The Rock

Hey guys

This weekend we travelled to Newfoundland to play two games against MUN. It was a very long weekend and we were all exhausted when we got back but it was a great experience and for some girls on our team, was the first time going to Newfoundland. We unfortunately lost both of our games this weekend but we had some great rallies throughout the game and some girls played awesome. Olivia Babcock was solid all weekend for us passing and digging balls in the back row, and Amber Gamblin did some serious work off the bench for us. Being there all weekend, we had quite a trip.

To start off, the trips to NFLD never go smoothly... ever. We got to halifax around 2:00 pm and our flight was supposed to take off at 3:30. Well, we ended up not flying out until 6:45 due to weather so we had some down time to kill. Luckily our team consists of creative genius' and we made up our own catch phrase game to kill some of the hours. once we got through security (and with a little help from our coach creeping on twitter) we got our photo taken with a couple of Toronto Blue Jays who were also travelling to Newfoundland! The Jays that were there included Brett Cecil, Eric Thames, broadcaster Jamie Campbell, and their mascot (out of costume). Now, our coach took the photo, and yes he's heard his share of lack of photo skills from the girls on our team. A couple of us also got the chance to get a picture with Hall of Famer Robbie Alomar, which was awesomeee! (Not to mention he has the nicest wife!)

It was pretty rainy all weekend and we did also get the chance to stroll down George Street and hit up the mall a couple of times to kill some time. We learnt alot this weekend during our games as we do each time and our second game was better than our first.

Our next game is Sunday @ Acadia and we went to 5 against them last time so it'll be another good match and hopefully we come out with a W.

Have a good week at school everybody!

MJ

Commitment

Hey guys,

So going into Christmas break we played our last league match against St. FX at their home gym. I'm proud to let you know that we finished off 2011 just right, with a 3-0 win against them. We've all had nice breaks, girls have been able to go home from all across the country - Ontario, Winnipeg, Calgary, and in various places from New Brunswick! Though I always love my time at home with my family, I'm always eager to get back into the gym and set up that net.

This weekend we're heading to Newfoundland to play a double header against MUN along with the Men's volleyball team. We'll leave Friday at 9:30 from Fredericton and drive to Halifax, where we will fly out of. It takes a lot of time off the court to be able to be a member of any varsity team on campus, and time management is a crucial skill for every athlete with the classes we tend to miss due to traveling (but so worth it). Every game is an important game, and this weekend is no exception, MUN will be a great team to start off 2012 against and many girls will be able to experience Newfoundland for the first time as well.

Each week I'm going to give you a glimpse of one of my teammates whether it be getting a quote from them, their favourite tune, what they have to do before a game, or any other tid bits that contribute to making our team unique from all of the others. This week I'll start off!

One of the most important things that I have been brought up with in any sport I have played was the value of commitment. In grade eleven and twelve I was in a weight training class in my high school, and was only 1 of 2 girls in the entire class. Each year, one of the tests was to memorize the quote painted on the brick wall of our weight room, and it was our definition of commitment:

"Commitment is what transforms a promise into reality. It is the words that speak boldly of your intentions, and the actions which speak louder than the words. It is making the time when there is none. Coming through time after time after time, year after year after year. Commitment is the stuff character is made of; the power to change the face of things. It is the daily triumph of integrity over skepticism."

I have grown up with this belief, and I strongly believe that it is a key element to success of any team, sport, assignment, or any endeavour you take on in your life. Some people may think a volleyball team is just a volleyball team, but being a member of it makes you a member of a second family. You never want to disappoint your family, so I never want to let any of my teammates down. A varsity athlete is something many people dream of becoming, but not all get the opportunity to be. Our team's commitment to the sport, the program at UNB and to each other is something that helps us improve each day, give back to the community, and hopefully inspire others in the future.

I'll be keeping you posted on this weekends events and results, and wish all the best to all the other teams playing as well!

Suggested tunes this week from 4th year Amber Gamblin (#1): We Found Love by Rihanna ft. Calvin Harris.

Well that's all for now folks, keep checking back and I'll see ya next time,

MJ

The First of Many!

Hey guys,

I hope everyone had a fun, relaxing and safe holiday and 2012 has been nothing but good to you so far! My name is Monica Jones, but I normally go by MJ. I'm a 4th year Arts student here at UNB and a co-captain on the women's volleyball team along with Rebecca Glancy. I have the privilege of blogging this year on behalf of the UNB Women's Volleyball Team and to give you guys a little insider scoop on how the team is doing, and to get to know the girls that make up our talented squad.

So here's what we've been up to!

Our team is extremely talented, each girl brings unique and important qualities to our team both on and off the court. We have many new fresh faces this year including Olivia Babcock (Lebero), Katarina Legutky (Left Side) Paige Paulsen (Setter), Jodie McGill (Middle) Vanja Mitrovic (Left Side/Middle) and Leah White (Setter).

So far this year we've played in Boston against NCAA teams, the Dalhousie tournament, and hosted our own UNB Invitational - and that was only pre-season! We've started regular season play and have really come into stride as who we are as a team and strengthening our unit each and everyday.

This blog I hope will give you guys the chance to get a closer look at what it's like to be a member on the UNB women's volleyball team, and keep you posted on our games and team events! I hope you guys stay tuned and read along, we appreciate all the support we get and love hearing you guys cheer at our games!

More to come!

MJ

Welcome to the UNB Women's Volleyball Blog ... blogging to begin soon!