December 16, 2021
National Semifinal day began with a bit of a stand-off in the fourth-floor hallway as several players and coaches were making their way toward the elevators to head to the Greater Columbus Convention Center for the morning sessions at the AVCA Convention.
Lauren (to Sarah and Marc): Good morning, you two! Have a good evening at the gaming tables?
Marc: Plenty good! Wasn't OVERLY lucky, but still had fun.
Ally: Was that ALL you did last night, or dare I say this morning?
Marc raised his rendition of The People's Eyebrow at Ally, wondering what she was getting at. When he noticed Lauren also looking askance at Sarah, his curiosity got the better of him.
Marc: What are you insinuating?
Lauren: Well, the look on your girlfriend's face is telling Ally and I something, because we've had that look a number of times in the past, and it usually means some kind of somethin' somethin' happened very recently.
Sarah covered her face with her hands as she realized the two women were hinting that she and Marc had been intimate before leaving their room.
Lauren: We have our Division I Coaches General Meeting at 9:15, so most of us need to be shoving off. We'll catch up with the two of you sometime before you head to the Badger Huddle.
Sarah: See ya.
The coaching staff and players left for the elevators while Ally waited on Marc and Sarah as she would otherwise be on her own until Michael got out of the Assistant Coaches General Meeting at 12:15. As the second elevator was about to close, Julie Darty Dennis stuck her foot between the doors to get it to re-open before she and Alden joined the left-behind JMU folks for the ride downstairs.
***
Marc and Alden had found a quiet space in the Greater Columbus Convention Center to have a more in-depth conversation than what transpired a month ago.
Marc: Is your semester finished at MSU?
Alden: I have a couple of exams to take while I'm here, then two to make up on Monday.
Marc: We finished up at JMU on Friday, but I had gotten our players' finals moved to the previous week in case we won our first and second-round matches to avoid what you're doing this week and early next.
Alden: That would have been nice. Since I've signed, can you tell me what I'll be facing when I arrive in the Fall?
Marc: Two players are transferring out and they're getting a middle blocker from Cincinnati along with you. You're adding back-row experience to the roster as there are currently two freshmen and Savannah on it, so competition for a place in the rotation will be minimal aside from how Lauren might choose to play on a given day. Have you seen any of the Dukes' matches from this season?
Alden: I got to see their first-round match against Brown and the regular season finale against Northeastern.
Marc: So you're aware of their use of a back-row hitter, then.
Alden: Yes.
Marc: I don't know if Lauren plans to stick with that or will revert to the standard 5-1 in 2022.
Alden: When we met up yesterday to run through our Friday on-court demonstration, I asked Lauren if the way we were setting up was a reasonable facsimile of their regular lineup, and she said it could very well be, but not for the opening rotation. We had myself, Caroline, and Charlie in the back row, with Michael, Sarah, and Miette across the front.
Marc jotted the six down on the back of a napkin and showed the formation to Alden.
Miette--------Sarah-----Michael
Charlie----Caroline----Alden
Marc: Like this?
Alden: Yes.
Marc: OK. Looks like Rotation 1 of their Shock-And-Awe set with you replacing Rebecca at serve, Charlie in place of Savannah, Michael for Sophia, Miette where Annie lines up, and Sarah in front of Caroline instead of Cameryn. If it's not the opening rotation, it could be Rotation 3 of the standard 5-1 with Savannah serving in 1 and Caroline in 2. The front row would have Cameryn's spot in 4, Miette in 5, and Rebecca in 6.
Alden: So, you and Sarah, huh?
Marc: Yes. One of those situations where someone crosses your path and you're never really the same after that. I first heard of her because of a full-field assist she contributed against Tennessee in the SEC quarterfinals last November, and then of course her filling in on the football team, but it was like nowhere near my consciousness that we'd meet away from a soccer stadium. Ends up I go to JMU for grad school, she comes to Virginia to hide out and use her remaining years of eligibility, I get the graduate assistantship in Academic Advising, am assigned to the advisor with the volleyball team in his portfolio, and it starts from there. Saw her at practice, then again in our apartment complex, and apparently it was squee at first conversation for her. We went on our official first date two months ago today.
Alden: Congratulations!
Marc: Chloe told me a little about you and her after I asked about what seemed to be some nonchalant flirting between the two of you at the end of our Skype call. Now, I'm asking you.
Alden: As I told you that day, I had gone through a terrible experience at East Carolina with the team and coaches freezing me out after I had come out. I went back my second year believing the new composition of the squad would be better with the incoming freshmen replacing the outgoing seniors. It wasn't and Chloe confided in me about her fears of being found out by the team and getting from them what I was. We made a bit of a pact to protect one another and it led to some accusations from the upperclassmen that I was either trying to turn Chloe or that we were both gay and therefore something might be going on between us. We get through the season and immediately enter the Portal. Julie saw me in there and contacted me within a day or two of having registered. Chloe's exit took a little more time as I think Lauren was giving William and Mary and Old Dominion first opportunity to pursue her. When nothing had happened by the National Signing Date, she reached out and made her pitch. The two of us talked about her decision and I told her that one of my fellow players at Triangle VB had been recruited by James Madison and had good things to say about the school. I didn't know at the time whether Caroline had chosen JMU or not, but Chloe must have done some research of her own and found out she had, which I think led to her committing and probably also led to her and Caroline becoming roommates, their common connection to me. Again, I didn't know either was there until you had them ambush me during our call. As for the flirting, I was expressing my interest in a possible relationship with her, which she confirmed after I congratulated her on the win against Penn State.
Marc's phone chimed, causing him to peek at it quickly.
SarahSmile: Where u at, baby?
Marc: Sarah's trying to find me because there's a session we're going to at 11 and we were planning to hit the Exhibit Hall before that. Glad to have had a chance to learn more about you and can I say you look quite nice for your star turn later with Julie at the Honors banquet.
Alden: Are you ALWAYS this smooth?!
Marc: Only with people I know I can be a clown around. In my real life, I am ridiculously shy.
Marc texted Sarah back quickly and gave her his location. He then stood up along with Alden, with the newest Duke hugging him and getting a peck on the top of her head in return.
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