What an incredible experience the last two weeks have been. We got a great finish at the biggest beach volleyball tournament in the world for the year 2009! We struggled at times, but really rose up to the challenge at other times. It was such a great learning experience for us. I know that it will make us better as a team.
Our last day in Stavanger, I decided to be a tourist and went on a 3 hour boat ride down the fjords. I felt like I was in “The Lord of the Rings.” The scenery is breath-taking, astounding. I am not sure that the pictures do it any justice.
It was a perfect day for a boat ride and it made me feel at home since it was the 4th of July. There is no better way to celebrate the 4th than being on a boat on a warm, sunny day.
After that, I watched Matt and Casey play an epic match against the Brazilian team, Harley and Alison. It was the most “jawing” I have ever seen at a volleyball match. From the first few points, the testosterone was high and both teams were more than emotionally engaged. Matt and Casey dropped the first set, but won the second 37-35. All the Americans were cheering and going crazy for them. They were leading in the third as we watched one phenomenal play after another. The match lasted over 1 hour and 40 minutes and you could tell that both teams had given it everything they had. Unfortunately, Matt and Casey came up short in the end, losing 17-15. It was such a heart breaker for us to watch, I can only imagine how disappointed they were. We all were very proud of them for the incredible effort they put forth.
After that match, we watched Jen and April in the gold medal match against Julianna and Larissa of Brazil. Jen and April were incredible. April was absolutely bombing her jump serves, getting ace after ace or getting them in passing trouble. The girls looked aggressive and confident. They won in two close sets, which was very exciting for Team USA! Jen and April are the World Champs for 2009! It definitely makes me feel better that our loss in the tournament came at the hands of the World Champs.
More later!
Our last day in Stavanger, I decided to be a tourist and went on a 3 hour boat ride down the fjords. I felt like I was in “The Lord of the Rings.” The scenery is breath-taking, astounding. I am not sure that the pictures do it any justice.
It was a perfect day for a boat ride and it made me feel at home since it was the 4th of July. There is no better way to celebrate the 4th than being on a boat on a warm, sunny day.
After that, I watched Matt and Casey play an epic match against the Brazilian team, Harley and Alison. It was the most “jawing” I have ever seen at a volleyball match. From the first few points, the testosterone was high and both teams were more than emotionally engaged. Matt and Casey dropped the first set, but won the second 37-35. All the Americans were cheering and going crazy for them. They were leading in the third as we watched one phenomenal play after another. The match lasted over 1 hour and 40 minutes and you could tell that both teams had given it everything they had. Unfortunately, Matt and Casey came up short in the end, losing 17-15. It was such a heart breaker for us to watch, I can only imagine how disappointed they were. We all were very proud of them for the incredible effort they put forth.
After that match, we watched Jen and April in the gold medal match against Julianna and Larissa of Brazil. Jen and April were incredible. April was absolutely bombing her jump serves, getting ace after ace or getting them in passing trouble. The girls looked aggressive and confident. They won in two close sets, which was very exciting for Team USA! Jen and April are the World Champs for 2009! It definitely makes me feel better that our loss in the tournament came at the hands of the World Champs.
It is now Sunday and we are in Gstaad, Switzerland. We had a very early morning flight and arrived here this afternoon. It is currently raining very hard and is a bit cool... sort of what we expected in Norway.
Gstaad is a beautiful little village set in the mountains. It makes me think of The Sound of Music.
We begin play here on Wednesday. Our schedule will be much faster paced than it was in Norway. We are only here for 6 days before we head to Moscow.
Tomorrow we will practice and possibly do a little sight seeing. Right now, sleep is what I need, so off to bed I go!
More later!
Angie Akers
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