Hey!  For you who know, we have had a rough week, but we have so much to celebrate as well! Something we all have to learn in life is to focus on the good though right? Let's get started with our game against our rivals Tusculum last Tuesday.

Tusculum was one of the first teams we played this season, and our first conference win! We all headed to TC with the game plan in our heads and confidence in our guts. For our seniors, it was their last opportunity to take one of our rivals down on their home turf, and for our underclassman, it was their shot to prove that they could handle the pressure of performing with a territorial crowd. Coach had also made some lineup changes, but we stuck together as a family and took the first set. The second set slipped through our hands, but the next two were clearly ours as we attacked the ball with determination. Really, is there anything sweeter than beating your rivals in their own gym? The win was also a great birthday present for Eileen who turned 19 this week. Happy birthday Leeni!

On Wednesday night, we finally got the opportunity to support our girls soccer team! We showed up at the field bundled up and sporting signs that showed our love for our fellow female athletes. And lucky for us, we got to cheer them into their victory against Mars Hill. Congrats girls! I still have no idea how you do all of that running for just a handful of goals. But then again, who wants to throw their bodies onto a hard wood floor over and over just to get one ball in the air? Only a crazy person would volunteer for that. It all evens out somehow! Also on Wednesday, we gathered as a team to refocus our goals and get together to channel our energy for greater things. Now we have got that Eagle eye.

Thursday's practice was a bit different because our coaches planned a doubles tournament for us! Each girl played with and against different teammates each round. It was so much fun and a great way to focus on each contact while effectively communicating with each other.  We didn't get to finish the tournament so there was no winner but it felt great to let our competitive sides run wild for an hour or so as we played with all the different personalities and talents on our team.

Friday was a special day in our team's hearts. Our match against Brevard was our Dig Pink night where we raise money to donate to Breast cancer research. Every person's entry fee was donated, plus we had some fun activities to help contribute as well. As players we challenged ourselves to get as many touches on the ball as we could because we were personally sponsored for every dig, kill, block or assist we got that night. Each girl on our team asked our friends and family if they would give a dollar or any amount of money per skill they achieved. For example, if Harper got 15 kills, each person on her list would give her at least $1 per kill. We were also blessed to honor Karen Harper and Janet Sedlacek for their winning battle against Breast Cancer. For these amazing women, and every other fighter, we battled it out on the court to sprawl, reach, and kill every ball we physically could. On Friday we beat Brevard for the second time this season, but more importantly, we raised over $3,000 for Breast Cancer awareness and research. Thank you to all who participated donated and supported our Dig Pink night! It was a humbling night for us all and a great opportunity to play for an even better cause.

Campus was hopping with Homecoming excitement on Saturday. We got some quality yoga time together in our locker room and some volleyball touches in the gym after that. Then we were free to be with our families and enjoy the homecoming festivities until 3:00 when the football game started. We all cheered on our football team

Saturday was also our second conference loss of the season to Lenoir-Rhyne. It's crazy to even think that it happened, like it hasn't clicked with some of us quite yet. But you know what, it was a humbling experience. Knowing that one of the top teams in our conference was so excited after beating us just goes to show that we are THE team to beat. It also shows us as a team that we aren't invincible, and that we have to be on our A-game just as other teams would prepare to be when they play us. The fight we brought out in the fifth set, which ended 15-13 after coming back from an 11-6 lead by LR, was AMAZING. We were all engaged in the game, all had no doubt in our minds that this game was ours. The ending result wasn't in our favor, but there are positives to take from it. So this week we will take those positives and use them to make us better and get us ready for this weekend and Wingate, the number one seed in our conference. Great things to come. 

Thanks for reading,

Kristina (Tina) Hill

God Bless!

Throughout the 2014 volleyball season, junior libero Kristina Hill (Lake Orion, Mich.) will write about her experiences at Carson-Newman. A new installment will be released each Monday afternoon.

- CN -