At the Net Blog with Cindy Zhou
9/12/2014 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
• Wolverines to Play a Pair of Big Ten/Pac-12 Matches in Northwest
Each week, we will give fans an inside look at the Michigan volleyball program with the At the Net blogs. This week, redshirt freshman Cindy Zhou talks about the week's schedule, Festifall in the Diag, and the longest birthday ever!
After our home opening weekend, the team enjoyed a Sunday off, but a day off of volleyball pretty much means a day to furiously finish homework. Monday's individual practices and lift were followed by the senior student athlete meeting, the last in a series of welcome home events for every class. It featured a four-course meal and lessons on proper dining etiquette to prepare seniors for the future. You never know how important knowing which fork to use can be.
Festifall in the Diag gives a whole new meaning to the word "crowded." Clubs and organizations on campus set up booths all throughout the Diag on central campus to attract new members and generate interest in their groups. Our very own fan section, The Zone, had a table where students could sign up to receive emails and reminders about upcoming home games.
Later that night SAAC, the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, held its bi-weekly meeting. They are responsible for planning events like athlete homecoming and Mock Rock. Our SAAC reps Lexi and Kelly, along with reps from all the other teams at Michigan convene to arrange community service and outreach opportunities.
On Wednesday, we had our second meeting with Greg Dale to see how our team had progressed since preseason and how we could improve our game both physically and mentally moving forward. We did small group discussions about what each of us wanted our legacy to be as a player and how future generations of Michigan Volleyball would remember us as. As a team, we did another string activity, but instead of revealing the psychic power of our minds, this activity provided a physical representation of how our team is connected. We all stood in a circle, both players and coaches included, and tossed a ball of string across the circle to each other as we each stated one thing the rest of the team could count on us for. By the end, each of us were able to lean back so that we were off balance but would not fall because we were all holding each other up by simultaneously pulling on the string. However, even when only a few strings were cut, many people fell backward, demonstrating how everyone on the team needed to work together.
An early 5 a.m. start to Thursday travel meant three things:
- Coffee was a must and our team's best friend
- Everyone must pray for an exit row because big girls and no leg room are not a good combination
- Carly, who turned 21 that day, had three extra birthday hours because of the time difference making it her longest birthday ever!
We had a short layover in Minneapolis on the way from Detroit to Portland and quite a few "Go Blue's" as we walked through each airport. As we pulled up to our hotel at Oregon State, Mark informed us that we all had to take a mandatory nap to rest our body for the weekend ahead, and trust me none of us were complaining. Well-rested and well-prepared, we can't wait to compete this weekend.
• Previous Blog: Lindsey Lerg
