole year. Something I thought was cool was they asked us to fill out a form for what we needed this season to succeed. Some examples of the questions where like, "what do I need to succeed" and "this will make me angry if...". I think its great that the staff wants to try to figure out what each of us needs and work towards that. The next task which was my favorite of the day was figuring out our individual values. Philippe told us that once we figured out our values for ourselves we would share and come up with some team values. I honestly couldn't believe that we were doing this!!! Something that I really loved about Illinois was that we had core values that we lived by on and off the court. Our culture before we had these values wasn't the greatest but once we put these in place it became a lot better. It definitely wasn't easy and it took a while for things to change but eventually it did and I think it was one of the reasons why we were so successful. The great thing was that Kevin allowed us to pick but our own which made it even more special. It was something that everyone one on our team believed in and because of that we would hold each other accountable. That is probably the thing that I am most proud of accomplishing at Illinois. So if you can't already tell I was super happy that we would be having team values!! It's crazy to think that even though I'm half way around the world, I'm still doing things just like home. We had a long but good discussion and we finally came up with values and goals for the season. I can't wait to see these go into place!

Finally it was dinner again which was perfect timing because we were all a bit mentally tired. After dinner Philippe quickly went over some stats for the season and what goals we should be striving for in terms of hitting percentage and serving. The next thing we did was watch a movie from the beginning of when Philippe started coach in 2007 to last season. It was really cool to see the improvement from each team through the years as well as some American's that I've played against in the past. The night ended with a dance party, letting loose and staying up really late! I think I've already mentioned this but I really feel like I'm already apart of the team which is a great feeling! Overall Saturday was a blast! Sunday's post will be put up soon!!

A Beautiful Day

I forgot to write this in my last post, but I can't believe I've been here for over a month! At first the days seem to drag on forever but now the days go by so fast. Volleyball has definitely kicked up a notch and I think my team is working hard. We had our first week of doing both midday practices and that was tiring. For our first midday practice, we hit the entire hour and a half just working on our connection with the setters. I definitely take naps on those days! Also our team practices have become more intense as well, working on our connection and passing. And I'm sure everyone is curious about my knee. It gets a bit swollen from time to time but when I'm playing, I feel like I'm jumping high! It feels nice to be getting back to my normal self. We have our first tournament in two weekends and we are going to be playing against the top teams. And it will be interesting to see how we match up against the other teams. Unfortunately since volleyball is getting more intense it seems that all I want to do is relax on the couch at my apartment! I think next week, Lindsay and I are going to go to Geneva so we can see it when it's still nice out.

Since we are all getting a little sore, we didn't want to travel anywhere special so we met Bryn, one of the other American's on our team, in Neuchatel. She had recently arrived and it was nice to hang outside of the gym. I'm so glad we decided to meet because it was the most beautiful day out! Usually the sun is always shining and the lake is nice but on this day it was so clear that you could see the Alps across the lake! It's never been that clear out and I was in shock by how amazing it was. Of course we took a lot of pictures! I wish everyone could come visit now because this place is so beautiful. And it's hard to imagine it being cold and covered in snow.

How amazing is this picture??

I'm still blown away this is literally in my backyard.

This next weekend is special because it's Welcome Weekend. Basically its a weekend where the whole team goes off to a cabin somewhere and spends the weekend together to bond. We have a bunch of fun activities planned and I think we might even do a ropes course! I'll be taking my camera to capture the whole event!

Football in Bern

After Saturday, I was pretty tired but another one of my teammates invited me and my roommate Lindsay to go see a soccer game with her family (or football as they say over here) the next day. One of the things that I love about this team was that they are so welcoming and included us new players right from the beginning. We were just a couple weeks in and they were already inviting me to go hang out with them outside of the gym! Especially in a place that is so new, having teammates to go check out the city is super fun.

Our first challenge was that we had to somehow get to Bern, which is half an hour away from Marin. Luckily Sara is super experienced with taking the train so she let us know when we should get on the train in Marin. We ended up meeting her in Bern and we all headed to the soccer stadium together. On the walk over she filled us in on the teams for the upcoming match. BSC Young Boys (yes that is their actual name!) is the team from Bern and are currently second in the league. They are yellow and black just like a bumblebee so everyone was wearing those colors on our train ride into Bern. The opposing team was FC Thun who is first in the league. They were red and white and from a close town up in the mountains. Sara was telling me that was a huge rival game because the towns are so close! She also said that they game was almost sold out, so I knew that was going to be a fun game to watch!

We arrived a bit early to the game but you could tell that one section of fans were the die hard fans because they had flags and were already practicing their cheers! This was my first professional soccer game that I had been to so I was curious how the fans would be as. Sara is from around Bern and has been a Young Boy's fan for a long time so naturally that's who we rooted for and wanted to win!

This is the stadium from the outside. Just like where I practice, they have mall and grocery store in the bottom of the stadium.

The section of the die hard fans before the game started!

The game began and it was cool to watch the game but it was also cool to see how the fans reacted to every little detail! They would get mad if someone on their team made a silly mistake or if an opposing player should have gotten a penalty card. I think I almost had more fun watching the reaction of the fans than the actual game. I think the group of fans that I liked watching the most were the super fans! They constantly were shouting out cheers and there was one man who would start all the cheers! He actually wasn't even watching the game because he had his back to the field. It reminded me a lot of our "spike squad" section back at Illinois that had a cheer for every player and would get mad at the refs for missing a call.

The guy who was instructing the different cheers and songs to the huge group of fans!

Can you find where the guy is in this picture??

Lindsay, Myself and Sara enjoying the game

Definitely got a lot more crowded once the game began!

Here is a short video of the match!

At first the game was tied 0-0 but then one of the young boy player's got a yellow card inside of the goalie box (not super sure if this is the right way to say it because I've never played soccer competitively before) so Thun got to have a penalty kick and unfortunately they scored. We were down 0-1 for almost the entire game until the end. A player scored against our goalie and then went right up to the fan section and starting making hand gestures like bring it on. That got the young boys fans super upset and angry! Some fans jumped over the side of the railing to get to closer to the field and where shaking the barricades blocking them from actually entering. And people higher up threw plastic cups and plates right on the field! I've never seen so many people upset but it was actually very entertaining to watch. The game ended shortly after with Young Boys losing 0-2. And although they lost, it was still a lot of fun! Hopefully we will be able to go to another game this season.