Journal Entry #8

July 29th 11:10pm

After much preparation and anticipation, tonight would stand to be the toughest match for the USA YNT team at the 2005 World Championships, in more ways than one. The spectators, Korea and the USA coaching staff would see a team USA tonight that they have never seen before.

USA started out with the R. Holloway, A. Klineman, L. Williams, A. Engle, M. Hodge, K. Cooper, and K. Kuzma line-up. We started serving and held the serve to grab us a couple of points. We stuck to the game plan and used a balanced attack against China. We continued to battle for points throughout the first game but most importantly we won the war at the net. We had four block kills on the game and four stops. China really struggled finding a way to score on us.

Our offense wasn’t as affected as it has been throughout the tournament, but we were still able to win game one with a score of 25-19. Even though we were up 1-0, something just didn’t seem quite right with Team USA. We looked frustrated and to some extent deflated. We weren’t playing our best and we won the game anyway. However, it wasn’t the way the team on the floor wanted to win it and that was apparent.

Going into game 2 we had China right where we wanted them, or so we thought. China made a rotational adjustment right off the bat, and that was among many adjustments they would make that game. The put their toughest servers against USA’s serve receive right off the bat and they jumped out into a quick lead. They continued to put pressure on our serve receive and we did not respond well. China then began to find different ways to score throughout this game, which continued to antagonize the USA system rhythm. We ended up losing game two with a final score of 21-25, even though we hit .310 as a team this game. The biggest problem was our passing (1.59) and how it disrupted the flow of our system.

After losing our only game of the tournament thus far, everyone in the gym was anxious to see how we would respond…including me. Game three we started J. Doris in place of L. Williams, but left the rest of the group the same. Game three would far surpass any frustration that we felt in the match thus far. After finally pulling away late in the game to a 23-19 lead, it was almost for certain that we would go into game four with a 2-1 lead. Unfortunately, as fate would have it, almost certain became a distant memory as China went on a 6-0 run to win the game 25-23. Not only had we dropped 2 games in a row to China, but we saw our chances for the best Youth or Junior World Championships finish slipping away.

Going into game four, I had a very uneasy feeling. I knew that if we didn’t respond to the tough serving and offensive changes that China had made to frustrate our defense, our quest for the Gold would be finished.

Game four was a fight to the bitter end. Many times throughout the game, China saw the semi’s within their grasp. However, Holloway refused to allow her team to get beat and she took control of the match. She had a couple of commanding dumps on a second ball that brought team USA back to within one before the point 16 technical time-out. However, it was her run-down off of a dig by Engle that would bring the momentum back to the side of USA. Off of that play, Kuzma sent over a free ball that hit the floor. I have to believe that this was the play that set the tone for the rest of the match. Once we got to 23-19, all we could do was pray that there wasn’t a repeat from the game before. We quickly cruised to a fifth game with a kill from Klineman and Engle to end the game. We were about to play our first 5 game match.

Everyone in the gym was on the edge of their seats as we had witnessed a lot of great volleyball in the last two hours. Both of these teams had one last shot to stay in the winning bracket.

Kim Kuzma and Rachel Holloway were the driving forces in the discussion prior to the start of game 5. Both of them made the statement that we were not going to lose and that this was our match.

It was the battle of the big and strong vs. the ball control team. If I were a betting person, I probably would have bet on the ball control team.

Game 5 began with Rachel Holloway serving and a quick point by a block from Klineman and Doris. The next three plays couldn’t have been more like one another. It was almost as though someone was pressing rewind and then play on the VCR. Holloway served again and dug the 1^st ball, leaving Engle in great position (a lefty setter by trade) to dump the ball into the middle of the China court. All of the sudden it was 4-0 and USA had life breathed back into them.

However, what happened next will forever etch a spot in my memory.

At 6-1, Ashley Engle went up to block a tight set for China’s OH when she came down on the China players’ foot. The play ended with China winning the point and A. Engle down on the ground. A hush came over the crowd as Ashley wailed in pain. At 6-2, one couldn’t help but wonder what this might do for the momentum that team USA was sailing on at this point. As Kris, our trainer, and other medical staff made their way to the floor we brought Taylor Carico up from the waiting area (our players have to stay behind a barrier if they are not sitting on the bench) to get ready to go in.

After what seemed like an eternity went by, Ashley made it to her feet and she pleaded with Erikka to keep her in. Standing there on one leg with the shoe off of her left foot from examining it, she insisted that she was fine. Erikka made one of the gutsiest moves I’ve ever seen a coach make and she left her in.

Kuzma would pass the next serve and the set went out to Ashley on the outside, who ripped a kill inside the blockers bodies for a 7-2 lead. The crowd and the USA bench went nuts!

The game went on to be 8-4 at the switching of sides. Ashley Engle proved in more ways than she will ever be able to remember that mind can certainly preside over matter. She passed nails, dug like a mad-woman and had one of her best pass to attack series that I’ve seen her have…all on a sprained ankle.

USA may not have been good in the beginning of the game, but we were good when it mattered. We ended up winning game 5 and the match with a final game score of 15-9. As we would soon find out, we will face Russia in the semi-finals tomorrow.

Ashley Engle is busy icing her ankle, and will be all night. We are all crossing our fingers that she’ll be ok to go tomorrow. Either way, she contributed more than her share to our journey thus far. She will forever hold a place in my volleyball memory bank as well as the teams’ heart.

That’s why I love this game. I learn something new everyday; the most precious things are what these young women are truly made of!