Ohio was a huge learning experience for our team. While the team didn't win a medal, it did experience a golden learning opportunity that will serve it the rest of the season.
The Golden Rule: If you work and communicate as a unit then the task of overcoming your opponents becomes that much easier.
The tournament started off with a rather easy win and perhaps a false sense of confidence to meet the challenges that lay ahead. In their second match, they had to dig in and play tough against a team that could handle their serves and set up an effective offense. In the final match on Saturday, the girls met a team from Detroit that put on a show of real teamwork - they moved well together, and they were loudly talking to one another as they played to win the match.
On Sunday morning Coach Terri led a team meeting to address the team's on-court communication. It turned out that most players felt they needed the "C" to give them permission to speak up on the court. This gave the coaches an idea. Before their first match, each athlete put a C on their hand. Each had the power to speak up on the court, support one another and take charge. The "C" meant much more than captain. It meant COMMUNICATION - calling for balls in advance. It meant CONCENTRATION - watching the opposition build their offense, calling out the attack and knowing where the defense needed to be. It meant COMMITMENT - sticking to the game plan, and committing to their job on offense, defense and in transition.
Before the first match, the girls made a pact to gather in the middle after every point in the rally score so that they could celebrate together; or take a breath; or take the time to remind each other what they needed to adjust in order to be successful on the next point. They committed to be unified and to support each other. They were a stronger team and they played three exciting matches on Sunday to earn a trip to the Silver tier.
In the semi-final match on Monday the team stepped onto the court to play another Detroit team. Our team had fire in their eyes. They didn't let mistakes get them down,playing each point one at a time. All players on the court moved well together and were shouting out cues to one another. They supported one another and played together. They gave their best effort of the weekend in the first set and were rewarded with a win (25-22). In the second set, they lost some of their fire and the match went to a 3rd set.The team re-grouped but still found itself down 5-10 and then, with some outstanding serving, the team inched one point at a time and tied it up 13-13. They ended up losing the set 13-15 but it was an outstanding match.
While the team didn't come away with a medal, they left with a whole lot more. Good luck team in taking your lessons from Ohio to the rest of your OVA season!
