(Photo courtesy of Matt Hill)
As time permits during the season, Holly will share her thoughts on the 2007 beach volleyball season on this page. Check back soon for her latest entry.
Journal Entry #1
Date: April 15, 2007
Subject: AVP Cuervo Gold Crown Ft. Lauderdale Open
Well, with only one week to prepare for our first tournament, I knew Logan and I would have a slow start. Our serving was inconsistent and unagressive, and our rhythm as a team was not there. Logan showed flashes of brilliance and I am excited to train more and find our game as a team. Serving, defense and more consistent sideouts will be our focus in the weeks to come. Thanks for reading and we'll see you on the beach in Dallas – Holly
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Journal Entry #2
Date: April 22, 2007
Subject: AVP Cuervo Gold Crown Dallas Open
With a short week of practice, and only windy weather to work with, we did our best to train our serve, sideout and defense. I saw an improvement in some areas, but we are still playing even with teams we shouldn't be. We need a lot of reps in every area. We have this upcoming week off, so we actually have a week and a half to prepare. I am looking forward to it. Logan and I are both great defensive players and our defense and the pressure we put on the other team is not where it should be. Hopefully, we can get a better base for Huntington beach where I would like to make a huge jump in our performance! Thanks for reading and we'll see you on the beach in Huntington – Holly
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Journal Entry #3
Date: May 7, 2007
Subject: AVP Cuervo Gold Crown Huntington Beach Open
I felt like we were ready to have a big weekend in Huntington and a breakthrough finish. My partner was bombing her jump serve and taking over matches, but we ran into a very hot Misty May and Kerri Walsh in the quarters. From there, we beat Pavley-Straton and then my game struggled. It was very windy and I did not do a good job serving or siding out! We lost to a very scrappy Lindquist team, but I was just so disappointed with my play. This week I will focus on my serving and sideout game a ton. Arizona could be our week! Thanks for reading and we'll see you on the beach – Holly
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Journal Entry #4
Date: May 27, 2007
Subject: AVP Louisville Open
Well, Louisville, Kentucky turned out to be a great breakthrough week for us. Friday was Logan's 26th birthday, we were without a coach, and hungry to play more consistent and dominant volleyball. Starting first round against the scrappy Akers/Hanson team, we redeemed our Hermosa loss with a dominant two-game victory. Friday night we faced EY and Nicole Branagh, both my former partners, and played solid and steady volleyball. Logan was dominant at the net and we put the pressure on our opponents with strong siding out and came away with the win. Saturday we faced Carrie Dodd and Tati Minello who we train with a lot, and have lost to this season a few times, but were able to bounce back from a weak first game to win games 2 and 3. Again Logan was bombing her serve and owning the net!!! I think our communication was better as a team because we were forced to discuss what was happening out there and I liked it. To reach the finals we faced the hot team of Tyra Turner and Rachel Wacholder. We groveled and fought and ended up winning 17-15 in the third with a great block from Logan. Oh it was sweet to put four very strong matches together in a row!!!
The final was disappointing because my side out game was not good enough to keep the pressure on them. We stayed with them till 10 and then let go. Logan showed great promise and had some big plays and serves in the final. I have a lot of work to do this week! We want more in Tampa and more teams will be gunning for us. Thanks for cheering for us, and we'll see you on the beach in Tampa – Holly
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Journal Entry #5
Date: June 11, 2007
Subject: AVP Atlanta Open
Frustrating… We are really struggling to find the rhythm we found in Louisville. We played well early and had a chance to beat Boss and Ross in 2 on Friday, but didn't finish the match strong. Saturday we started well, but were inconsistent in every aspect of our game against Hanson and Akers. The team-energy and consistency of our game needs to change in order for us to become the team we want to be. Every day I try to figure out how we can do this! Charleston would be a great place to start playing mature and consistent! Thanks for reading and we'll see you on the beach – Holly
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Journal Entry #6
Date: July 11, 2007
Subject: After AVP Seaside Heights Tournament
It became evident in Seaside Heights, New Jersey that I had to make a change. My partner and I no longer shared the same goals and enthusiasm for the game. I am looking for a new partner that will enjoy learning and improving as a team every day. I want to have some good finishes and qualify for Las Vegas and San Francisco. These are my goals for the rest of 2007 AVP season. Have fun and do my best! Thanks for cheering for us, and we'll see you on the beach – Holly
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