Volleyball

Lexi just finished up
her first season of club volleyball,
and as I was picking the photos
to use in this recap, I was reminded
of how very far she and her team
have come in just a few months' time.

She/we/the team had no idea what to expect
during that very first tournament
back in December.
All of the girls were new to club volleyball.
We'd come from the warm, fuzzy rec
league team that was filled with her friends
and barely ever lost a game.
Suddenly, Lexi was staring across at
girls much taller and bigger than her
and serving to her with more
power than you'd ever expect from a 10 year old.
She didn't yet know what a libero was,
much less how to be one.
She struggled getting her serve over consistently
from that very back line that seemed
SO FAR away from the net.
She had to fight through tears and doubts
when things weren't going her way.

And yet...look at where she finished the season.
Eleven serves in a row
on the final day of tournament play.
Confident, dependable, rotated in when it wasn't her rotation
and the game was on the line,
even throwing in a few spikes for good measure.
And most important, smiling all weekend long.

These tournament days are long days,
there at the crack of dawn,
there until 9 pm,
squeezing in a quick meal when you can,
playing and waiting and ref'ing
and listening to the sound of whistles for hours on end.
And through it all, there she was smiling.
We are so proud of her development and
can't wait to see what next season has in store.