June 3, 2009

As we are currently 30,000 feet above the Swiss Alps, composing the final blog of our European expedition, its hard not to think about the places we've been. The past two weeks have been busy to say the least. When people stop us in the airport to ask us who we are and what we were doing in Europe, their chins drop when we say we've been to five countries in only 14 days. It is fair to say that we are all pretty tired too. Our last hotel's rooms were smaller than Granville rooms and each was filled with four players and their load. Rome's treasures are at every corner and our attempts to see the most possible in a small amount of time resulted in some serious leg fatigue. That being said, there is really no other way to see such a historically-precious city than to walk the ways of the Romans, past and present.

Our final day was spent exploring Vatican City and all its splendors. I'm not sure I or even the Pope himself, could describe the incredible art, sculptures, and architecture of the ancient city-state. Where would he begin? The Sistine Chapel? Likely... but how do you sufficiently detail Michelangelo's masterpiece? It is grandiose and impressive on shear-size alone but the attention to detail as well as the story it tells is inspiring.

The Basilica? It is breathtaking from the floor to the ceiling; the statues and art that cover the walls is extraordinary not least Peter's tomb and the altar! One of my favorite areas was the map room. The walls were covered with massive paintings detailing the countryside and the areas of rule by the Holy Roman Empire. Our morning at the Vatican could cover 10 pages so we'll move on to the afternoon rematch against the Italian Junior National Team. Today's effort didn't yield a victory but we managed to squeak out a solid fifth game to end the trip with a win.

As graduated seniors, we watched next year's team compete at a very high level. Ingrid, Heather, Christine, and Shelbey look solid in the middle while Sue, Courtney, Lexi, Cami and Megan are doing great things as outside hitters. Kaylie played some amazing defense and serve-received like a pro. Erica will inherit a strong list of performers and the team will only get stronger as the newest batch of freshmen break into their positions. It's exciting to watch our teammates move into their roles and to relinquish ours.

Its emotional too, taking your jersey off for the very last time and wondering when the next time you'll wear knee pads. Bri heads home to Minnesota; Lauren is trekking through Africa this summer; Steph moves back to Buffalo for graduate school in the fall and is taking on a graduate assistant coaching role; Kelly is moving to Los Angeles to work for a production company. It's strange to think that these people you were so close to will now be so far away. No longer are we college athletes and I know when preseason rolls around in August, we will all feel like we should be somewhere that we aren't.

Thank you Coach for putting up with our goofiness (there really is no better way to describe it) and letting us be a part of something incredible. Thank you Erin, Travis, Ashley, and now Eve for working to make us better. Thank you Sally, Dr. Waicus, Greg, Eric, Wayne, Dr. Miller, Dr. Hedgpath, Mr. Blanchard, T.P., Tiffany and Mr. Baddour for your time and effort to make Carolina volleyball the program that it is. It is clear that we are surrounded by some of the classiest and most caring people possible.

Good luck next year Heels! We are looking forward to supporting you in the years to come!

Ciao, Ciao, Ciao...

Your faithful class of 2009 alumni, Kelly, Steph, Bri, and Lauren