Men’s NCAA division III Volleyball Tournament – Day 1

Written by Friends, Video, Volleyball

I have to admit, this was probably the best volleyball trip I have ever been on. It beats Stellar buffets, the Penn State volleyball tournament, and even CUNY finals. This was an experience in my life which I will never forget. It began midweek and went all the way into Saturday. The trip was great for many reasons. Some of which being the feeling of wining, touring around campus, attending the first ever NCAA banquet and much more. This trip brought us all much closer, allowed us all to play on a level we previously weren’t able to, and opened our eyes at what was possible. There was so much going on throughout the trip, and I will try to thoroughly describe what went on as each day progressed.

Wednesday April 25,2012
We met up at Hunter College at 6pm to watch some tape from the Kean and Springfield game. As usual, I arrived a bit early and helped to set up the DVD player. Mr. First Team All American (Chris) bought some pizza and forgot to get a receipt. Thankfully, Ray’s sister took a trip back to the pizzeria to pick up the receipt. We were mostly eating slices, and anxiously awaiting for what was about to unfold before us. I don’t think many of us were actually watching the tape. We had all previously established (at practice) that the middles were freshman, that they had two primary hitters, and that we were going to win. Maybe we were a little over too overconfident, but I have to admit I felt the same way. I knew that Kean was not the real challenge at hand. After eating the pizza we headed upstairs to be greeted by a full size coach bus equipped with LCD screens, LED lighting, and comfortable reclining seats which would bring us up to Springfield Massachusetts.

We arrived at the hotel at about 11pm. We then received our official NCAA inaugural Men’s Division III room keys. Immediately after walking in, I noticed that the hotel was suited up for the tournament. We were greeted by Stacey, our tour guide for the next few days. Prior to walking into the hotel, I noted an NCAA banner outside the entrance. There were also several banners inside the hotel commemorating the event. Most of us headed up to our rooms (on the 5th floor). We met up later in my room that night to discuss the schedule for the upcoming day. Afterwards, Stanley (my roommate) and I unpacked and joined with Brendan to go exploring the hotel. We came across Carl, Eric and Nino on their own journey around the grounds. After a few laps we went back upstairs to wrap up the night. Our room had a door to the room adjacent to ours. That room was occupied by Nino, Eric and Brendan.