December 12, 2021
The JMU volleyball team gathered in the lobby of the Hilton Garden Inn ahead of returning to Harrisonburg and the start of their semester breaks. Sarah was with Savannah, Rebecca, Caroline, and Chloe, listening in on their coordination of post-Christmas plans. Check-out had been crisp and the student-athletes began loading the team bus for the 10-hour jaunt back to Virginia. Prior to stepping on, Lauren told Sarah that she would be allowed to stay with Marc for their entire trip rather than have to switch rooms on Tuesday and join her for the remaining nights in Columbus. After everyone had gotten into or onto their vehicles, the caravan headed for I-65 and left West Lafayette for Indianapolis, where the parents would split off to head to the airport, with the bus, Casey and the kids, and Michael's foursome bypassing the metropolis on their way to I-70.
While making their way to Columbus, the two couples in the car chatted about their upcoming days apart and plans for Convention itself.
Michael: Sarah said that you and her were planning to hit Easton Town and Schmidt's before Convention started. Have to say you seem to know your way around C-bus picking those.
Marc: I did some research on the city when I applied to grad school, as Capital was a place I was considering as well as JMU since they didn't require an education or psychology degree to enter the Counselor Education program.
Ally: I remember you mentioning on our trip to Purdue on Friday that you were planning to visit Trinity on Tuesday. Was the thought of seminary on your mind at the time, and why did you ultimately choose James Madison?
Marc: A little bit, but not a whole lot as I was looking specifically at high school guidance counseling as my post-graduate career. Sarah asked me during "20 Questions" what I would look to do if I chose to deviate from that path, and I said going to seminary and getting ordained would be my fallback. That was before I started working with the volleyball team.
Sarah got a message on her phone from Lauren asking about her and Marc's plans for Tuesday evening, which started up a conversation between the two.
CoachLauren: Having dinner with our players, Julie (Darty Dennis), and Alden after all of us arrive on Tuesday. You two want in?
SarahF32: Date night for the stud and I. Sorry.
Marc: Who's hitting you up, bae?
Sarah: Lauren. She was wondering if we were free for dinner Tuesday night. I told her we had our weekly date scheduled for that evening.
Ally: I continue to be impressed by how you make one another a priority and are willing to shut out the outside world to do so. We USED to do that when we were at OSU, but moving around the country has made it a little tougher to remain consistent with it.
As the caravan closed in on its splitting-off point near Dayton, some of the players dropped notes on their teammate and her boo.
BullDozier (to Marc): See the two of you in a couple of days. Thanks for your help yesterday. Even though it didn't correlate to us beating Purdue, it got our focus away from the challenge and toward the journey we had made. I'll make sure you're well-rewarded for it.
SavvyMarsh (to Sarah): When I see you back in Harrisonburg, you better have some stories from break of you and Marc.....or I will be QUITE disappointed.
IchBinMiette (to Sarah): Can you tell me how formal you'd expect the All-American banquet to be, so I know if I need to shop tomorrow for an outfit?
The two of them responded to their texts, then settled back for the last hour of their trip to Ohio's capital city.
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Under The Radar: A Redshirt Diary
FanfictionSarah Fuller was a goalkeeper on the Vanderbilt University women's soccer team, but is best-known for being the first woman to play in and score in a Power Five Football Bowl Subdivision game. Having finished her degree with two years of eligibility...
