Under The Radar: A Redshirt Diary

Eyes On The Prize

November 10, 2021

Prior to practice, Lauren had been able to talk with Mississippi State defensive specialist Alden Willis and provided her a sales pitch of what she could expect if she came to James Madison, highlighting the intact roster in place and her thoughts on how she would utilize the potential graduate transfer with her current players. She didn't mention about Caroline and Chloe being at JMU because they had asked if they would be able to get in touch with her on their own following the coach's initial contact. Lauren told Alden that she and Julie Darty Dennis, the head coach at Mississippi State, would talk and set up a time when someone from Academic Advising could contact her, aiming for Monday or Tuesday of next week.

***

Marc arrived at Sinclair Gymnasium at 4:15 and was able to watch the last bit of practice. He could see a few of the players going through the motions and others being crisp with their movement and drill work. As everyone passed him on their way off the floor and toward the JMU volleyball lounge, the core stopped and thanked him for coming as they knew some of their teammates needed this "coming to Jesus" moment because Lauren and them had not been able to get the lead out of their heads or bottoms when it came to their current state of affairs. After his girlfriend and her quartet of compatriots left the gym, Marc walked over to Lauren and confirmed his plans for the upcoming session before they made their way to the lounge.

Lauren: As you see, I have asked Marc to stop in to provide some thinking points before we leave for New York tomorrow, as this trip is VERY important on multiple fronts and the coaching staff and myself want you to be prepared for it, as more than half the roster has yet to experience the Boston-New York weekend. Marc?

Marc: Thank you, Lauren. I have two topics I'll be broaching with you today, the first of which is the level of distraction that will exist in those two megalopolises.

Seeing Hannah had raised her hand, Marc called upon her.

Hannah: Will there even be TIME to get distracted?

Lauren: Oh, yeah. This is one trip where we're able to get nonstop flights out of Charlottesville. Tomorrow's flight to New York will get in at 1:15pm, and we will be able to go into Manhattan after we check in and drop off our luggage at the hotel. Saturday's trip up to Boston lands at Logan at 12:50pm and there are plenty of things to see on both sides of the Charles River, so we'll have the coach doing a trip around the city or you can choose to stay near the hotel and spend the remainder of the afternoon and evening going on foot to various places.

Marc: Before I address that topic, I'd like to know how many of you come from a major metropolitan area like one of those on this trip?

Julia (Rio), Caroline (Raleigh), Emma (Philadelphia), Liz (Minneapolis), Cam (New Orleans), Rebecca (Washington, DC), Annie (Jupiter, FL), Sarah (Dallas), Madilyn (Louisville), and Sophia (Fort Lauderdale) raised their hands, as did Savannah and Chloe, since Williamsburg is considered a northern extension of the Hampton Roads Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA), with Virginia Beach the southern end of the MSA.

Marc: So a good number of you, then. Hearing that you're going to have time to peruse and carouse around the Big Apple and Beantown, it is essential that you be responsible with that freedom and not allow everything available in those areas to seep into your preparation for the two matches at hand.

Chloe: I'd consider myself a little bit sheltered as my parents decried the "debauchery" that existed if you went south of Williamsburg down the coast. They also weren't too happy about the, um, shading predominant among the residents of Hampton and Norfolk. My year at ECU DID get me a bit of an education of larger locales, as our conference had teams in Philadelphia, New Orleans, Memphis, Tampa, Orlando, Dallas, Houston, and Cincinnati. Even though I haven't done THIS trip, I'm hopeful I can use my experience to help our younger players navigate the balance of freedom and responsibility. Besides, the core needs to stay concentrated on keeping the team in good spirits and burning a few of their cheeks if necessary to get us through the two matches and back home 29-2.