Notes From Nichole - 9-7-09

Arriving in Phoenix, Arizona to be accompanied by mountains, rocks and cactuses was quite a change of scenery for a team from Charleston, South Carolina. Stepping off the plane was like walking into an oven. It was over 105 degrees with no humidity and a blazing sun. Many members of the team have never been out West; but for Sam and Trish, this was home. We have been planning and raising money for this ASU trip for a while. Not only to allow the southwestern girls to have their families watch them play, but also for the great experience that accompanies the journey out there.

Considering our school is on the other side of the country, we rolled up to ASU’s Wells Fargo Arena with a pretty solid fan base. Many players had family in the area or had flown in for the tournament. It was great to spend time at the Rodl’s house with all the players, coaches and family. Meeting all of Sam’s family was amazing. Sam and I were roommates our freshman year and I’ve gotten to watch her little sisters grow up via pictures. So it was great to finally meet them in person and also get to see Sam reunited with her family.

Shortly after our volleyball games were done, our initial concern was how we were going to watch the CSU v. Florida football game. It was a significant day in our school’s history and even though we were in Arizona, we still wanted to be a part of it. We frantically ran through a mall trying to find a restaurant or store that would play the game for us. Finally, we found a small electronic stand in the middle of the mall hallway that had our game on. And there we stood, in full CSU apparel cheering for our boys in the middle of a random mall in Phoenix, Arizona. It was an awesome memory for the school, the football team and our team as well.

The Arizona trip was an incredible experience. Although the results did not necessary reflect what we wanted, we learned a lot and can only grow as a team from the whole experience. Today we play the Citadel, which is a cross town rival that brews up some good animosity. It’s our favorite non-conference game and we’re all excited and ready to play. The game is at the Citadel at 7, and hopefully we will see ya’ll there! Go BUCS!

Philippians 4:13 “I can do everything through him who gives me strength.”