Under The Radar: A Redshirt Diary

From Bro to Bae

After the team got home on Sunday night and had put their gear away in their locker room in Godwin Hall, Savannah, Sophia, Sarah, and Marc walked back to the Grace Street Apartments. Sophia admitted she was looking forward to the season ending so she could pursue Dustin as he had already decided he would not be staying with the volleyball program in his current capacity. She then put the other three on the spit.

Sophia: Has Rebecca told her parents about you yet? I know yours had a front-row seat to you and her "coming out" following last Sunday's match.

Savannah: Her parents have known about her being gay for a couple of years now. As for my being her boo, she wants to wait until she's home for Thanksgiving to say anything as we're trying to plan semester break with each of us in the other's town for portions of it.

Sarah: She told me about that while we were on our tour of Boston yesterday and when you'd be looking to be where.

Sophia: I have to ask, Sarah, what's REALLY going on with the two of you? I know you're dating at some level because you've been more open about being seen together since Senior Day.

Sarah thought about bluffing Sophia about the level of commitment they had to one another, but decided to be honest instead.

Sarah: He and I are, well, taking it sort of slow, but not at a snail's pace.

Sophia: Bells in the future?

Sarah: Haven't discussed anything of that sort yet, but I want to believe there could be.

Marc: I'm hopeful about that possibility.

Sarah: You have any plans for next weekend?

Marc: Nothing other than watching sports on TV and keeping tabs on what's happening around the country related to your team's case for an at-large bid. Why?

Sarah: CBS and the NWSL would like me to be at the championship game on Saturday. Don't know yet what they have in mind. Because of the turmoil that went down in the league at the end of September/beginning of October, each player is being allowed three "family members" in Louisville, with the league picking up airfare, hotel, and tickets. Do you want to join me?

Marc: I'd have to be crazy to turn down that offer. We can talk about it more once you get additional details about the weekend.

After another five minutes of walking, the group arrived at Grace Street and crossed it to enter the apartment complex. The four of them rode the elevator up, with Marc getting off on the second floor and the other three going to the third. Once they had entered their apartments and Sarah had dropped off her volleyball backpack and luggage, she left and went downstairs to Marc's, where she would stay until morning, falling asleep in his embrace.

***

November 16, 2021

A very busy Tuesday was had around the JMU campus, starting at 5am with the arrival of the Convocation Center's volleyball court. Tori was on-hand to let the driver and his assistant into the building and to direct them to where she wanted the pallets of flooring to be parked. Knowing the Building Services crew would be arriving at 8, she slipped into one of the locker rooms and proceeded to grab a bit more sleep prior to then.

At 10:00, Lauren met up with Tori there to give the site a collective once-over and begin plotting out ideas for their three pre-Thanksgiving practices to best familiarize the players with the venue and its facets relative to those of Sinclair Gymnasium. Following that, the coach returned to Godwin and met with Sarah for a hour or so, pulling together their experiences with the waiting game and Selection Sunday as the field wouldn't be announced for another twelve days.