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Post by roofed! on May 25, 2007 16:11:24 GMT -5
[ftp]http://usctrojans.cstv.com/sports/w-volley/spec-rel/052507aaa.html[/ftp]
It's A European Vacation For USC Women's Volleyball
Team leaves Saturday for two-week tour.
May 25, 2007
LOS ANGELES -- The USC women's volleyball team will embark on a two-week European tour beginning on Saturday (May 26) and concluding on June 9. The Women of Troy will enjoy many days of sightseeing, but will also be competing against various teams to wrap up the spring practice season.
USC will travel to England, Poland, Hungary, Italy and Switzerland and will play four national teams during the two-week tour (Hungary, Slovenia/Slovakia, Sweden and Switzerland) among its seven slated matches.
"We have an opportunity with five seniors and an experienced group to get additional training on this trip," said USC head coach Mick Haley. "We have two players from Poland (Asia Kaczor and Marta Siemiatkowska), but the rest of the team does not fully understand the rich history of Europe. We believe the competition will help us to see how the squad has improved during the spring, but we also wanted to provide a full educational experience on this trip for our student-athletes."
Stay tuned to usctrojans.com for daily blogs from the USC players and coaches. A special link has been created on the women's volleyball page for updates on the European trip. Video features will be added at a later date as well.
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Post by roofed! on May 25, 2007 16:19:28 GMT -5
After an earlier thread on teams going overseas, it is time for the USC team to go on one as well, as this provides a wonderful opportunity for the team to improve its team chemistry, and more importantly, with all the starters back (except for the libero), a great opportunity to try out its offensive schemes in a competitive environment (and away from the prying eyes of rival teams) for the coming fall season.
Also, I believe Haley will use the opportunity for recruiting as he has only Kendall Bateman committed for 2008 (and many other top recruits already committed elsewhere) and he'll have about 5 scholies (5 seniors in 2007) to offer in 2008.
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Post by roofed! on May 25, 2007 16:38:45 GMT -5
Schedule of Events Date | Activity | May 26 | Depart for London | May 27 | Arrive in London – Afternoon | May 28 | Depart for Poland | | Training in the evening | May 29 | Morning Sightseeing at Auschwitz | | Match #1 – vs. Wisla Krakow | May 30 | Match #2 vs. Muszyna in Nowy Sacz | May 31 | Depart for Hungary | | Match #3 vs. Hungarian National Team | June 1 | Match #4 vs. Slovenian/Slovakian or Swedish National Team | June 2 | Match #5 vs. Slovenian/Slovakian or Swedish National Team | | Depart for Slovenia | June 3 | Sightseeing in Maribor all day | June 4 | Depart for Italy | | Sightseeing in Venice | June 5 | Depart for Milan | | Match #6 in the evening | June 6 | Depart for Switzerland | | Sightseeing in Montreux | June 7 | Sightseeing in Montreux | June 8 | Match #7 vs. Swiss National Team | June 9 | Depart for United States |
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Post by bigfan on May 26, 2007 19:18:12 GMT -5
What a wonderfull opportunity [sp?] for these ladies to travel and let MIck reload in recruiting.
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Post by roofed! on May 28, 2007 14:05:13 GMT -5
[ftp]http://usctrojans.cstv.com/sports/w-volley/spec-rel/052807aaa.html[/ftp]
European Vacation: London Callling
Kelli Tennant provides a quick glimpse as the team stops in England on day one of its trip to Europe.
May 27, 2007
Note: Check back in to see daily updates of the women's volleyball trip to Europe, exclusively on usctrojans.com.
Greetings from London, England ! Our trip started out a little slow with check-in and plane delays out of Los Angeles, but we finally boarded our plane. I knew our team would be traveling in style when we put on our furry masks, ear plugs and IPods, along with taking some Tylenol PM to make it easier to sleep. Needless to say, the flight went quickly!
When we arrived in London, we were immediately fascinated by the English cars and the steering wheels on the right side. We got on our charter bus and began our tour of London on a cold and rainy evening. Because of the weather, we stayed on the bus but we did have the chance to see more of the city during those few hours. We saw Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, London Bridge, and the Tower Bridge. We also toured Old City and their central area of downtown that reminded me of Times Square in New York City. Our team was very excited about all the great clothing stores on the famous Regent Street. We snapped pictures of the double-decker busses, beautiful parks, and the guards outside the palace and prime minister's home. There were several giant statues in memory of both World Wars, past American presidents, and a memorial site for Princess Diana.
The city was full of people and we really enjoyed the tour. After we finished, we drove to our Hotel near Gatwick (Jason check the spelling of this airport). We ordered dinner at the hotel and most of us had chicken kabobs, meat pies, and pizza. We headed straight for our rooms in preparation for the 5:15am wake up call and our flight to Poland. We miss you all and will keep you updated as the trip goes on!!!
Kelli
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Post by roofed! on May 29, 2007 17:10:41 GMT -5
[ftp]http://usctrojans.cstv.com/sports/w-volley/spec-rel/052907aab.html[/ftp]
European Vacation: First Day In Poland Alli Hillgren talks about the team's visit to Krakow.
May 28, 2007
5:30 am: We are off to Gatwick airport on our trek from London, England to Krakow, Poland.
After the 2.5 hour flight, we made it to our adorable hotel with a cute courtyard that all of our rooms open to. We have pretty much taken over the entire place! We had about two hours to settle into our rooms, relax, and eat our first Polish lunch consisting of noodles, tomato soup, chicken, and potatoes. Following lunch, we boarded our bus to explore downtown Krakow. We are guided through the beautifully preserved old-town buildings by our guide Konrad. Some of the buildings dated all the way back to the 12th century. One of the team's favorite places was the St. Mary's Church, which began construction by two brothers, each building separate towers. Well, it turns out that one brother was ahead of the other brother when it came to finishing construction. Therefore the 2nd brother began cutting corners in construction and disagreement resulted in the first brother murdering the 2nd brother!!! Stricken with grief and his guilt, the first brother completed the project and leapt to his death from the larger tower. Although the brother's story did add character to the church, it was the beauty and detail inside the church that we were all most impressed with. The designs, architecture, paintings, and relics on the inside of the church are almost indescribable. It's hard to believe that it was possible to decorate every square inch of the building from the floor to the ceiling all without the technologies that we enjoy today! Asia (Kaczor) said that Pope John Paul II actually performed mass at this church several times during his tenure. After touring several more buildings, we relaxed on a patio with a view of the vast town square....think of Mary Poppins and pigeons and you have a hint of what it was like.
We returned to our hotel and enjoyed Asia's favorite Polish meal...Pierogi's. It's basically pasta filled with meat or cheese, similar to a ravioli. We had the opportunity to meet and visit with Marta's (Siemiatkowska) parents and family. They treated us to a traditional dessert of special cakes.
We send our best to everyone at home and hope you enjoy following our trip !
Alli
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Post by roofed! on May 29, 2007 21:00:07 GMT -5
At the top of the article (on USC's page), there is a link to the photo gallery.
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Post by roofed! on May 30, 2007 18:32:53 GMT -5
[ftp]http://usctrojans.cstv.com/sports/w-volley/spec-rel/053007aaa.html[/ftp]
European Vacation: Trip To Auschwitz
The USC squad takes a sobering trip to a historical destination.
May 29, 2007
Krakow, Poland
Bethany Johansen
Day three of our European trip began with our first Polish breakfast. Nothing unrecognizable, everything was good. We each had yogurt at our plate, a couple of different cereals, bread, different cheeses, and some yummy eggs. Next it was to the bus for our trip to Auschwitz.
On the drive we encountered a bit of minor traffic, but we were soon on our way and driving through the beautiful countryside. Jessica (Gysin) and Chelsea (Wilson) entertained themselves, and at times those around them, by sharing an I-Pod and dancing and singing to the songs. All of us were surprised when we saw a double-humped camel in someone's yard. Definitely not something we thought we would see in Poland!
When we arrived in Auschwitz, we met our tour leader who introduced herself at the gate entrance. Next we went to see several different "blocks" where we viewed prisoners' living conditions, the place they arrived to be processed with photographs and tattoos, and then separated into groups. The prisoners identified as "strong" were immediately sent to unimaginable working and living conditions. Those identified as weak or ill (as well as most of the women and children) were immediately sent to the gas chambers to be executed. Several of the belongings taken from the prisoners were on display during the tour. Seeing the eyeglasses, shoes, luggage, and other personal items really put the whole situation in a very real perspective. One particular hallway was lined with prisoner processing photographs along with their dates of arrival and death. Many of the prisoners' arrivals and deaths were separated by only a couple of months, illustrating how short the average life span was inside the camp. The last two places we visited in Auschwitz I were Block 11 (the Death Block), and the crematorium and gas chambers. Seeing the different holding cells in Block 11 was overwhelming. We saw standing cells which were maybe 3 feet by 3 feet, where four people lived (standing up after working 9 hour days). We then witnessed a very small room where 40 people had been forced to sleep with very little oxygen. An average of 19 of those 40 people would die from lack of oxygen each night. The crematorium and gas chambers had a sign outside asking visitors for silence once inside out of respect and reverence for those who lost their lives in the chamber.
Next we moved a short distance to Auschwitz-Birkenaw, also known as Auschwitz II. There we entered only two wooden barracks that were actually build with a German horse stable as its model. More than 900 people lived in one barrack which was maybe 2000 square feet. Lastly we went up to the watch tower where we saw how large Auschwitz II was, and we could see the areas that the Germans tried to destroy the evidence of the camp's existence as the fled while the Allied forces came closer.
The trip to Auschwitz was very difficult. The day was very sunny and pleasantly warm, yet all I could think of was how difficult life must have been on this day during the years the camp was operating. To think of the activities taking place and of the unfortunate people who had their lives turned upside down once inside the gates. The injustices and atrocities that occurred at Auschwitz were all on our minds as we walked the grounds. We couldn't stop thinking about those that lived there and those lives that ended there.
The return to the motel seemed much quicker, many of us exhausted from a combination of jet lag and emotions that we just felt at Auschwitz. When we arrived at the hotel we had a lunch of chicken soup and noodles, French fries, a very fluffy rice, pork, shredded cabbage, and cucumbers in a white sauce. For dessert, we had a delicious ice cream. We had about 45 minutes to prepare for our match, then we left for the gym.
After a minor mix up in gyms, we arrived at the gym and started to warm-up. It felt good to finally play some volleyball after all the travel. We competed against a team of mostly League Division II players hoping to play professionally. So after warming up, we finally got to play some real volleyball. Although they were some close games we ended up winning the match 3-0, and afterwards we took photos with the team. Before leaving the gym we had to say goodbye to Marta's (Siemiatkowska) family. Her little brother came on the bus to give us all hugs. We attempted to keep him and possibly use him as a ball boy, but he couldn't stay.
Once back at the hotel we showered and headed to dinner. For the Americans, dinner seemed more like dessert. We had pancakes filled with cheese and topped with strawberries and cream, very similar to crepes. We also had a vegetable salad that tasted like a potato salad beforehand, but everyone loved the pancakes!
It was a busy day, full of bus rides, education, and competition, but it also marked the start of our 6 day stretch of volleyball matches and some time in the gym. We miss all of our loved ones from home, but we are being safe and having fun! Bethany................
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Post by roofed! on May 31, 2007 18:50:00 GMT -5
[ftp]http://usctrojans.cstv.com/sports/w-volley/spec-rel/053107aac.html[/ftp]
European Vacation: Safari Through The Salt Mines
Katelyn Bishop offers her experience as the team travels 500 feet below the surface.
May 30, 2007
Katelyn Bishop
This morning, we visited the beautiful Kopalina Soli Wieliczka, or the Wieliczka Salt Mines. We started out at ground level and journeyed down below the ground about 400 steps or 60 meters (200 feet). At this point, we were told that the mine was a total of nine levels deep (level 8 and level 9 are no longer accessible) and that the mine was over 1,000 feet deep. However, we would only be seeing the first three levels on our two-hour tour. We were also told that the mine is no longer in use because mining salt is no longer profitable. A mining accident where fresh water burst through the tunnels of the lower levels killed several miners in the accident a few years ago. Other miners were killed when it was discovered that methane collects in the mines, and the miners' torches caused several explosions. We were also guaranteed that the mine is very safe. It is now well-ventilated with lots of lighting.
We walked through amazing and beautiful chambers that had been hand carved by the miners themselves from the salt deposits. Some of the carvings dated back as far as 700 years. Each chamber consisted one or many intricate sculptures done by the pervious miners.
After viewing a total of seven chambers, our journey continued even deeper. We stopped briefly at this point at a depth of 91 meters (300 feet) where a chapel was constructed and decorated with a cross that was over 300 years old. It is said that the salt in the mines does a wonderful job of preserving wooden objects including the supports that continue to hold up the ceilings. It was a few steps later that we entered an extremely grand and breathtaking chamber which was another chapel called St. Kinga's Chapel. It was built to honor St. Kinga, the saint and protector of salt miners. It was also constructed as a place for worship and prayer. The miners were quite religious knowing that they were doing very dangerous work. This chapel had many amazing carvings on the wall, but it also had a gorgeous chandelier hanging from the ceiling made of salt! It is very hard for me to describe the awe of this chapel.
After the stop at the chapel, we witnessed the first of three underground salt lakes. Now 100 meters below the surface (333 feet), we were told that our journey would take us a grand total of 136 meters (530 feet), and a distance of 2.2 kilometers through winding tunnels.
The most memorable part of the salt mine tour was Bethany (Johansen) and Diane (Copenhagen) licking the roof of the tunnel and later lifting up Alli (Dillon) so she could also get a quick taste as well. The other memorable moment was Nikki Allen calling her Dad from 530 feet below the earth...and yes...there was cell service down there.
Finally we packed nine people like sardines into the tiny lift about four by four feet. Upon our return to the hotel, we quickly finished our packing and boarded the bus to Nowy Sacz. When we arrived we quickly changed and had a meeting with the President (Mayor) of the city. He invited us into his beautiful building where we did a quick meet and greet with several dignitaries and sports federation officials. After that, we finished and headed to the gym for our match.
We played a team that was formerly the Division I champions in the Polish League. Their gym was packed and many people were wearing the home team's colors of blue and white. We sadly lost, 3-1, however the experience we gained from playing such a strong team, and in front of such a loud crowd, was amazing and valuable.
After the match we had a small party for us and our opponents with many different kinds of Polish foods. Then we were entertained by a magician who performed for us, we were served cake, then immediately went upstairs to pack for our long trip to Hungary in the morning.
Katelyn
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Post by BeiBei on May 31, 2007 21:40:41 GMT -5
USC only lost 1 starter and they have a very strong class coming in. Some of the returning starters, with the exception of Kaczor and Carico may lose their spot. Will Roleder start over Gysin?
any idea what the starting lineup will be like?
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Post by roofed! on May 31, 2007 22:18:49 GMT -5
USC only lost 1 starter and they have a very strong class coming in. Some of the returning starters, with the exception of Kaczor and Carico may lose their spot. Will Roleder start over Gysin? any idea what the starting lineup will be like? I think we could see the freshmen pushing hard for playing time, maybe even starting for the team. Possible starting scenario: OH: Copenhagen and Roleder MB: Johansen and Garrett Opp: Kaczor S: Carico L: Gysin Backups: OH: Tennant and Urango MB: Bishop and Williams Opp: Tennant S: ? DS: Hillgren I believe Garrett will push hard to be starter. Neither Bishop nor Tennant could hit consistently and with a variety of sets for a high %, or dominate the blockings. Gysin will be the x-factor, depending on how her knees are getting stronger and allowing her to jump higher and be more physical. Given the libero spot is open, unless Hillgren or Urango proves to be great passer, I could see Gysin playing the libero position.
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Post by roofed! on Jun 1, 2007 23:56:21 GMT -5
[ftp]http://usctrojans.cstv.com/sports/w-volley/spec-rel/060207aac.html[/ftp]
European Vacation: Slovakian Shocker In Hungary
USC earns 3-0 sweep over Slovakian National Team in Savaria Cup tournament.
Hungary - May 31, 2007
Asia Kaczor
From my homeland of Poland, we loaded up into two vans and a car and headed to the lovely country of Hungary. Because we have become such great travelers so far, the mere nine hour drive was not a problem. No one complained, we actually had a great deal of fun in the vans laughing, telling stories, playing cards, watching movies, singing and dancing and getting to know things about our teammates that we never knew before.
Van #1 was (trainer) Sue (Lerner), (assistant coach) Todd (Dagenais), Katelyn (Bishop), Marta (Siemiatkowska), Bethany (Johansen), Diane (Copenhagen) and our trip coordinator Cory got to know each other better by playing the game "conversation starters". Van #2 was called the party van with me, (assistant coach) Cookie Stevens, (director of volleyball operations) Nikki (Allen), Kelli (Tennant), Alli (Hillgren), Taylor (Carico) and Jessica (Gysin). During the trip we fantasized about the coming days of Italian pizzerias and discotechques that we will be coming up upon soon.
The trip was quicker than I thought it would be, but a trip wouldn't be a trip without getting lost at least once right? Of course this region of the country has gone through so many political changes over the last few years. Slovenia is one of the countries that is really starting to modernize with new road systems...unfortunately the old signs are still in place!!! Even though we took a quick detour, we were still enjoyed the BEAUTIFUL mountain scenery and farmlands along the way. The vast green hillsides and well-kept proper gardens were some of the most natural and peaceful areas we have been so fortunate to encounter on our trip to the countries so far.
We also got to see centuries old castles whose remains are still standing tall in a picturesque state. We saw many of the wonderful sites as we went from Poland to Slovenia and then finally to Hungary. Once in Hungary, we arrived in a small town (at least our hosts called it that) of about 80,000 called Szombathely where we got settled into the Claudius Hotel. We were greeted with a delicious dinner of chicken noodle soup, chicken and rice, and a delicious cheesecake for dessert.
At this point it was about 6:20 p.m. and we had a scrimmage with Hungary at 7:00. As you can imagine it's not easy to play to play after so many hours of travel. However, we put our best effort into the match and did some very nice things against a talented Hungary team. We will have to see how it goes when we play them for real in two days.
After the scrimmage we headed back to our hotel for some much needed rest since our tournament starts tomorrow. Hello to everyone in the USA and reading around the world!
Asia
Match Recap: USC stuns Slovakia National Team with 3-0 sweep
Heading into the 32nd Annual Savaria Cup tournament, the Slovakian National Team was the odds-on favorite to finish on the top rung of the medal stand. They entered the tournament as one of 16 teams who are qualified for the 2007 European Championships in September. USC was entered as an entry only two days ago into the tournament that traditionally features only national teams, but the Women of Troy shocked the partisan crowd and the tournament organizers with a spectacular 3-0 victory (25-23, 25-21, 25-16) which was broadcasted on national television in Hungary and Slovakia.
"We originally scheduled this tournament as a `ghost team' where we would play all of the other teams, but those matches would not count in the overall standings," said USC head coach Mick Haley. "Then we were given a fantastic opportunity to compete in this historic tournament when Slovenia had to cancel. As far as we can tell, only one non-national team has ever competed in the tournament's 32 year history. We set up our entire trip so that these three days would be volleyball only and now I'm glad we scheduled it that way."
"We have seen things that most people only get to read about in text book or watch in the movies," said Haley. "The experience at Auschwitz bonded our team in a way that couldn't be achieved doing even the finest team building activities. The Polish people and our Polish players were so excited to show us the Salt Mines of Wieliczka, something that's considered a national treasure in Poland. With all of that behind us, today was the first day where we could actually settle down and leave the `tourist side' of our trip behind us and focus on the competition part of the trip."
USC trailed the better part of game one and were down 16-13 at the 2nd technical timeout. Slovakia maintained the lead up to 22 before USC closed with a flurry of service points to edge past the Slovakians 25-23.
"This first game was a turning point in the development of this team," said Haley. "We have had difficulty closing games down the stretch and it was nice to see our execution sharpen after the 20-point mark."
Game 2 saw USC breaking out to a modest three point lead and maintaining it until the Slovakians closed the gap to 21-20, forcing a USC timeout. The Women of Troy immediately answered with a quick side out, a service ace, a second first ball side out and service point to ice the game at 25-21. With Bethany Johansen starting game three on the serve, USC raced out to a 5-0 lead then pushed it to 8-1 at the first technical break. Once again, the Slovakians closed the gap that ranged from eight to 10 points most of the set down to seven points at 22-15. USC again responded with an immediate side out and then cruised to the 25-16 finale.
"I thought that everyone played very well tonight," said senior outside hitter Diane Copenhagen. "It was nice for all of us to put many of the things together that we have been working on all spring and in preparation for this trip. Slovakia runs a very fast offense with great execution. We knew that could pose a problem for us and knew we had to serve them as tough as possible. Once we started hitting, our serves we were able to control how fast they ran their offense."
Jessica Gysin had her best match of the tour scoring 11 kills on 18 swings for a .556 clip to pace the Women of Troy. Asia Kaczor contributed 10 kills and hit .368. Johansen and Katelyn Bishop chipped in four and five kills respectively while Copenhagen finished with seven kills.
The Women of Troy will continue their play in the Savaria Cup tomorrow when they take on Hungary at 7:00pm local time. Hungary easily defeated Sweden in the nightcap 3-0. The USA National Team participated and won the Savaria Cup in 1983. Since then National Team powerhouses such as Brazil, Cuba, China, and Russia have all been invited and participated in the tournament.
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Post by bigfan on Jun 2, 2007 16:53:07 GMT -5
Does this ball-club have 2007 FF potential?
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Post by brybry on Jun 2, 2007 17:08:35 GMT -5
USC only lost 1 starter and they have a very strong class coming in. Some of the returning starters, with the exception of Kaczor and Carico may lose their spot. Will Roleder start over Gysin? any idea what the starting lineup will be like? My guess would be: Setter: Carico OPP: Kaczor Middles: Garrett and Tennant Outside Hitters: Gysin and Copenhagen Libero: Urango It's hard to say who will start at outside and middle. I think Copenhagen has her spot. Gysin has been inconsistent but I don't think they should move her to libero unless Roleder really steps up as a force. Otherwise we need options for OH if one of the outsides has an off night. Middle is way up for grabs. I'm hoping that Garrett proves to be really strong because our middle are our weakest position. As for libero, I haven't seen Urango or Hillgren on serve receive, so I'd say whoever is the better passer will start.
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Post by roofed! on Jun 3, 2007 23:58:41 GMT -5
[ftp]http://usctrojans.cstv.com/sports/w-volley/spec-rel/060407aaa.html[/ftp]
European Vacation: WOT Finishes Second In Savaria Cup
USC loses a hard-fought five-game match against Hungary before defeating Sweden.
June 2, 2007 - Hungary
Marta Siemiatkowska
Today is the eighth day of our European trip and our third day in Hungary. It is such a colorful and peaceful country. I know we have been gone for awhile, but every day goes by so fast because we are having so much fun. After breakfast we had a little bit of time to ourselves. Some of us took naps and others took a walk to a park across the street from our hotel. It was such a nice place to go and relax and get focused before tonight's game or just work off our huge breakfast!
We met at 11:30 for practice and felt well prepared for our match against Hungary. After practice we had lunch, delicious Hungarian lunch as always, and then everyone rested before we left a 5:00 for the match at 7:00pm. We all played really well, but unfortunately we lost in five sets. It was a very well fought match and now we will get ready to take on Sweden in the morning.
As the USC tradition tells us, "'best the best and win every fight." We have been trying to follow this phrase and prove it on the court. It is so much fun to play against the different teams from all over Europe. It is also a wonderful experience and lessons that will stay in our hearts for the rest of our lives.
Last night we had dinner in a restaurant called "Jagerhuitte", a German themed family restaurant in our town. Every team in the tournament all ate dinner together for the first time and the energy and camaraderie between teams was very noticeable. Following the late dinner we headed back to our hotel in time for a quick sleep. We have a big match tomorrow!
Marta
Game Recap: USC loses to Hungary and beats Sweden to place second in Savaria Cup
The USC Women's volleyball team was able to hold off a feisty Swedish National Team 3-1 today in the finale of the Savari Cup in Szombathely, Hungary. Following the win, USC needed some help from Slovakia to claim the 2007 Cup Championship, but Hungary was able to dominate Slovakia to claim the title for its first championship in six years. USC senior outside hitter Asia Kaczor was named to the All-Tournament team.
Today's drama was set up with the Women of Troy suffering a heartbreaking loss to Hungary late last night in Buk, Hungary. USC was able to overcome a three point deficit late in game one and outscored Hungary 7-3 to close the game at 25-23. Hungary dominated game two with a 25-17 score. USC was able to find another breath of air in the third game to crush the Hungarians 25-14. Hungary returned the favor in the fourth game 25-16 setting up what would ultimately determine the champion of the tournament. Senior outside hitter Diane Copenhagen was impressed with the focus and determination of the Hungarian Team, "They were such good competitors, they adjusted to our challenges and fought back very hard."
USC opened up an early 3-1 lead in the deciding set, but a very strong push by tournament MVP Katalin Kiss, one of the top players in the Greek Professional League, allowed Hungary to quickly build an 8-4 lead at the side switch. USC was able to mount a mini-comeback but Hungary finally claimed the match with a 15-8 win in the game.
"I think we definitely had our opportunities to win this match," said USC head coach Mick Haley. "We did some things really well at times. It just seems like every time we made a strong push, Hungary came back and made a stronger push. Their hitters were extremely smart and they gave our blocking and defense problems. It just came down to the fact that they were able to execute well in the latter parts of the fourth game."
Following a very fast turnaround, the Women of Troy were back in action against Sweden with a glimmer of hope remaining that they could win the Championship. Following a sluggish start, they were able to comeback and finish with a pair of three point run to claim the first game 25-23. Sweden immediately made some adjustments and captured game two, 25-19. USC again trailed most of the way in the third set before Jessica Gysin, who was subbed in off the bench in the second game, caught fire and pounded seven of her team-leading 12 kills en route to a 25-19 victory.
"Jess really sparked everyone on the floor and inspired everyone to play better," said junior middle blocker Kelli Tennant. "She was able to set the standard by attacking and playing at times the best I have ever seen her play."
The Women of Troy clinched the match with several serving runs in the fourth game to seal the match 25-18.
"I'm very happy with the way we stood toe-to-toe with these national teams," said Haley. "All we can ask of our team is to play their hardest, keep their competitive intensity, and improve with every new situation that arises. I think our team grew immensely as a result of playing in this tournament."
In its 32nd year, the Savaria Cup has seen many Olympic medalist squads entered in its field. Cuba has won the tournament 12 times, the last in 1992. China won the championships in 1989 and 1990. It is believed that USC's 2nd place finish ties the highest finish ever for a non-national team.
Marta Siemiatkowska added nine kills starting early for Gysin, and later replacing Kaczor for two games. The trio of middles added a tournament best 17 kills with Kelli Tennant scoring eight, Bethany Johansen scoring six, and Katelyn Bishop with three. Freshman Libero Alli Hillgren enjoyed her second outstanding match in a row.
"It was really an honor to be able to participate in this tournament. Everyone associated with the event worked very hard to make sure this was a first-class international tournament," said Haley. "Cory Solomon did a great job making sure that we had an opportunity to compete. I'm sure they were leery of having a USA collegiate team entered in their tournament, buy Cory went to bat for us and his influence prevailed. Most collegiate tours result in playing club and second-tier professional teams, we got to play three national teams with our fourth being in a few days....now how good is that?"
The Women of Troy have now completed six matches in six days and are driving to the mountain spa-resort town of Maribor, Slovenia for rest and relaxation. They will then travel onto Italy for touring and sightseeing in Milan and Venice for one day each. The tour wraps up in Montreaux, Switzerland, where they will play their final match against the Swiss National Team. The match will be in conjunction with the Montreaux Volleymasters International Tournament. While watching the tournament, USC will get to see China, Russia, and Cuba, who account for all three medals in the 2006 Olympic games. Serbia and the Netherlands are also entered in the tournament.
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