Cedarville University Yellow Jackets

November 26, 2013

Last blog post of the season…I’m not even sure where to begin! This weekend was the G-MAC tournament and in case you didn’t hear it from Twitter or Facebook, we won! Woooo! We played Davis & Elkins on Thursday, Alderson Broaddus on Friday, and Kentucky Wesleyan on Saturday for the championship. I’m going to remember that one for a long time. We went into Saturday’s match with a vengeance and we did not let up for three straight sets. An ace from Amanda Bell for the 25^th point of the third set effectively ended our season in the best possible way. How many teams get to finish their season on a win?

I must admit I got a little teary (or a lot teary) at the end of the match, but only because playing volleyball at Cedarville has been one of God’s biggest blessings in my life and I am sad to see it end.

Saturday morning before the championship match, I took some time to reflect on the impact that the sport of volleyball has had on my life. I was writing about all the great memories starting in junior high and into high school. I would like to share with you all what I wrote about transitioning from playing on my high school team to the Cedarville team…

"Little did I know at the end of my high school career, a new beginning was waiting for me where volleyball could be used to love people and where my teammates would become my sisters. We’ve been through so much together - ups and downs, excitement and sadness, great and awful days. Each one of these girls is stuck in my heart forever. Coach Walters has asked us to think about what we’re thankful for to share in our meeting on Monday and I can’t think of anything I’m more thankful for than family, my volleyball family included. The ones who are older, who watched me grow up and the ones who are younger who I have had the pleasure of watching grow and mature. I don’t think I can put into words what being a part of the Cedarville team has meant to me but I do know that I have been incredibly blessed and I will look back on these four years, remembering the laughs and the tears, the wins and losses, the millions of hugs that brightened my day, and be thankful."

So cheers to endings that make you sad because it means you had something special! And also to new beginnings because you never know what’s waiting just around the corner!

I want to thank all of you who have kept up with our team this season by reading the blog or following us on Twitter or coming to our matches. We hope that you can see our love for the sport of volleyball, for each other, and for our Savior Jesus Christ because in the end, that’s what it’s all about.

For Him!


November 19, 2013

Sometimes I don’t like writing the blog because it forces me to reflect on our shortcomings as well as our successes. This past weekend was full of ups and downs, definitely an emotional roller coaster, starting with Senior Night on Friday. I just want to say a massive thank you to everyone who has made this season and these past four years so special. I know I say this a lot but I seriously love my teammates, every last one of them. They are like family to me and I know that these friendships aren’t going to stop when we play our last point together. Ok, enough of the sappy stuff. Friday night we played Trevecca Nazarene and won in four! It was a close one, the scores were: 25-16, 26-28, 26-24, 25-22.

Saturday afternoon we played Kentucky Wesleyan. We knew it was going to be a battle because we had played them earlier in the season and lost in five at their place. But we were hoping that having the home court advantage would give us the edge. We started strong and won the first set 25-21, then lost the second 21-25, won the third 25-19, lost the fourth 21-25, and went to a fifth set. Again, we started very well. We were getting great swings and things were going smoothly until we were ahead 9-5. I can’t really say what happened exactly after that, but I think it just goes to show how important momentum is in volleyball, because Kentucky Wesleyan won the set 15-10 to win the match. I was pretty upset after the game, as were many of my teammates, but I think Coach Walters summed up our feelings quite well in his Facebook status the next day, "Disappointed in the outcome? Yes. Will this one haunt me for some time? Yes. Am I disappointed in my players? No. This team has showed up on the court this season in practices and matches with a great competitive drive on a daily basis! Most importantly though, they have represented Jesus Christ and Cedarville University with the utmost amount of character and integrity. That unfortunately, is becoming less and less common in the realm of athletics! May we never conform to the pressures of this world, but always strive to honor Christ in all that we do!" Thanks for those encouraging words, Coach!

Monday night in Bible study we talked about seeing the positive in negative situations and I can’t help but relate that to our current situation. Would we prefer to play the G-MAC Tournament at home? Of course. But our season is not over, our job is not done. We will be traveling to Kentucky on Wednesday to play for the conference championship and I know that I speak for my team when I say, we are ready. We are ready to give our all, to leave every bit of energy, heart, and passion out on the court because we love this sport, we love each other, and we love Jesus.

Thanks for following Cedarville volleyball throughout this season! Your support means the world to us!


November 11, 2013

Happy Monday everyone! Let another week of craziness and far too much coffee begin. As the volleyball team blogger, I always start my week by reminiscing over the last week, deciding what to highlight and how to show you what it’s like to be on the volleyball team. The sad thing is, most of the time I have to look over the volleyball page on the Cedarville website to remember what happened last week. I’m getting old. You can find our page here by the way:

Lady Jacket Volleyball

So here goes...another weekly update from yours truly.

Monday: Practice, scouting report, weights, but no dinner from Ang :( looking forward to enjoying her delicious cooking once again tonight!

Tuesday: Match against IU East. This team has become a rivalry of ours over the past few years and playing them is always competitive and fun. This year we won in three sets, despite the fact that we started that match slower than molasses. But we warmed up a bit, especially after a little "talking to" from coach during the 10-minute break, and we cleaned up our act in the third set.

Wednesday: Practice was so fun today. I mean, it’s fun every day but especially today because we played rapid fire and a drill called "brown bag" where you play six on six rapid fire style (no serving, just tossing the ball to whichever team won the previous point) but you don’t know what score you’re playing to. So one person will pick a number out of the brown bag without looking and the two teams will compete until one team reaches the certain number of points. It’s probably my favorite drill.

Thursday: On Thursdays we have practice later than normal, from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Today we did our day-before-a-game practice, which consists of triples, serve and pass, and scrimmaging.

Friday: No practice! Wooooo! (Don’t get me wrong, I love volleyball but sometimes it is nice to have a break)

Saturday: Match against Central State. I am really thankful for the chance to play them twice every year because of the relationships we are able to form with the girls on their team. After the match, we prayed with them and then we received notes as well as gave them. It was so sweet. We really hope to be able to keep those friendships going, especially since we’re practically neighbors!

This week is the last of our regular season. Friday night we play Trevecca Nazarene at 7 o’clock and Saturday we play Kentucky Wesleyan at 1 o’clock. These are very important matches and if we win both, we will host the G-MAC Tournament, which would be fantastic. So we need all the cheering fans we can get! Hope to see you all there!


November 4, 2013

Happy Halloween everyone! I hope you dressed up and ate way too much candy. Now we can move on to another food-filled holiday, Thanksgiving of course, and my personal favorite, CHRISTMAS (51 days, just sayin’). I know this is a controversial and touchy subject, but I am under the conviction that Christmas music is appropriate anytime after Halloween. However, my roommate does make me listen on headphones until after Thanksgiving...scrooge.

But before Thanksgiving and before Christmas, we’ve still got a few things to do, like play some more volleyball! Last week we played Alderson Broaddus on Friday and Davis & Elkins on Saturday. We beat Alderson in five sets. I have mixed feelings about five set matches. On the one hand, I love them because they’re intense and it really feels like a battle and winning that battle is just the best feeling ever. But on the other hand, sometimes it’s nice to get the job done in three sets.

Side note: the win over Alderson Broaddus was especially satisfying because they were giving out free t-shirts to their students that said "Swat the Jackets" and had a picture of a fly swatter...clever.

Fun facts of the weekend….

1. Maddie broke the all-time record for number of aces! Woooo! What a stud!

2. This weekend was the last road trip of the season (my last road trip ever...sad) and I am really going to miss the Buckeye bus...watching movies, road trip naps, and raiding the snack box. Some of my favorite volleyball memories don’t include playing volleyball at all but just goofing off with my 12 best friends.

Anyways, this week we have two more matches. We will be facing Indiana East on Tuesday at 7 p.m. and Central State on Saturday at 10 a.m. These are two of the last four matches of the season before tournament time. Hope to see you all there!

Tweet of the week…..

"@cedarvillevball: Let's hear it again for @maddieanderson breaking the career ace record! #queenofaces @CUJackets"


October 28, 2013

Hi friends! I hope your week was sunny and fun. Another week has passed and it’s almost November already! Can you believe it? Time seems to be flying by at warp speed these days and I’m learning not to take anything for granted because things never last as long as I think they will.

Last week we had two matches, both conference, both at home. Friday night we played Ursuline and Saturday we played Ohio Valley. Friday night’s match was not our best performance but at the end of the day a win is a win, no matter how ugly at times. Saturday was the day for family! I think we had an entire cheering section of just family members; it was great! And we won too, so all in all, it was a fun-filled day.

Tuesday night we have another huge match against a high level DII team, University of Southern Indiana. We need everyone’s help to get 1,000 fans there so you can all enjoy some free Chick-fil-A! This match is expected to be close and action-packed, much like the one against UIndy. Hope to see you there!

Tweet of the week….

"@cedarvillevball: With this weekend's #G_MAC results, the Lady Jackets are back in sole possession of 1st place in the conference! @CUJackets @greatmidwestac"

To finish this blog post, here is our team verse. May we train hard every day and give God the praise!

I Corinthians 9:24-25

"Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever."


October 21, 2013

It’s Monday again and it’s time to reminisce over the last week of volleyball. I don’t mind though, because October 15^th is now and forever locked into my memory as one of my all-time favorite volleyball moments. That’s a very dramatic (but true) way of saying that White Out night was a huge success. While we didn’t quite make it to 1,000 fans (sorry people, guess you gotta buy your own Chick-fil-A sandwiches), we did have a large and enthusiastic crowd, so I want to say to everyone who made an appearance in your white t-shirt: THANKS!

We had such a blast playing at home. The combination of a very talented opponent, a rowdy crowd, and fired-up players is something special. At long last, we accomplished a goal that has been in the works since even before I came to play at Cedarville: beating a top-ranked NCAA DII team. As a senior, it is amazing to see how far this team has come and the direction it is headed. And the reason I love this team with all of my heart is the motivation for this upward movement: to glorify God and to tell others about Christ. Playing volleyball is a joy, not only because it’s competitive and fun, but also because I have seen God work in and through my team over these four years and that is precious. Ok, I’m getting senior sentimentality so I better stop before the tears!

Last week, we also played Wittenberg and Central State, both wins, which brings our record above .500. Yay! We’re looking forward to a full week of practice before home matches against Ursuline and Ohio Valley on Friday night and Saturday afternoon.

I hope your week is productive, peaceful, and fun!

Tweet of the week goes to my girl @Lo_Pearl: I AM SO PROUD OF @cedarvillevball getting such a HUGE win!!!! I loved everything about the match! #congrats #iloveyougirls #proudmama


October 15, 2013

Happy Tuesday everyone! Today is an extra special day because if all goes as planned 1,000 volleyball fans will be walking away with free Chick-fil-A! And hopefully they will all become super fans just like you!

Tonight’s match is a "White Out" so if you’re reading this in the game program and you’re not wearing white, go home and change real fast! We will be facing the University of Indianapolis, a top NCAA Division II team in our area. It’s going to be a battle and we want to put a good show out there on the floor!

We used Monday’s practice to work on correcting our one big mistake from the weekend: unforced errors. Sometimes we start practice with "Team Talk with Coach Walters." This time he read us the live stats so we could understand just how many errors we made (nine errors in a fifth set…ick). Kentucky Wesleyan, while they did play well, didn’t really need to do much to win the match because we scored about half of their points for them! To work on this, coach implemented a new policy: make an unforced error in practice, run. A little extra incentive to play better and more accurate volleyball.

So the new plan is to score our own points instead of scoring points for the other team! But seriously, we are super pumped for a competitive match against Indy tonight and we hope you are all coming ready to cheer your heart out!


October 7, 2013

"Scatterbrain" is probably the best way to describe me today. Head in the clouds, all over the place; it’s just one of those days. So I apologize if this blog seems a tad jumpy. But you didn’t come here to read about my mental state; you came to read about the happenings on the volleyball team!

Friday we FINALLY got to play again after 10 days without a match. This past weekend was the G-MAC Crossover tournament so all of our matches were within the conference. We played Ursuline and Ohio Valley on Friday, then Alderson Broaddus and Davis & Elkins on Saturday. Four matches, 12 sets, 4 and 0 weekend, which led to...4 and 0 fro-yo! Woooo!

Some highlights of the weekend include: sweeping Alderson Broaddus in three sets (that "W" has been a long time coming after the Alderson Broaddus debacle last year), eating a delicious lunch and hanging out at Coach’s house on Saturday, and the sweet block by none other than Kristin Cardwell to win the first set 29-27 against Davis & Elkins.

All in all, a great weekend and we are looking forward to another big week of playing Ohio Dominican, Trevecca Nazarene, and Kentucky Wesleyan! Stay updated by following us on twitter @cedarvillevball!

Last but not least, the tweet of the week goes to "@Sklarkin_13: @cedarvillevball only needed 6 sets today. Now that’s efficiency at its finest." Thanks Sean!

Have a lovely week friends!


September 30, 2013

The last week of September was unique for three reasons…

1. FIRST HOME MATCH….FINALLY. The excitement level of the team was through the roof last Tuesday as we prepared for our home opener against Urbana. I love the pre-game feeling of energy, excitement, and anticipation - it’s like being nervous but in a good way. Anyways, like I said we played Urbana and it was a blast! Thanks to everyone who came out...no joke, there were people pouring in during warm-ups! I don’t think that’s ever happened before! It was the biggest crowd in Division II volleyball so far this year! Thanks guys, hope you had fun (and come back for white-out night on October 15th)!

2. Thursday’s practice was "Fun-Day-Friday on a Thursday." What makes a Fun-Day-Friday practice fun? Well, for starters we get to play dodge ball! And the rest of practice is full of fun competitive games that are really intended to work on some aspect of our game (out of system play). But this Fun-Day-Friday on a Thursday got off to a rough start when my two very competitive teammates decided to run head first for the same ball in dodge ball. Thankfully, no one was concussed but the poor things both wound up with goose eggs on their foreheads. After this slight setback, Fun-Day-Friday on a Thursday was a great success.

3. We had a three-day weekend!!! Once every season, we get Friday and Saturday off from practice and it is glorious. I think everyone was feeling pretty run down from playing such a tough schedule. But after a full weekend of rest, relaxation, family, and friends I feel like we are ready to hit the ground running (which we did in practice today...literally) and take on these upcoming conference matches!

Tweet of the week…..

"@cedarvillevball: Last night's attendance of 885 is the largest single match attendance reported to date this season in @NCAADII volleyball! @AVCAVolleyball"

Happy first of October (especially to my parents who have their 25th wedding anniversary on this day ...eeek!)

Celebrate the season by eating/drinking something pumpkin spice and don’t forget to wash your white shirts ‘cause white-out night is coming soon and it’s gonna be FUN!


September 24, 2013

As a senior, I am often asked what I will be doing with my life after graduating. Most of the time I just look a bit pathetic and say that I have absolutely no idea. But after this weekend, I have decided that what I really want to do all the time is play volleyball with my favorite girls and go to the beach!

Thursday morning, bright and early (5 a.m...yuck), we packed our bags and boarded a plane that took us to sunny Florida. Stepping outside we were greeted with typical hot and humid Florida weather, but I could hardly contain my excitement when I first saw the palm trees. After leaving the airport, we took a team shopping trip in Tampa, which was so fun! In the afternoon we prepared for our matches by practicing in Saint Leo’s gym and then it was off to dinner and the hotel for a good night’s rest before another tough weekend.

Friday we played Columbus State and Eckerd College. The first match was good fun. Let me tell you, it felt really good to win a match, instead of just winning a set or two! The second match, we kind of fell apart. It was a volleyball moment that I would just as soon forget ever happened. But win or lose, I was still in Florida with my best friends.

Saturday was a bizarre day because we played at 9 in the morning and 8 at night. It almost felt like playing on two different days because we had so much down time (read: tanning time) in between the matches. We played very well, I felt, in both matches against two national-level teams and even though we didn’t win, we put a great effort out on the court and we had fun together.

Sunday (my favorite day of the week!) we had the unique opportunity to visit the church of Pastor Ken Whitten at Idlewild Baptist. I’ve never been to such a big and beautiful church as this one. God must be doing something pretty cool with all the resources and blessings He’s given to this body of believers. We were welcomed warmly in the service by Pastor Ken and in the college age sunday school class afterwards. I always enjoy visiting churches in other areas because it’s such a great reminder that God’s presence and God’s people are all over!

After church, we went to the beach!!! I love, love, love the beach and it was a blast to go with my team. When we all get together, some kind of shenanigan is bound to happen and swimming in the ocean was no different. Let’s just say, after this beach day, we have some stories that will continue to be told for a long time (cough cough freshman).

We were all sad to leave the sun and sand of Florida for the cornfields of Ohio at the end of the day. Except for a bit of scolding by an elderly lady who thought we were having a tad too much fun for a plane ride, the flight home was pretty uneventful. My favorite part of the traveling happened when one of my teammates turned to me and said, "I don’t know how anyone could ever look out an airplane window and not think of how good God is." What a sweetheart!

Tonight we finally get to play at home! Woooo! We will be playing Urbana at 7:00 so if you can make it, we would love to see you in the stands! The first 500 people to show up will receive a free t-shirt!

I realized that I forgot to include a tweet of the week last week so this week get’s two! Here they are:

@AGBell2354: Florida here we come!! #minivacation #volleyballfam

and…

@cedarvillevball: HOME OPENER TUESDAY!!!! Retweet this if you are going! #freeshirt #BeThere #CUJackets


September 17, 2013

Γεια σας!

That’s the Greek version of hi y’all! Welcome back! Hope you had a fun week and you’re reading this from a comfy armchair with a fluffy blanket cause that’s where I’d rather be right now...instead I’m sitting under the icky fluorescent lights of the library.

So another weekend on the road is under our belts, another weekend of super tough competition and close matches. We left for Ashland on Thursday evening and arrived back on Saturday with our spirits considerably lower. We played Wheeling Jesuit, Tusculum, Lock Haven, and Ashland. Unfortunately, if you look next to all these teams on our schedule/results page, you’ll see an "L." And let me tell you, it’s not easy to go an entire weekend with only L’s. As Coach Walters told us, "losses tend to breed negativity."

But after a day off on Sunday to process and a productive team talk before and after today’s (Monday) practice, I think it’s safe to say that the Cedarville volleyball team is nothing if not resilient. The mood on the team is positive and ready to compete. We have been reminded of our goals as team, which are: first and foremost to bring glory and honor to our Savior, Jesus, and second to compete with excellence.

Tuesday we are playing Malone (a big rival for us the past few years...bring it on!) and on Thursday we will be up before the sun to catch our plane to Florida for yet another opportunity to play great teams and have fun playing the sport that we love!

Thanks for keeping up on our news! Your support means a lot! :)


September 9, 2013

Welcome back friends! I hope you all had a lovely week. We definitely did, you know why? We got to play a real, live volleyball match!!!! Not just one, actually, but four. Here’s a list of our opponents and how I would summarize each match in one word:
Washburn- jitters
Indiana University of Pennsylvania- rollercoaster
Saginaw Valley- clicking
Ferris State- rushed

(Can you guess which matches we won??) For more weekend info look here:

http://yellowjackets.cedarville.edu/index.aspx?tab=womensvolleyball&path=wvball

Another fun part of being on a sports team: TEAM ROAD TRIPS! I’ve always loved road trips…books, movies, naps, snacks, what’s not to love?? Kelsey Christiansen (senior, outside hitter, my bffl) says, "My favorite part of bus rides is late at night when we’re sleep deprived and get very giggly. It makes for some silly late night memories, great times with my best friends, and fabulous questioning looks from coach."

Speaking of Coach Walters, he claims that his favorite part of the bus ride is "when it’s over." But we really know his favorite thing is watching chick flicks with us…

Besides the bus trip, my next favorite part of the weekend was talking with players from the other teams after the match. We always write a note to one or two players from the opposing team to tell them that we’ve been praying for them. Occasionally, you’ll get someone who just isn’t digging it but mostly they really appreciate being thought of and prayed for. It’s sweet to be a part of something that makes people feel valued!

I thought it would be fun to pick a tweet of the week starting this week. So the tweet of the week goes to….(drum roll)…CU Volleyball Alumni Erica (Bartholomew) Nesbitt! Miss you E!

@snark_e: "Way to go so far this weekend @cedarvillevball!! Kick some Ferris State butt tonight! Cheering for ya from Iowa! #4Him #Jaaaaackeeeets!"

Have a sunny week! I’m headed off to Hillsdale scouting report, practice, weight lifting, Bible study, and Ang’s (Coach’s wife, we LOVE her!) delish home cooked dinner…It’s a good day to be a volleyball player!


September 4, 2013

Hey CU Volleyball super fan! I assume that if you’re reading this you’re either a super fan or you’re related to me. Whatever the case, if you stumbled upon the volleyball blog or you purposely sought us out, we’re glad you’re here! If you’ve been a fan for a little while now, you might remember that I wrote the blog two years ago…I would like to make this year a little different. In years past, people have mostly recapped the matches that took place during the week, which is great, but also repetitive because the Sports Information Department already does an awesome job of covering our matches.

So instead, I would like to make this more fun, more conversational, really give you the inside scoop on the crazy group of dweebs that I call teammates and best friends. If you want to know something about us or have questions/comments, then tweet at me! My twitter name is @steph_rogers9 and the official volleyball twitter name is @cedarvillevball. We also have a Cedarville Volleyball Facebook page, which you can find here:

https://www.facebook.com/cedarvillevolleyball?fref=ts