September 12
* Meaning 5 sets against Willmar. If you’re 70+ year old fans sitting in a high school gymnasium, you seriously, seriously prefer 3-set matches. So why did this match go to 5 sets? Because they were mirror-image teams – they are both Cardinals, after all . . .
[During warm-ups, I recognized this official as the guy (Ted) who checks The Fat Boys Walking Club in at the Y every morning . . . ]
[The usual hit-and-catch . . . ]
[If the Amazing Mr. Ripley is there, it’s a big time event . . . ]
[This was our first game in physical attendance. The Cards are now 5 – 5 after this win (oh, by the way, we won). So, I wanted to see who I could recognize from last year or from other sports. Usually now seniors, such as Erika Roderick (2) and Ella Grove (11).]
[And Mia McGrane (5), like Ella also a starter on last year’s basketball team . . . ]
[Maggie Anderson (16) is a newbie, i.e., a sophomore . . . ]
[Mia, though I was already aware of this, has some serious hang time. I mentioned that to Brad, sitting next to me, and the guy on the other said, “Yup.” As fate would have it, the next morning I ran into girls’ basketball coach Wendy Kohler at the Y. I asked her what Mia’s vertical was – she just noted that she’s a terrific athlete . . . ]
[Pre-game high 5’s all around . . .]
[It’s the volleyball equivalent of football players banging their heads against the wall . . . ]
[Our libero is sophomore Tessa McGrane (1). An educated guess indicates Mia’s sister?]
[Ella and company in defensive position at the net. Either that or they’re covering Marcel Marceau trapped locked in a room . . . ]
[Erika serving . . . ]
[Though not exactly following the play at this time, at least the other 4 people in the photo are not looking at smart phones. In fact, the one appears to have a bottle of wine?]
[I suspect this is sophomore Lilly Thul (15) going up for the block. In a totally unrelated matter, the gentleman sitting directly above the tip of her ponytail is Will, a fellow volleyball and basketball superfan. The next morning I just happened to run into him at Glacial Ridge Health System in Glenwood. I was getting all my skin tags frozen off; I have no idea what Will was doing . . . ]
[Ted monitors the action as Lilly looks for the ball . . . ]
[Tough!]
[Mia elevates for a kill. At 5’6″, I believe she was the kill leader with 18 . . . ]
[Lilly and Maggie reset for defense . . . ]
[There’s a ball up there somewhere . . . ]
[Still looking for it . . . ]
[Oh no, it’s behind us . . . ]
[Get it back up to us!]
[The linebackers . . . ]
[Tessa, I believe that’s senior Meg Shercliffe (7) in the middle (also a hockey player), and Mia . . . ]
[Lilly and Mia, again . . . ]
[Looks like The Power I formation . . . ]
[You go forward, I’ll go back, the others go left and right . . . ]
[The McGranes . . . ]
[There’s nothing in sports comparable to the joy and celebration of a single point in volleyball (OK, soccer and hockey, but there a point is a rarity) . . . ]
[OK, go to formation X231 . . . ]
[Now set up . . . ]
[Pssst, I’ve stolen their signs. It’s going to be a low and away slider . . . ]
[As the Pointer Sisters would say, “JUMP!”]
[Bring it on, you other Cardinals!]
[Lilly serves . . . ]
[Mia serves . . . ]
[Erika covers another Marcel Marceau move . . . ]
[While Mia keeps serving . . . ]
[The first 4 games went 15-25, 25-19, 25-18, 23-25. Our Cards had a 13-6 lead in game 5. I took off my telephone lens secure that victory was assured. But the other Cards made a run, so the last shots were with the standard lens. The last game score is in the final photo.]
[Finally, we won . . . ]
[WE WON!]
Volleyball: Invented by men, perfected by women. ~ Unknown
Up Next: Likely Norway
alexandriacardinals2.wordpress.com 