So I'm just going to be honest, it's hard for me to start writing about all that we have done this week because Saturday we beat the No. 7 team in the nation!!!! It's seriously all we've been able to think about the past 24 hours. But we know that every moment we spent this week, both individually and as a team, lead up to that moment. So here we go with the build up!

Coach decided to give us a bit of a lighter week this week so that we could focus in and get back to the basics of volleyball and fundamentals of our team. Practices both Monday and Tuesday were for a smaller period of time, but focused heavily on one or two skill sets. And this week we learned that we know the techniques, and when we step on the court for games, we have to remember what it feels like to make a good pass, get that perfect swing, and concentrate on the feeling rather than the technical skills. We learned to "Feel it"! And I got to say that it helped. Also on Monday, the Regional rankings came out. We found out as a team that in order to get to the NCAA tournament, you must place in the top eight. As coach read off the names of the teams, the numbers got closer and closer to eight and we had yet to be called. Until he got to No. 9. The initial shock was gut wrenching because two teams from our conference were above us in the regional rankings, but were below is in our own conference. It was like a slap in the face to our season. We were given no respect for being 15-2. But if anything, this made us come back swinging this weekend because we knew we had something to prove.

Tuesday night after practice we headed over to FCA for volleyball night. To worship together with your sisters in Christ and teammates is such a special thing, and bonds in a way that nothing else can. Thanks for the prayers and support FCA! Speaking of support, I forgot to thank the big mob of pink that flooded our stands for the Dig pink match last week. Our men's swim team came in painted from head to toe in neon pink! After they made their grand entrance, they did not fail to be as loud and obnoxious as their body paint was. Thanks boys! You were a huge contribution to our win and we are going to repay the favor soon.

On Thursday Jenna Wilson was crowned as our new hero! And we also got a little pep talk (or should I say pep chant) from Mr. Morgan, our Athletic Director. His encouragement was about earning some R-E-S-P-E-C-T this weekend from our conference and our Region. So naturally, we played Aretha Franklin's classic "Respect" and even threw in a couple dance moves to get us going. That became our theme song as we headed on our 4 hour drive to Coker on Friday morning.

It's a little strange to play the No. 1 team in our conference and the bottom team in the same weekend. But Coach kept us motivated as we swept Coker. After the game we watched a movie for the sake of Halloween, we watched a suspense movie called "Red Eye" that had all of us on the edge of our 80's patterned seats. There is this one scene where Rachel McAdams is searching for the guy who is trying to kill her in her house and she is looking for like 20 minutes when she opens a door and BAM HE POPS UP OUT OF NOWHERE!!! We literally all jumped backward onto our back rests and screamed so loud I don't know how the bus driver stayed between the lines. What I wouldn't give to have that on video though! A bunch of college girls scared out of their minds by a 12x12 TV screen.  When we loaded off the bus and our feet hit the ground, we set our gaze on Wingate, who has been in the back of our minds and the top of our list for teams to beat since we lost to them in round one.

We had a game plan, and we knew we possessed the talent to win. But both sides of the net possessed those traits on Saturday. Fans in the Wingate stands got exactly what they would hope to find on the court. The top two teams in our conference going head to head for bragging rights, but we had a bit more on the line, R-E-S-P-E-C-T.  But this fight wasn't about skill or talent; it was about heart and the need to win. We dropped the first set, but they did nothing out of the ordinary and we came out with confidence that the next game was ours and we took it to them! Snatching the second and third games, and then dropping the fourth. And there we were at the fifth set; all about serve and serve receive which is what we had been working on all week. Their serves were tough to return, but we worked together as a unit to get passes up to Kristen in order to get our kills. Before we knew it, it was 14-13 with a one point lead in our favor. We served the last ball and I swear the rest was in slow motion. Their Libero passed the ball up to the setter who sets the slide (their bread and butter) that had gotten consistent kills all night and WAM she kills the ball into the top of the tape the it rolls back onto their side, ball hits their' ground and it's over. The moment still seems surreal. Looking back on it, I just remember Kristen and Taylor hitting the ground with all of the energy they had left after a 5 set victory. And our team rushed the court to celebrate together, just as we had been the whole night. In that moment it was all about the team and the embarrassing happy tears we shed together. Nothing can describe the look on our senior's faces when we circled up for our team cheer. In fact, nothing can describe the feeling we got of beating Wingate and breaking their 55-game league winning streak. However I can say that that night we all had one goal and we never lost sight of it, everybody was all in 100 percent, and gave everything they could mentally and physically. When we returned to Carson-Newman, we were greeted by Mr. Morgan and his wife for congratulations and we walked into our locker room to find it decorated with balloons and posters for our victory! Thank you to all of our student athletes and supporters who sent us tweets, texts, and congrats in general! We were definitely feeling the love.

What happens next? The updated Regional rankings come out today (Monday) and we will wait anxiously! But if we do place in the top 8 or even if we don't we must win out for the remainder of our last three conference matches. Though at least for the next few hours, we are going to ride on the feeling of R-E-S-P-E-C-T that we are only starting to earn, until we play LMU on Tuesday. 

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 -