Northern Colorado Volleyball

Find us on Facebook!

2011-01-25T10:11:00.002-07:00

We are now on Facebook...really. We created a group page before, but now we have a team page and we promise we will keep it updated so that you can be updated on the latest happenings with UNC Volleyball.

Save the Date

2011-01-25T10:08:00.002-07:00

Mark your calendar for the morning of Saturday, April 9 for our 3rd annual Women's Walk. It is a 30-minute walk around campus to raise money for women's athletic scholarships. You can find more details on our main website (www.uncbears.com) or you can contact Lyndsey to join her team!

Banquet

2011-01-21T10:35:00.004-07:00

This past Monday night we held our second anual volleyball banquet. We had 72 people come out to celebrate another successful year for the volleyball program. This year our record was 24-7. Of those seven losses, two of them were to ranked teams and only three of them came to a conference opponent (all the same one...).

Four of our athletes were honored with all-conference recognition. Ashley and Kelley were both voted to the first team (Kelley was voted unanimously). Marissa was voted to the second team and Amanda was awared with the Libero of the Year. To be honest, I believe that two more of our athletes could have had a great shot at being an all-conference selection.

As coaches, we really had a great time this season. We had very little drama to deal with, and very rarely had to push them to succeed. This team really did most of it on their own. They are a great bunch of your ladies and we are already looking forward to next year. Spring training started this week!

...And Video part 3

2010-12-07T15:05:00.002-07:00

Here is the last one...

Final Video part 2

2010-12-07T14:59:00.002-07:00

Here is the second part of the video...

The End...

2010-12-07T14:36:00.003-07:00

Well....we are done. The season finished last week in Portland... We beat Idaho State in another five game match (3rd one this year!), then got beat in five by Portland State (3rd one this year!).

The Idaho State match was pretty crazy. There is just something about that team that gets to us. We find ways to win, but it is rarely pretty... The girls just kept battling through it and made it work for us. Both times we played them during the season we lost the first two, then won in five. This one was less dramatic, but a five-gamer is always tough.

Our match against Portland State was rough. They came out ready to go! They took it to us the first two games...then we came back after the break to take the next two. Once again it came down to the fifth game, and once again Portland State found a way to take it late in the game.

In the locker room after the match our girls showed how awesome they truly are. They were so full of thanks. Thanks that they had the opportunity to play, thanks to the seniors for their drive and hard work, but most of all, thanks that they really loved being together. There were a lot of tears for sure, but in the end, we were proud of our season. The coaches were definitely proud of the team. I think the returners are already gearing up for next year!

I put together a little video for the girls (which we are watching together later today). I will have to cut it into a couple of parts in order to post it... Yes, our girls are great volleyball players (as evidence by our 24-7 record), but they truly love being together and have a ton of fun... Watch and enjoy.

Headed to Portland

2010-11-23T10:48:00.002-07:00

We just got back from Northern Arizona last Sunday. It was a really fun trip... I think one of the reasons I like the trip is the same reason that it wears us out so badly. We fly into Phoenix, then drive the 2 1/2 hours to Flagstaff...then have to drive back on Sunday morning. It is a lot of travel time within 36 hours. We all really like the van rides though. Each van has its own little subculture.

The match at NAU went well. We dropped game two to them. Credit their feisty defense. They are always tough at home (have you picked up a pattern this year...?), but we found a way to overpower them in the last two sets.

The week before last we played Eastern Washington and Portland State at home. Eastern was the only conference team to beat us last year on our home floor. That wasn't going to happen this year though. The girls were fired up and took care of business in three. Portland State was a tougher match. They were the only conference team we hadn't beat this year and the match was for the conference title. We dropped the first set, won two and three, then dropped the fourth and fifth sets. It was a tough loss for us. Yet, it is all part of the deal. We need to learn how to play with that kind of pressure on us. While we played fairly well, we really didn't play at a championship level. Portland State is a very talented team. They have several legit weapons. I do think that there are a few things that we can clean up and we can take them in the conference tournament.

Speaking of the tournament, we leave Thursday morning. No Thanksgiving at home this year (or next...). That is ok though. Our team really is our second family, so we don't feel too bad about it. We will travel, practice and have a "dessert banquet" Thursday, then have a practice Friday morning around 11. We will be playing Idaho State on Friday around 5:30. If we win that one, we will play the winner of Portland State and Montana on Saturday night. Whoever wins that match will move onto the NCAA tournament. All the work, all the time, all the effort that we put in all year comes down to taking care of business this coming weekend. Should be a lot of fun!

Well, wish us luck! Hopefully we won't get caught in airport security! That would not be good... I am sure we will be fine though. Have a great Thanksgiving...I know we will!

Everyday...something new...

2010-11-08T11:41:00.005-07:00

Wow, this was a good weekend to be a part of Bear's volleyball. We headed to Montana this past weekend to play both Montana and Montana State. For some reason, we have always struggled playing Montana at their place. In the five years we have been in the conference, we have never beat them there... Our girls were fired up to play them; but in a more business-like way this time. We struggled through the first few points, but then turned it on to beat them in three. It honestly was a little anti-climactic. We are not complaining though. We will take the win.

We then drove to Montana State on Saturday morning (more on that in a minute). We have had some solid success in Bozeman, but we also knew that Montana State is solid at home. They put up a great fight and it went four, but we ended up taking the match. I love their crowd. They always have a bunch of people there that are cheering for their team, even when they may be struggling. Great place for volleyball.

Even though we have had a tough go of it in Montana in the past, our girls still love this trip because of the food! Both towns have Mackenzie River Pizza Co restaurants in them and it is a favorite. Also, we usually go to Famous Daves after our Montana State match... This year was no exception. The picture below is Amanda Arterburn falling asleep at the table after our second match of the weekend.... she was tuckered out.

As I mentioned before, we drove from Missoula to Bozeman on Saturday morning. I love the drive because it is beautiful country. The girls usually fall asleep for a while, then pick up the conversation once we get closer to our destination. This year, they decided to play a little game called "Hey Cow!" Julie Stephenson introduced the game to them and Tom's van decided to try it out. The game consists of finding cows as you drive down the interstate, then rolling down your window and yelling "Hey Cow!" at them as you speed by. If the cow looks up, you earn points. The more cows that look, the more points you get. This is a quick look at the game recorded on Tom's phone...

Our girls are silly....and we love it.

Two more wins at home

2010-11-02T11:57:00.006-06:00

Wow... So we tied another school record the other night...one mark that we wish we didn't get to. We played four five-set matches in a row dating back to our match against Portland State. Three weeks of five-gamers about killed me! We came out of it 3-1 which is pretty great considering that three of them were on the road, and the last one we were down 2 games to none!

Speaking of that match, Idaho State came in to play us last Thursday night.... And they came to play! They were very very good in the first two sets. We just couldn't get a ball to go down. There were frustrating two of the best hitters in the conference (Ashley and Kelley). Luckily for the rest of our team, Julie and Brittany really stepped up. Julie had a career high 17 kills and Brit added 12 of her own. Both hit in the .300's. As the match wore on, both Kelley and Ash found ways to start scoring and that put the Bangles on their heals. We came out in game three a little slow, but then decided it was time to take care of business. As the game wore on it became apparent that the Bears refused to lose the match. We worked hard and efficiently to win the match in 5. Again, credit Idaho State for some amazing defensive plays.

This marked the second time this season that we dropped the first two sets to Idaho State, then proceeded to win the match in five. We did the same at their place in September. It is like our girls need to feel that pressure before then come out and get after it... The good news is...they find ways to win. It may not always be pretty, but they find a way.

Saturday night was senior night. We had it a couple of weeks early because Ashley's mom would not have been able to make it if we had it during our last home match. It was a great night for her to be there too. Ashley got 16 kills and hit .609 on the night, which included her 1000th career kill as a Bear...only the 14th player ever to reach that mark. Abbie Howe, another senior, also had a great night posting a career high 14 digs. Our last senior, Julie Stephenson continued her great play hitting over .300 for the second night.

Ashley's 1000th kill

We had a little banquet after the match which was fun. But...it didn't quite have that senior night feel. There were several speeches, thank yous, and cards being handed around...but not a whole lot of tears. I think it is because we all know that we have a lot of work to do before we accomplish our goals. Keep an eye out...it is a great time to be a BEAR!

Another Crazy Win

2010-10-26T11:33:00.005-06:00

Wow, what another crazy weekend. We have played three five game matches in a row! Thank goodness we came out of it 2-1.

Sacramento State has a reputation for being very good on their home floor...and they did not disappoint. From the first point of the match they came out swinging. It took a little while for our girls to come around, but eventually we did. In the fifth game, we were up most of the game, but then couldn't come up with the plays to finish the match. We were up 13-11, then suddenly down 13-14. We sided out with a tip from Kelley, then made a couple plays (and took advantage of a couple of their errors) to finish the match. Sac State is a solid team, especially at home. I definitely credit them with some very hard play. We fortunately came out with the win.

Of course, no trip to California is complete without a visit to In-N-Out. Brittany, Marissa, and Tom are all California natives, so it was a little slice of home-heaven for them. Everyone else on the team took the opportunity to enjoy a burger you just can't get here in Colorado. Although...on our trip to Weber State this past month, we did see an In-N-Out nearing completion in Salt Lake city...

Over all it was a good trip. Girls were tired (as were the coaches) when we got home.

Bears Split on the Road

2010-10-19T08:56:00.003-06:00

We just got back from a pretty tough weekend. We headed to Portland State on Thursday afternoon and played Portland State Friday night. As expected, their crowd was what their usual selves. They can get...how can we say...a little rowdy. They always have a group of guys that are a bit obnoxious, but in a lot of ways, it creates a fun atmosphere. They had two guys dressed head to toe in green spandex...you couldn't even see their faces. They were pretty funny. Thank goodness we practiced for it the whole week before...(no...I didn't wear spandex during practice, but I did taunt them). The match didn't work out in our favor as we dropped the match in five. That is OK though...we have never even taken a set off them in their gym, so it shows our girls that we can not play our best and we can still beat them. Plus, if you are going to pick up a loss, five games is the best way to do it.

Saturday morning we headed to Spokane to play Eastern Washington. Their record isn't great this year, but they have been very good at home. Having to fly between the two cities and being kind of rushed from one place to the next is tough on the team...let alone losing a five game match the night before. Our girls were in good spirits though. We came out a bit slow, but turned it around by game four to win in five...again. Ten games over the course of two days! That is a lot of volleyball!

I attached a short film of us at Eastern right before our practice. Because the conference tournament was there last year, we almost felt at home in their building (minus the yelling and taunting from their crowd). We sometimes do the "hit the roof" challenge. Their ceiling in their gym is ridiculously high. So much so that we challenge each other to hit the roof with a volleyball. That may seem like it isn't too hard...but like I mentioned, the ceiling is WAY up there. This is Amanda and Jenny going after it...

Homecoming Week

2010-10-12T13:22:00.008-06:00

Sorry this is once again delayed. Although we have been at home for the past weeks, we always seem to find a way to stay very busy...

A few things have happened since I last updated this blog. The team walked in our annual Homecoming parade, which was very fun for the girls. It seems to be pretty rare that we get to be around for our homecoming week. It was great to be able to take part in the festivities and attend the football game, even for a little while.

As far as volleyball goes, we have been having quite a nice stretch. As mentioned above, we have been home for three weeks for a total of five matches. One of them was against Colorado State, who, we found out, is ranked 18th in the country for a reason. They are definitely a talented team, but I think we all feel as if we didn't play our best.

The other four matches were against Big Sky opponents. First, we beat Sacramento State in four games. Then, two weeks ago we beat Northern Arizona in three games. Last weekend, we faced off against Montana State on Thursday night (we won in three), and Montana on Saturday night. The Montana match was great because they were ranked in the pre-season pole above us. Anytime you can beat someone ranked above you it is a good thing. Plus, after we got out of the break between games 2 and 3, we started putting it together. After that point we outscored them 46-18. They are a solid team, but our girls really stepped up to the challenge and beat them.

The interesting thing about that last match was Julie. During our passing warm up I saw her on the sidelines with a water cup pressed against her head. I asked her what was wrong and she said she was getting a migraine. Not such great timing. Katie (our athletic trainer) called the doc, who rushed to Julie's aid. During the national anthem, Katie and the doc pulled her from the lineup to administer aid to help her head. In the video I am attaching, notice that she is missing when her name is called, but she runs in RIGHT as we run out to exchange hand-shakes. Again, timing is sometimes everything...

Crazy weekend!

2010-09-22T11:21:00.003-06:00

Wow, another crazy weekend for the Bears! We ended up escaping with two important wins against Weber and Idaho State...

The Weber match was not terribly pretty. Our girls came out fairly strong, but then kind of fell into a lapse. Weber capitalized on it to take the first set. After that, I think our girls were a little upset and decided it was time to play. We finished the match out in four against a young Weber State team. They were playing almost all freshman and sophomores, so we expect them to improve a lot by the next time we see them at our place.

The Idaho State match was crazy. They have had an excellent pre-season with some very good wins. Both teams came out swinging and it was close most of the first game. Then, Idaho State took advantage of a few of our errors to beat us. Then, in game two, we came out strong to take a 5-1 lead...only to watch Idaho State creep back into the game and tie it at 16. Again, they took care of the ball better than we did to go up two games to none. During break, Coach Benson really challenged the team to step up to the challenge. Idaho State is a very solid team and we fully expect them to be in the conference tournament this year. Our girls came out on fire. This time, we took advantage of their mistakes to take both games three and four. Game five was back and forth until it was 11-11. Then, with the help of some great defense and the offensive play of Ashley, we pulled out the win. The crowd fell silent as Ashley and Natalie blocked the final ball.

One of the best parts of the Weber/Idaho State trip is the food. About five years ago, one of our assistants (Paul Richardson) found a small restaurant called Lee's Mongolia BBQ. We go there every year. Our travel roster included four girls who had never been before so it was quite the adventure. I took a couple of short videos on my phone so I could put them up on the blog.

Next up is Sacramento State here in Butler Hancock Sports Pavilion. We are excited to be home after a couple of weeks on the road. We are hoping to have a great crowd out some come check us out!

Wyoming Weekend

2010-09-15T10:17:00.002-06:00

Well, it didn't finish as we would have hoped, but it was still a good weekend. We were up in Wyoming this past weekend. We played two solid programs and came away with wins, but lost to host Wyoming Saturday afternoon.

It started as a nice and convenient bus trip up highway 85. As we got to Laramie we practiced for a little while in their gym. Some of the girls, especially the middle blockers, noticed the additional 2,000+ feet of elevation. After practice we headed over to a local chain restaurant. We were told that it would be a little wait to get us in...45 minutes later (and they seated several mid-sized parties) we left vowing not to return. Instead we headed to McAlisters. They were awesome.

The first two matches went really well. We controlled the match pretty well, only allowing a couple runs of points. We beat Texas-Arlington on Friday afternoon, then beat Portland on Saturday morning. Both of which were good wins for us. Then we came up against Wyoming on Saturday afternoon. They played really well against us and we did not have much of a response. I guess that happens from time to time. That is ok though. They are a solid team that I think is going to surprise some people in their conference.

I have attached a short video from this weekend. This took place in the tunnel leading out to the gym floor. The girls made a little tunnel for the coaches to run through. Luckily, I caught Jenny running through it as they all sang for her. Our girls are so goofy! I love it.

We are headed to Utah and Idaho this weekend. We are playing Weber State on Friday night, and Idaho State on Saturday night. Both teams have some great talent and always play very tough on their home floor. We are looking forward to the trip. I am sure our girls will rise to the challenge!

Still on a roll!

2010-09-08T11:58:00.004-06:00

It has been a good week to be a Bear! Since the last time I updated the blog we beat UMKC, South Dakota, Fairfield, and Georgia. We won our home tournament last weekend! It was pretty great to do that in front of our home crowd.

The Georgia match specifically was amazing...even epic. We won game one by a couple of points before falling in a disappointing game two. Game three was crazy. We ended up running out of subs at 24-24. Jill Dawson, one of our defensive and serving specialists subbed in for our middle, Ashley Lichtenberg. Jill scored a crucial point, but then Georgia sided-out. We went back and forth with them for what seemed forever...until we realized that we were out of subs and Jill was going to have to play front row! Jill played outside hitter, and the others around her just filled in wherever we could. Julie played middle for a rotation, as did Bre W. It was nuts! Then, Jill went back to the back row, and we won the match before she got back to the front...38-36. It was intense. We ended up winning game five 15-11. Crazy match.

Last night we played Denver. We have had a really tough time with them the past few years, but this time we took care of our business and beat them in three. For all of our girls, it was the first time we have beat them in the fall, so that was great.

We leave tomorrow for Wyoming. We will be playing Texas-Arlington on Friday, and Portland and Wyoming on Saturday. This is going to be a tough weekend! I think our girls are up to the challenge though. I guess we will have to wait and see. Should be fun though.

Go Bears!

We beat Air Force

2010-09-02T12:17:00.003-06:00

On Tuesday night we opened with our first home match of the year. Air Force came up to play us. If you read the article, you will know that we started a little slow. I think there may have been some nerves involved because of having our home crowd there. On one side, there is an unsaid pressure to live up to last year's successes. On the other side, we have a whole new team with a very different personality than last year. I think it is going to take a few matches here and there to work through all the little stuff and for this team to fully define itself.

As the match progressed things got much better. We started finding the flow and attacking them. Much more fun on the bench when the girls step up to the challenge! This may be one of the most competitive group of girls we have ever had... When the competitive edge comes out on the floor, watch out!

Our next round of matches are this weekend. We play UMKC tomorrow afternoon at 2, then South Dakota at 7pm. On Saturday we play Fairfield at 9am (wow...early), then Georgia at 8pm (wow...late). It will be fun because we may actually be able to attend our home football game between the matches!

Go Bears!!

First Weekend in San Diego

2010-08-31T09:33:00.004-06:00

Well, we just got back from our first weekend of competition. It was a good time as many of our girls had never been to California before, yet it was a homecoming for several of us. One of the best things about this weekend was the parent support! Every match we played this weekend, we probably had as many or more people in the crowd than theopposing team did. I know that the coaches and the girls really appreciate the effort of all the parents that came.

Our match against Cincinnati was pretty solid. They came in as a team receiving votes for top 25. They finished ranked 44th last year and didn't lose any starters. We took a game off them and lost a couple of the other games by just a couple of points. Overall we were pleased with the performance our athletes put forward. They worked hard. We had moments of greatness in our first match of the season.

Our second match against San Diego State wasn't as pretty. We really struggled with some of the small details. SDSU played very well against us and made very few errors, so kudos to them. We definitely walked away from that match with many things that we need to work on.

The last match of the weekend was against CSU Northridge. They were definitely a solid team and they played hard against us. We ended up working through a lot of struggles to pull out a victory in that match. I thought my heart was going to beat out of my chest during that last run of set 5. It was good to win that one though. Like Lyndsey said in her interview, that will be one that we look back at and draw strength from late in the season.

We have our home opener tonight against Air Force, and our home tournament this coming weekend. We will have four matches this weekend! Going to be pretty busy from now until then preparing.

The picture above is from Coronado Island looking across San Diego bay at down town. This is one of my favorite views anywhere.

First Week!

2010-08-16T13:15:00.002-06:00

Holy Moly things are flying by! We are so busy that I hardly have time to sit down!

We just completed our first week of training. Our girls are doing great and we are all having a lot of fun. Many of the girls are pretty sore, but they are working through it. In another week, we will be ready to go.

We have done some really fun things since the last time I put a posting up... We have had a dinner for both the freshmen and sophomores classes. We also had a karaoke party. Of course I recorded it... I will be sure to put a short clip up soon, that is, as soon as I can find a few minutes!

Still moving into the new facility. We are almost settled, but our offices aren't quite totally put together yet. Soon.

Well, off to another practice.

It Has Begun!

2010-08-08T17:30:00.003-06:00

Didn't we just finish our season? Just kidding... Our girls reported today. Today was set aside for several meetings, physical, tests, and paperwork. Plus, we have a fun dinner planned for tonight at a local park. Tomorrow, the real work begins.

This is going to be another great season. We lost four great seniors last year, but with our returning athletes and the addition of our new 2010's, we are just as physical and talented as we have ever been. We may take a few bumps early in the season, but look for us to finish very strong.

It is apparent from our first meeting this morning that our girls are ready for the season. We talked with them for about thirty minutes and they could hardly sit still. They are so excited! The coaches are excited to. We just had our first meeting to look over practice plans. It is always a little daunting trying to dial in the correct amount of technical instruction in contrast to team play, but that is why we are doing two-a-days! Lyndsey really has a great vision for the team. It is a great day to be a Bear!

Sorry it has been so long since this has been updated. Very busy summer. Plus, we just moved back into Butler-Hancock. I will be sure to take some great pictures to put up. I will also be sure to keep you all updated on our progress.

Go Bears!

2010-06-03T15:23:00.006-06:00

20010 Summer Camps

The Northern Colorado Bears are proud to present our camp scheduled for summer, 2010. There are several ways to sign up for camps. The easiest way is to visit http://www.uncbears.com/information/camps/index and scroll to the bottom to find the volleyball camps, then click on the link to sign up.

3-Day Camps
We offer two Three-Day Player Development Camps. The purpose of these camps is to improve the individual skill level of the athletes and provide game play experience.

Dates: July 8-10, July 14-17
Cost: Day Camper; $200, Resident Camper; $280
Where: Northern Colorado Recreation Center
Grades: 4-12 (boys and girls)

We also offer a very competitive College Prep Camp. This is designed more for athletes that have aspirations to compete at the next level. We focus on higher level skills as well as game play. The design is similar to a college practice.

Dates: July 18-20.
Cost: Day Camper; $200, Resident Camper; $280
Where: Northern Colorado Recreation Center
Grades: 9-12

1-Day Clinics

Setting Clinic: This camp is designed to help the athlete create a base of setting skills as well as teaching the technical aspects of jump setting, first tempo sets, and combination sets.

Date: July 13
Cost: $90
Where: Northern Colorado Recreation Center
Grades: 4-12 (boys and girls)

Defensive Clinic: In the defensive clinic, all floor skills are taught along with seam coverage, overhead digging, serve receive and team defense.

Date: July 12
Cost: $90
Where: Northern Colorado Recreation Center
Grades: 4-12 (boys and girls)

Hitting Clinic: The hitting clinic breaks down the technical aspects of attacking as well as backrow attack, first tempo attacks, set combinations, and scoring and against a block. Blocking will also be covered.

Date: July 13
Cost: $90
Where: Northern Colorado Recreation Center
Grades: 4-12 (boys and girls)

See you on the court!

The Dreaded Pirate Bike!

2010-05-10T11:53:00.002-06:00

I hope you enjoy watching this as much as I enjoyed making it. It is so great that our girls are willing to try just about anything. This was a pretty tough course they had to ride. A lot of them did well...some others...not so much. Don't worry, they laughed plenty at themselves.

End of the Season

2010-05-05T14:14:00.004-06:00

Hey all, I can't believe I am saying this, but we are all done for another season. Last weekend we had our end-of-the-season party at Lyndsey's condo. It was a lot of fun. We got together and had some food from our friends at Panda Express, then watched our Pirate film.

If you didn't know, every year during our fall pre-season, we do a fun team-building event. This last year the theme was Pirates. There were several different adventures we sent them on as they had to find clues to where the treasure was. One of the adventures was the agility course. By far, it was the most fun for the girls to watch. So...I edited it down so I could put it on this blog page! I couldn't put it all on one video because the file would be too big, so I cut it down. Here is the "Pay the Piper" part of the course, as well as the Hoops challenge. I will put up the "dreaded" bike portion up soon. Enjoy!

Ultimate Workout

2010-04-24T20:43:00.003-06:00

A week or so ago we took a day off from our "normal" training and headed outside to play some ultimate Frisbee. And although it may just sound like a good time, our girls got a great work out from running all over the field, they learned how to compete in a sport different than volleyball, and they learned how to strategize (at least one of the teams did). It was a ton of fun and our girls had a great time.

Easter Egg Hunt

2010-04-07T17:02:00.002-06:00

On Friday, April 2nd, the team was given a mission...a mission to find candy filled Easter Eggs spread around the South Fields. Our Easter Bunny (Kenzie Shreeve) did an excellent job hiding the eggs. Some were pretty obvious (you know, for the younger kids on the team), and some were much more difficult. The athletes ran around like little kids trying to find these little joyous prizes. In the end, everyone had a great time...but got maybe a little hyper from the sugar high. Of course, as always, here is a little video of the excursion.

We hope you all enjoyed the holiday weekend. I know we did.

First weekend of Spring Volleyball

2010-03-31T09:45:00.003-06:00

Spring season is here and we had the opportunity to host a total of 16 teams here on campus last Saturday. They gym was full and alive as people from all over the state (and a couple surrounding states) came to watch some great early-spring volleyball.

We actually split our team into two even teams. Both teams played well all day with only one loss apiece. They ended up playing each other in the play-offs. It was such a different feeling than when we play each other in practice. With the refs and fans, there was so much energy and excitement that we just can't replicate in our day-to-day practices. It was a tight match that ended up going three games. In all, we were very pleased with where we are at this point in the season.

Many people have asked us if we think that this next season is going to be a "rebuilding" year. With losing four seniors that were impact players, I can see how people can think that. The reality...at least in our minds...is that we are going to have another great season in 2010. Yes, we did lose some very key athletes, but we also feel that we have some great athletes coming up and ready to take their turn in the spotlight. We may be a bit younger next year, but all signs point to us making another run to the top! We hope you stay tuned...it is a great time to be a BEAR!

NCAA Round One

2010-03-22T12:13:00.003-06:00

These are some highlights of our first ever NCAA DI appearance. We were seeded against the #6 ranked Washington Huskies. We played this match in Fort Collins, which was great because all of our fans could come to watch it. Also, the fans for the CSU Rams (who played right after us) cheered us on. We ended up winning the first game, and stayed close for the last three. It was a great showing for the Bears and the standing ovation at the end of the match showed the crowd's appreciation.

Big Sky Conference Championship Highlights

2010-03-19T11:42:00.004-06:00

Here are some of the highlights from the championship match against Portland State. We ended up winning in four, but it never really felt like we weren't in control of the match...

Semi-final Highlights

2010-03-17T12:27:00.003-06:00

I haven't put our highlights up from our end-of-the-season run from last year yet... As a staff we were talking about the end of the season and how much fun it was. I decided to watch our highlight film and I got all fired up. Figured you might like to see some of it. I broke it into three segments because it was too big to post at one time. This is the Semi-Final match vs Eastern Washington. We ended up winning it in five games, 15-13. It was a great match! Enjoy some of the highlights.

Mascot Challenge

2010-03-12T10:16:00.003-07:00

So...I found this extra footage...it was at the end of the Day of Dance footage (Angela, our volunteer assistant took the footage). At the end of the Day of Dance, they had a Mascot dance-off. Three of our girls volunteered to dress up in the costumes and put on a show for the audience. When I saw this, I almost fell out of my chair. It is days like these that I really love my job....

Day of Dance

2010-03-11T10:24:00.002-07:00

On February 27th our team headed out to the Family Fun Plex here in Greeley in order to participate in the Day of Dance. Dance is a great way for people of all ages to get some physical activity in their lives...plus, it is a lot of fun. Here is a short video that shows our team involved in some of the activities.

Conditioning?

2010-03-01T10:25:00.008-07:00

Last Friday the girls were getting ready for our normal condtioning... Joe Schaffer (our head strength and conditioning coach) showed up with Taylor (one of our former players) and a football. Our girls amost did flips! They were so excited that #1) they weren't going to have to run staduims, and #2) that there was going to be a game involved. We ended up playing ultimate frisbee, but with the football. Our girls get super competitive in those situations. They were diving around, crashing into each other, and falling all over the place. All the while, the field still had quite a bit of snow on it and was covered in mud. I took a few pictures, but they don't do it justice. It was a really fun time. Just don't tell the girls that they also got a great workout!

Valentine's Day Dance

2010-02-17T16:43:00.004-07:00

On the 15th of February, we once again took our girls over to the local senior home. They were having a Valentine's day dance and we were invited. Of course we accepted! It was a ton of fun as our girls learned several dances, then used their new-found skills with the seniors. At the end of the dance, the seniors requested to see the team dance the way they do "now-a-days." It was great fun.

NGWSD

2010-02-16T09:56:00.004-07:00

On Feb 11th, the University of Northern Colorado's Athletic Department invited young ladies from the local area to participate in the NGWSD.... The National Girls and Women in Sports Day. It was a lot of fun watching all these young ones running around playing a bunch of different sports. Here is a short video to show how it went....of course, Volleyball is highlighted in the sport...but what do you expect, right?

Spring Training!

2010-02-02T17:14:00.005-07:00

Here we are, just starting off our Spring season and our kids have already been in the gym for three weeks! As of now, we are running individual groups. Each athlete is allowed two hours of instruction per week. So, we divide that into three forty minute segments. Then, we divide them into position groups. Tom works with the middle blockers, Jenny works with the defensive kids, and the outsides with their ball control and defense, and Lyndsey works with the setters and the outsides with attacking. It is great that we can all compliment each other so well.

Many people think that we just work out in the fall, and we are done... I would bet that if you ask our athletes which season was more difficult for them to get through they would all say that the Spring is more tough than the Fall. In the Fall, you get to compete every week. In the Spring, it is drilling, reps, lifting, and conditioning. Right now, Fall seems so far away, yet our girls are already working for another Big Sky Championship. Here is a quick video to show you what it looks like...

2009 Banquet

2010-01-20T13:12:00.004-07:00

Last Wed night (Jan 13th) we had our first end-of-the-year banquet. It was a huge success. It was a great way to cap off our great season of play, while being able to send off our seniors in style. We held it in our universtiy center's Panarama room. Almost 90 people there including the team, coaches, parents, boosters, administrators, and people who are just fans of our program. It all started off with an inspiring speach from our Athletic Director, Jay Hinrichs, and ended with our final video. Here is a quick look at the evening.

Back in the Office!

2010-01-06T09:16:00.005-07:00

Well, as coaches we got back into the office this week. All three of us had our little adventures over break. Lyndsey just got back from California where she went to a taping of the "Price is Right." The episode is going to air on TV on Feb 17th....look for her right behind contestant's row. She kept yelling "ONE DOLLAR!!" Jenny went back up to the mountains for a week, then to Minnesota for a while. Tom headed to Phoenix and Albuquerque to see family.

The good news is that we are all back and preparing for the Spring Season. To let you know how it works for our athletes....

They will be in the weight room and conditioning four days a week. This time of year is designed to really work them hard. We are working on building strength, endurance, quickness, and mental toughness. If you saw some of the things these girls work through, you would be incredibly impressed. Lots of stadium sprints, court sprints, jumping...the list goes on. Joe Shaffer, our head strength and conditioning coach does a great job taking our athletes to the next level.

Then, as far as training volleyball goes, the first seven weeks are individual workouts with the coaches. Each athlete is allowed to be in the gym getting instruction for two hours a week. We break these up into three forty minute sessions. Each position comes in for specific work. For example, the middle blockers will come in and will work on blocking or offense that is specific to the middle blocker. Then, setters will come in and set/play right back defense/block on the right side. Then, the outside hitters will come in and work on...well, basically everything (outside hitters do it ALL!). The last group are the defenders. They will serve receive and work on specific defensive moves. We see a TON of growth during these sessions. We will have three coaches watching 2-4 athletes at a time. Lots of instruction, great focus on skills.

Then, after Spring Break, we have six weeks of team practice. This is a great time to bring the team together to work together on the individual skills that we have developed in the individual sessions. We also have four competition dates, usually the four Saturdays in April. I am sure I will keep you updated on the dates. Most of the time we play against local teams including Denver, Colorado State, Colorado, and several of the local DII schools.

I, personally, love the Spring because you see so much improvement in the athletes, especially the younger kids. Also, the tournaments are fairly informal, so we can stop play if we need to and talk to the team. It is a pretty amazing contrast to our last match...which was very formal.

Well, the girls start classes on Monday, Jan 11th. Looking forward to having them back in town. I can speak for all of the coaches when I say that the reason that we do what we do is because of the interaction with our great young ladies. They are truly a joy to be around....most of the time that is....

Wow...

2009-12-07T13:47:00.003-07:00

I can't believe it is done. Last night we had our Christmas party and that signals the end of our season.

The end of our year was awesome. The day after we won the Big Sky Conference championship, we all met at Old Chicago's to watch the ESPN selection show. It was a standing-room-only crowd as we got to hear our name called out on live TV! It was an exciting time to be a Bear!

After that, we had a chance to play #6 ranked Washington in the first round of the NCAA tournament. We played them tough, taking the first game from them. We also had great chances in games 3 and 4. Alas, we fell to the Huskies, but we had a great showing.

As coaches, we just want to take a moment to all of you who have been coming to our matches, following us on Big Sky TV, or even following this blog. We really appreciate your support. It means more to us and our athletes than you probably know. It has been a real privilege being a part of this program this year. Now, it is time for a bit of a break....some holiday fun with family, then back to work in mid-January to prepare for next season!

Make sure to keep up on the blog though! The Spring season is always full of fun little things that we do as a program. Just because our competitive season is done it doesn't mean that we go away...oh no. I think our returning players are already imagining hoisting another trophy next year!

From all of us here to all of you, have a great holiday season!

The Wagon!

2009-12-02T12:22:00.003-07:00

This short video is from the 15' Wagon in Spokane. We stopped by the wagon for a little photo shoot after our morning practice on the day we won the conference tournament.

The picture of the girls on the slide is particularly memorable. The girls on the bottom were supporting the weight of all of the girls above, so they were getting extremely uncomfortable as the girls above kept stacking on. A couple of our kids got a nice bruise or two, but it was well worth it. We all had a good chuckle about it... Then won the tournament!

Introductions...

2009-12-01T09:11:00.003-07:00

Thanksgiving night we had a dessert banquet where we were asked to introduce ourselves "creatively" and to tell a story about the coaching staff/team. While the other team did a basic introduction, this is what our girls came up with....

The song in from a Saturday Night Live skit with Will Ferrell. Funny stuff.

We Did It!

2009-11-29T11:36:00.006-07:00

For all of you out there that may be following this, but have not heard, we won the conference tournament last night! It was a great match between us and Portland State, and we beat them in four. Our girls did a great job this weekend. I have a bunch of video and photos that I will be putting up on the blog soon...just don't have time right now. We are headed out to watch the selection show on ESPN to find out where we are playing next week in the NCAA tournament!

Keep an eye out...lots of great stuff coming. We had a really fun weekend...

Senior Night Video

2009-11-27T10:24:00.003-07:00

This is the video I put together for senior night...at least the first half of it. I couldn't make the file small enough while still retaining a good quality. So, here is the first half, which is a look back at our senior's trip here at Northern Colorado. You will notice that there isn't any volleyball in this, which was on purpose. Our girls do so much more than just volleyball... enjoy.

Bears Win on Senior Night

2009-11-23T09:56:00.003-07:00

As we entered the match on Saturday night, we were really trying to keep emotions at bay. It was tough though as we knew that four of our athletes would never compete on our home floor in a Bear's uniform again. It was tough though, as we choked back tears during their introductions. It just goes to show how much we care for our athletes.

One we were on the floor though, the girls got to work. Minus a bit of a hiccup during game three, we took care of a very feisty Northern Arizona Team. It was really fun to watch as all of our seniors contributed to a great match.

After the match we had a celebration for our seniors and family (about 50 people) in the High Plains Club in our football stadium. It was a great time of sharing memories of the seniors' journey and contributions to our program. Then, we showed a video of our seniors (I will try to get it posted today...). Good times.

Now, it is back to business. On Friday night we are going to be taking on Eastern Washington back on their home court. No one ever said that winning a conference championship was going to be easy... and the road we are about to travel is rough and winding...but if our girls can muster the courage and fortitude to forage on, we have a great shot at bringing to tournament trophy home to Greeley.

Tough Weekend, Bright Forecast

2009-11-19T10:49:00.004-07:00

Yes, it is true that we had a really tough weekend (if you saw the scores, you know it was REALLY tough). Every teams has their letdowns and we are no exception. What really matters is how we handle the situation and how we are prepared to change it the next time we are faced with the same circumstances.

With the losses to both Eastern Washington and Portland State, we are probably going to finish third in the conference this year. The top three teams traded blows all season, and with the two losses last weekend we are in a tie with Eastern at 11-4 with one match to go. If the record is still tied at the end of the year, they beat us on the head-to-head to claim the second seed in the tournament. Either way, we are going to be playing them again (on their home court) the Friday after Thanksgiving.

This week has been a great week of growth for the girls. We truly believe that we have the talent to win this conference, it is just a matter of putting it together on the court. We have been giving a lot of focus to a Championship Attitude this week, and our practices are reflecting it. All 16 girls are working extremely hard because they want it so badly.

With all the effort and time that our athletes and coaches put in, we are all confident and hopeful that next week will be exciting... All I know is that it is a great time to be a BEAR!

Bears keep streak going!

2009-11-10T09:50:00.006-07:00

Well, we just came off another successful weekend! Montana came to town last Thursday...and for all of you who don't know, Montana tends to be kind of a rival for us. There just seems to be tension in the air whenever they are around. The last time we saw them it was at their place...where we had our "usual" results. We ended up losing in four, and we just didn't play well while doing it. So, when they came to us, it was time to exact our revenge! And we did... We ended up beating them on our floor last Thursday in four. It was a great win for the bears. With the win we solidified our place in the conference standings. And I don't know that we are done yet with Montana this year. There is still a good chance we could play them at the tournament!

Montana State came in to play us on Saturday. We went five with them last time in Bozeman, so we made sure to be ready for them this time. The preparation paid off with a 3-0 win. Montana State had a rough go as we served really tough and kept the pressure on them the whole match.

We are now headed to Eastern Washington and Portland State this week. As of right now, Eastern is in third place with four losses on the year. Portland State and us are tied with first, each with two losses. It is going to be the battle of titans! We figured it out...if we can beat Portland State at home (a tall, but do-able task), we can afford one more loss and we would still be able to win the conference. If we lose to Portland State, we will more than likely take second place in conference (maybe third if we lose to both, but that won't happen).

However you look at it, this is going to be an exciting weekend of volleyball in the Big Sky.

OH! Forgot to mention that Taylor Smith was Co-Player of the week for the Big Sky. Sweet.

Unbreakable

2009-11-05T10:36:00.003-07:00

We showed this to our athletes right before the Weber State match last weekend... The theme is unbreakable.

Lee's Mongolian BBQ

2009-11-03T08:48:00.006-07:00

Ahh Lee's. It has become a tradition for us to eat there while we are in Ogden. This trip was no exception.

Like I have mentioned previously, Lee's in a hole-in-the-wall place that one of our former assistants found randomly about four years ago. We have been going every year since. Here are a couple of pictures from our trip last week.

Dramatic Weekend

2009-11-02T14:22:00.002-07:00

Here, at Northern Colorado....we like to give the crowd their money's worth....or so it would seem. This weekend we played two five game matches...TWO! Luckily we came out with two wins.

The first match against Idaho State was crazy. I don't know that we have even lost a game in their gym the past two seasons...but they had a different idea of how the night would go. We took the first two games (both won with Kelley Arnold tips to the middle of the court). We went into the break pretty happy and confident. After the break, Idaho State came out with a little different line-up and a vengeance. They were on fire and the took the next two games. The fifth was a thriller. With a lot of ties, the game was close until the end. We earned two or three points as the game progressed to give us a tiny cushion at the end, which we needed. At 13-14, we sided out for the win. The other coaches and I felt as if we were going to pass out. Sometimes it is tough being a coach.

Going into Weber, we were ready for a match that we could get over quickly...which almost happened in the wrong way. Weber State's momentum was a tidal wave in the first two games. It felt as if we could hardly breath. We just couldn't match them. Then, out of the break, we got down again. During moments, we could score a few points in a row, but then they would come back a score a few of their own. At one point it was 23-20...then they scored another point to be up 24-20. We sided out to make it 24-21....then the magic happened. We came out and scored three straight to tie it at 24. It went back a forth a couple times before we scored three straight to win the game 28-26. Game four was another very close game. We finished it strong to win 25-22. The fifth game was all bears. We won it 15-8. Once again, the coaches felt as if we were about to collapse...

We are very proud of our kids this week after an emotional weekend. The seniors really came through to guide us through some tough matches. It was very fun (and tough) to watch. My heart still starts to race as I think about it.... Good times.

I am waiting on some pictures of our adventure to Lee's...that will be the next entry!

Win vs Sac!

2009-10-27T09:32:00.004-06:00

Well, we pulled out another win! Sac State made some great adjustments after the second game to take the third, but we came out in the fourth to take the match. Overall it was a pretty solid match for us. We did a great job adjusting to them this time, which is something that we have been struggling with over the last couple of weeks. Making those changes during time-outs is often difficult for our athletes, but not last weekend. We did a great job and it showed.

We are now headed to Ogden UT, and Pocatello ID, to play Weber and Idaho State. One of the best things about this trip...Lee's Mongolian BBQ. Lee's is a hole-in-the-wall place that our former assistant coach Paul Richardson found one year. It is awesome.

Besides the food, it looks to be a great weekend of competition. Idaho State has been playing well and has been beating some solid teams. We beat them the first time in four, but they are improving every time they touch the floor. I have a feeling a battle is going to be taking place when we are in their gym. We have never swept Weber during the season since we have joined the Big Sky. They have great athletes...and they have a habit of getting very hot when they play us. If we can get them down, we will have a great shot at beating them...if we don't get them down, it is going to be another battle.

Very important weekend for the Bears. Keep an eye out for another update!

Adventure at Air Force

2009-10-22T10:49:00.006-06:00

Yesterday turned into quite a little adventure. We left our campus at 1:00 to head down to Colorado Springs for the match against Air Force. The weather here was already a bit shady, and the weather south of Denver usually proves to be worse. Yesterday was not the exception. We ran into snow. Thank goodness we had a stud bus driver. Also on the way down, we ended up breaking down for about 45 minutes. It made us a bit late and cut our pre-game practice short, but at least we got to hang out and watch a movie while we were sitting on the side of the road. "The Proposal" was the movie of choice. Romantic comedies tend to be the style of movie we watch...joy.

The match went well. We ended up beating Air Force in three and we had the opportunity to get most of our athletes onto the floor. Our "second" teammers did a great job when they went in. We didn't miss a beat. Really happy with their play.

We are now preparing for Sacramento State. The coaches are watching a bunch of film to get the athletes ready. At this point in the season, every match is very important. We have had some great success against Sac State the past couple of years, but they have beaten some solid teams this year. We will be ready for whatever they bring.

Split, but still first

2009-10-20T16:57:00.003-06:00

After a great match against Portland State on last Thursday, we lost a tough one to Eastern Washington. All three teams came into the weekend 5-1, and all three teams leave the weekend 6-2. The first half of conference play is over and the Big Sky conference is as muddy as ever.

Our next Big Sky match is this coming Saturday against Sacramento State. We went to their place a little over a month ago and beat them in three. They have since played some great matches and challenged the top teams in the conference. We have matched up well against Sac State the past couple of years and we are hoping to carry that through the weekend.

Before that match, we are actually playing Air Force tomorrow night (wed). We are headed down to beautiful Colorado Springs for a match against another Colorado team. We hope to pull a good win out to prepare us for the weekend, but you never know what Air Force has up their sleeve...

Muran

2009-10-14T10:47:00.002-06:00

The word "Muran" is our newest theme that has become our focus for the next couple of weeks. This is a big weekend for the Bears and we used this video to motivate our athletes.

Muran is an African word that means bravery, courage, cunning, warrior.

Trouble in Missoula...

2009-10-12T10:00:00.003-06:00

We just got back from another emotional weekend. If you checked our scores you will know that we won a crazy match against Montana State on Friday night in five, then turned around and lost to Montana in four. For some reason, we always get very emotionally charged in Montana's gym and I think that we played like it...worried. Not to take anything away from Montana, they played very well to take the match.

Yesterday turned out to be a pain! We were supposed to fly out of Missoula around 6:45am. No fun in itself, but our flight got cancelled. After a lot of scrambling with United, they decided to put us on a bus and send us to Helena, MT. The 2 1/2 hour drive was incredibly beautiful but cold. Once we got into the airport (which was tiny), we had to wait almost three hours before our flight left. Again, no big deal, except that there was only one place to eat in the airport....Captain Jake's. Most of us decided to wait to get back to DIA to get food.

All in all it was a crazy weekend. It could have been worse. One great thing about our kids is that they handle adversity well. They just rolled right along and didn't complain.

This weekend will be the real tell on how we are doing so far this year.... #1 and #2 from Conference are going to be knocking on our door. Let's hope our girls take advantage of home court.

Snow in Bozeman....

2009-10-09T08:00:00.002-06:00

We are now in our hotel rooms in Bozeman, Montana. The snow started last night and it has been fairly steady since then. There seems to only be two or so inches on the ground...but last time I checked it is still early OCTOBER! Yes, we get snow in Colorado...but not like this in OCTOBER. We have already had a couple of the requisite snow ball fights, but I am looking forward to what the day holds for us.

Life on the road is actually pretty nice most of the time. We have breakfast at about 8:45, then we will leave the hotel for a pre-game practice around 10:30. Then, we are back at the hotel for study hall from 12:30 to 2. Study hall is great because we can actually have an hour and half to get some work done! After that, we will head to our pre-game meal around 3:30, then off to the gym around 5 for our pre-game routine. It ends up being a nice combination of stuff to do and time to relax in the room.

Tomorrow we will be headed to Missoula which is about 200 miles away. We will be driving it and we are hoping that the roads will be cleared. We usually have mini vans, but this time they put us in two Suburbans and a Toyota Sequoia. All of them are nice but one of the Suburbans (the one I am driving) is only a 2 wheel-drive, so that may be fun.

4-0

2009-10-06T10:53:00.002-06:00

Yep... 4-0. This has been the best start the Bears have had since joining the Big Sky conference. We played Northern Arizona last Saturday night. What was supposed to be a bit of a lopsided match (they have several injuries), turned out to be a battle to the finish. NAU played their hearts out. Fortunately, we had enough to fight off their attack to come out with a 3-1 win.

The travel this weekend was great. It worked out that we could travel with the football team. We flew right into Flagstaff, and they we drove all of fifteen minutes to our hotel room. After the match, we hopped back in the vans, and drove back to the airport. So nice getting home the same night as the match!

We are now preparing for our next matches. We travel to the Montana Schools. Montana State on Friday night, then Montana on Saturday. Montana State hasn't won a conference match in three years, but they can be dangerous. They took both Weber and Idaho state to five sets..., and they have some athletes...we will see. Montana on the road is always very tough. We have yet to win a match in their gym, so hopefully this will be the year. Word has it they have a couple of tricks up their sleeve. Should be another great match.

I am waiting on some pictures from the last trip...when I get them...so will you.

Headed to Flagstaff...

2009-10-02T08:49:00.004-06:00

So close...we had CSU, a perennially ranked team in a game to two points....but we came up a bit short. Two years ago CSU beat us up, last year, we took one game off them. This year, we were with them every point. It was a great match for the Bears, but we unfortunately couldn't finish. We are definitely proud of the girls though.

We are headed to Flagstaff in a couple of hours to face off against Northern Arizona. NAU is always a very scrappy team that just stays in the match. They can be very dangerous if we aren't playing well. After watching us against CSU, I think we should have a great shot at starting our Big Sky conference at 4-0.

The bonus of today's travel is that we are actually flying out with the football team. They are also playing NAU on Saturday. That means that we fly straight into Flagstaff and get to avoid the 2 1/2 hour drive from Phoenix. It also means that we get free TV on Frontier's charter flight. Whoohoo! Free TV is a deal at twice the price.

Still going...

2009-09-29T10:41:00.004-06:00

Wow, another great match against a strong Big Sky Opponent. Sacramento State is always extremely tough at home. Last year we went a full five game match and came out with a win. This year, we came up with a great win in three. All twelve athletes that traveled saw court time in the match to help the Bears take the important Big Sky win.

The trip as a whole went really well...with a little luck. We almost left Lyndsey (our head coach) behind at the airport. She had to travel separately to the airport due to a speaking engagement and then got stuck in security. Luckily, our plane was delayed just enough as she ran up to the gate as we were boarding.

The other great thing about traveling to Sac State....In-N-Out! We got our once a year fix! (some of us...coaches.....went twice!) I know several people here in Greeley were jealous.

Next match is against Colorado State University on Wednesday night. They are always a very good team. After that, we travel to Northern Arizona to take on the Lumberjacks on Saturday night. They are another team who is very solid on their home court. Should be a great match.

2-0 in the Big Sky

2009-09-22T08:56:00.004-06:00

After the first weekend of Big Sky play, we are 2-0. Weber State is always a dangerous team and we worked really hard to keep them down. Idaho State scrambled and played really well against us. Fortunately we had enough fire power and a great defensive effort to pull through.

Tonight we are headed south to the great city of Denver. The University of Denver and us have been trading blows for the past couple of years. They have a roster full of solid athletes, but I think we match up against them very well. Only time will tell, but in my estimation, today is a good day to be a Bear.

Here are a couple of pictures from this past weekend.

First Conference Win

2009-09-18T11:15:00.002-06:00

Well, we took it to Weber State last night. This is a beautiful thing because Weber always finds a way to beat us... In the three years that I have been here we had only beat then once in five tries. Last night, we won in convincing fashion. It is ever better because we didn't have two of our great athletes on the floor. Amanda Arterburn suffered a concussion in the weight room on Wednesday night, and Kelley Arnold has been suffering with a cold. This is not to say that the people on the floor aren't phenomenal players. Bre V did a great job back in the libero role, and Breanna Williams has been a great source of energy and consistency (not to mention defense) for us.

Depth on the court is a wonderful thing, and this team really has the chemistry to pull it off.

Weber State tonight!

2009-09-17T13:50:00.002-06:00

We are headed to the gym to face Weber State! This is our first conference match of the year and it is at home. We are very excited to get things rolling this year, and this will be a good match to guage where we are.

Time to get rolling!

PIctures from the CU win.

2009-09-10T09:09:00.012-06:00

Here are a few pictures from last Tuesday night. Great crowd, great match.

Northern Colorado Beat the Buffs!

2009-09-04T10:03:00.003-06:00

Wow, what a great night last Tuesday was. After all the work everyone did to not only make the team successful, but also all of the work to get people in the stands, it was great to have such a fantastic night.

Our girls did a great job handling CU. After a close start to the match, we took control in the middle of game two and rolled the rest of the way home.

When pictures come available I will make sure to post them...

Home Opener!

2009-09-01T09:41:00.002-06:00

Tonight is our big home opener against the University of Colorado, Boulder. They are headed up to Greeley to face us in the Butler Hancock Sports Arena. Our girls are incredibly excited about the opportunity to play against a Big 12 Program, and another in-state rival. Should make for a great match. Plus, the first 300 people get free T-Shirts!

Tonight's match comes right on the heels of a very successful weekend for the Bears. After winning a tight five game match against Southern Methodist University, we won two straight matches in three against North Texas and a strong University of Texas-San Antonio team. The final match of the weekend came against a top 30 ranked New Mexico State team. Although we fought hard, we ended up losing...by a total of seven points. It was a great start to our season and we are looking forward to keeping it going against CU tonight! Check back for pictures.

Ball Girls & Jr Captains!

2009-08-24T12:35:00.002-06:00

We would love to have you involved!

Circle which one you are interested in:
Ball Girl Jr Captain
Name: ________________________________ Grade: ____________
Parents Name: __________________________________________________
Address: ___________________ City: _________ St: _____ Zip Code: ______
Email Address: _____________________________ Phone #: _____________
Please list the dates you are available:
1st Choice: ______________
2nd Choice: ______________
3rd Choice: ______________
HOME MATCHES:
Tuesday, September 1 Colorado 7 p.m.
Friday, September 4 North Dakota State (UNC Tournament) 7 p.m.
Saturday, September 5 Eastern Michigan (UNC Tournament) 12 p.m.
Saturday, September 5 Miami (UNC Tournament) 7 p.m.
Thursday, September 17 Weber State* 7 p.m.
Saturday, September 19 Idaho State* 7 p.m.
Thursday, October 15 Portland State* 7 p.m.
Saturday, October 17 Eastern Washington* 7 p.m.
Saturday, October 24 Sacramento State* 7 p.m.
Thursday, November 5 Montana* 7 p.m.
Saturday, November 7 Montana State* 7 p.m.
Saturday, November 21 Northern Arizona* 7 p.m.

Please email or send to:
UNC Volleyball
208 Butler Hancock
Greeley, CO 80639
Lyndsey.Benson@unco.edu

The New Season!

2009-08-24T12:32:00.003-06:00

It is here! As coaches we can't believe it...but we are LOVING it. We love having the girls back on campus and they have been working very hard in the gym. We just finished our two-a-day schedule, and now it is time to prepare for our upcoming tournaments!

We are headed to Denton Texas this weekend....home of Taylor Smith. We will be taking video wherever we go, and I am sure I will be able to put some videos up on this site.

Keep an eye out for more stuff...including photos and info about this year's team builder...the Pirate Adventure. Good times.

In the Words Of...

2009-08-24T12:28:00.004-06:00

Natalie Laband;

It has been a blast living up here in Greeley this summer! It is extremely hot! Much hotter here than in Monument where I grew up. I must admit I saved up my money for my first big purchase---an air conditioning unit! What can I say---I am a wimp! Ahhhhhhhhh, I can FINALLY sleep!
We have experienced many adventures up here so far. Our first adventure was moving into the house! I live with Bre W, Jill, and Natasha in what we like to call “the dollhouse.” It is definitely different living on your own; it’s a blast because every night is a slumber party. It does have its drawbacks though, like cooking for myself, it can be fun but at times I wish I could have my mom cook me one of her amazing dinners. Just recently we had a new addition to the household--spotted last week--a baby mouse! Yuck! We have a basement so when the tornadoes start rolling in we head down there with whoever doesn’t have a basement, (Kenzie, Ashley, Abbie, and Julie) and hang out till the storm passes.
The schedule has been very busy. I am taking a class, we workout every day, while playing lots of volleyball and spending time with our new best friend, Nottingham Field’s track and stadium to run! But there is always time to lay at the pool too and hang out and do midnight slip n’ slide. A bunch of the team gets together and we have found a new obsession of watching all the Sex and the City episodes while eating dinner together.
In June, I got to go to the O.A.R. concert at Red Rocks Amphitheatre with Bre Williams and a couple of our friends. Red Rocks is my favorite venue for a concert, its outdoors and you’re in the middle of some of Colorado’s natural beauty. Not only was this concert at an amazing place but also O.A.R. is one of my favorite bands and seeing them live was incredible. I also got to go to Florida for a long weekend to spend with my family for my cousin’s wedding. I have eight people in my family so it was really special that we all got to be there together and see all my cousins, aunts, and uncles. A couple days after I got back some of the girls and I went to Water World! We had a blast. Many of us conquered one of our biggest fears, the skyline speed slides. They are slides that go pretty much straight down! Very scary but so much fun! We were there at the opening time at 10:00am and left at 6:00pm and we only took one break for a quick lunch. We were exhausted and our feet were raw from walking on the cement all day. We managed to escape the day without sunburns minus Ashley’s scalp :-(. We plan on going again soon but next time wearing matching water shoes.
I also got to experience the Greeley Stampede for the first time! I actually got to go twice…amazing! I went to see Phil Vassar, one of my favorite country artists, he was incredible! The concert was delayed due to rain but that didn’t stop us from going out there. We were in standing room only so we were on the dirt but because of the rain the dirt turned straight to mud so I decided it would be smart to take off my flip flops so I wouldn’t lose them in the heavy mud and just walk barefoot. Very good decision on my part, many people joined me and my dirty feet even made it into the Greeley Tribune. The second time I went with Julie, Bre and Jill and we rode the rides and listened the music at the free stage. The rides were fun but the “Ring of Fire” was one I could only handle once. You go in a circle round and round then sit upside down for 30 seconds then go again! Scary!

In the Words Of...

2009-08-04T12:07:00.005-06:00

Breanna Williams

As my first summer as an official college student and now sophomore of UNC, I have had a ton of fun and exciting experiences that could not have taken place if I have not been staying in Greeley for the summer. Moving from the dorms into my house was definitely one of the first adventures to take place this summer and boy was it hard work to move a bed up a steep flight of stairs. Once “The Dollhouse” settled down, my three roommates and I began our new life in Greeley. Workouts have been tough, but after each session is completed I feel that much closer to a Big Sky Championship. It is a powerful feeling seeing my team together everyday working hard and accomplishing so much between our ever growing friendships and athletic ability. Besides the volleyball I have had many other fun times here! Last week a few of us on the team went to water world and had an absolute blast. We managed to hit almost every ride in the park and conquer some fears of the zoomerang along with the sky high white slides that seem to go straight down. I also went to my first concert at Red Rocks Amphitheatre to see one of my favorite bands, O.A.R., perform. There have also been some late night slip n’ slide encounters as well as some chill team moments of hanging out and eating some fajitas and amazing chocolate chip cheesecake but so far this summer has been everything I could ask for and more! With all this fun and hard work it is easy to forget that someday we will actually have to grow up and attend real jobs. Until then I will continue to enjoy the summer and look forward to our fall season!

Bre

3 Day Two...Finally!

2009-07-31T16:20:00.002-06:00

Wow, after a couple of super crazy weeks, the video is finally done. Sorry it took so long, but it was a lot of fun to make and I hope you enjoy watching it. Stay tuned...our season is about to begin!

Three-Day-Two Camp

2009-07-22T08:28:00.003-06:00

For all of you out there who are waiting for the video from three day two, I just wanted to let you know that I am working on it... My plan is for it to be uploaded tomorrow afternoon/evening. It was a really fun camp and we all loved having the campers on our campus. Stay tuned!

Hitting Clinic

2009-07-16T21:09:00.004-06:00

On Tuesday the Northern Colorado Bears volleyball team hosted nearly 60 athletes with a desire to improve their hitting skills. From what we saw the girls had a great time and learned a lot. Here is a short video to recap the day...

Setter's Clinic

2009-07-12T19:40:00.012-06:00

Today was our setter's clinic. We had 37 excited young athletes in our Rec center (Yeah Air Conditioning!!) working hard on developing their setting skills... Here are a few photos of the day.

3 Day 1!

2009-07-10T19:33:00.003-06:00

Camps have begun! 3 day one is in full swing and the girls are working hard. Here is a quick little video of what has happened on day two.

In The Words Of...

2009-07-08T14:24:00.004-06:00

RaeLynn Snyder

Summer is by far my favorite season. Though every summer is special in some way, this summer has been extra special for my family. My brother Bryan got married to his fiancé, Sarah, on June 16, 2009. Preparing for the wedding was of course a lot of work, but a ton of fun! As Maid of Honor, I had a lot of duties, but wouldn’t have traded them for anything because I had so much fun wedding planning. Bryan and Sarah got married right here in Greeley, CO on a beautiful summer day. It was awesome to have our family and Sarah’s family together for the first time. Now I have the sister that I have always wanted. To add to the wedding, my brother found out at the beginning of June that he had been hired as the assistant nutritionist for the Denver Broncos. They just moved into a new apartment in Denver that is very close to Invesco, and so far he absolutely loves his job. How could you not love going to lunch with Head coach, Josh McDaniels and Champ Bailey? I am still waiting for Broncos tickets and a “bring your sister to work” day. J
For me, I have been up in Greeley pretty much all summer. We have all been working extremely hard lifting weights, ploys, and running everyday. We all have our goals in mind and are working towards them each and every day. Working out has been tough, but we have found little ways to reward ourselves like slip and sliding and building forts out of blankets and sheets just for fun while eating s’mores. I went home with senior, Kenzie Shreeve for a weekend as well. We had a lot of fun together and it was nice to get away and escape to the mountains for a few days. Family and friends mean a lot to me so it was really nice to have the chance to go home for the 4th of July. My grandparents have a beautiful meadow in the middle of nowhere with an old chicken coup on their property where they have a big cook out, dance, and fireworks show every year. It is a lot of fun and really neat to see my family and spend some time with them. While I was home, my dad thought it would be funny to have a water fight on a 90 degree day in Simla, CO. It is such a small town, a water fight is some of the best entertainment you can do in a town like Simla. We all know who won this water fight…my dad! Yes, I admit it. He was pretty good even though we both got soaked. It wasn’t too fair though that he got all the water balloons. No complaining though, he’ll get it next time. I also got to see a lot of my friends while I was home too. I went to a movie and dinner with two of my best friends from high school, which was a lot of fun. It was great to see some of my closest buds.
Now it is back to reality with running and lifting and starting camps. It will be nice to get some money here is July while most of us girls will be helping out with Volleyball camps. Our 2009 season is just about here and after our spring and how hard we have been working this summer, I am getting very anxious. I can’t wait! GO BEARS!

In The Words Of...

2009-07-07T15:30:00.008-06:00

Natasha Law...

Hey Yall!
A big howdy from another person from the greatest state in the WORLD, Texas J. Well I am more than halfway through my first Colorado summer and it definitely hasn’t disappointed me at all. I spent pretty much all of May at home with my family and Texas friends. It was amazing but to prepare for fall, Greeley was the place where I needed to be. I have been quite busy and have been enjoying all of it a lot. Four days a week we have been working out as a team, and although Joe, our strength and conditioning coach, kicks our butt we are bonding so much as a team and fighting through all the pain to get that much better. Besides working out I have been working a little as a babysitter to supply my shopping addiction and because I love kids like A LOT. I just moved in with muh girls Bre Williams, Jill, and Natalie into the Dollhouse and we love it so much. It’s an adorable house, sadly doesn’t have AC, but is quite pretty and we are having tons of fun. Although my family is in Texas I have been able to see them some too. They are my favorite people in the world so that has definitely added to my summer. I met my parents in Minnesota, where all of my mom’s family lives, for a weeding. For Father’s day I drove to Colorado Springs to see my oldest brother and his family since I could not make that quick of a trip home. Now in Greeley we have been doing lots. Besides our team, football, some softball girls, and basketball players are up here along with some other regular students so it’s nice that the town isn’t student- free in the summer. We have gone dancing, to Rockies games, Waterworld, the Greeley Stampede and spent many days by the pool among other things that I can’t remember at the moment. It has been a good time for sure! Also for the fourth of July I went to Golden to spend it with one of our teammates that graduated this year Lauren Carter, and got to sit closer to fireworks than I ever had before. It was beautiful watching them with the backdrop of the mountains. I’m used to watching them on the Lake at my house, which is also beautiful, but this was a nice change. My birthday is coming up soon and I get to go to the Keith Urban and Sugarland concert so I am counting down the days to say the least. I can’t wait to see what else the summer has in store for me. Fall will be here soon enough and we get to go to my home state for a tournament so my future is supa bright and exciting!
Natasha

Camp at Middle Park

2009-06-26T11:01:00.012-06:00

Last week a few of us headed to the mountains to be clinicians at a camp in Granby, CO (right next to Winter Park). It was a great time. The kids did great, and the coaches had plenty of time to enjoy themselves. The camp ran from 9-12 in the mornings, then from 12-5 we had a long break. During these breaks we found ourselves Jet Skiing, hiking, on paddle boats, and even doing a little four-wheeling. The athletes at the camp learned a lot, and it was a ton of fun for the coaches.

In The Words Of...

2009-06-15T10:59:00.005-06:00

Abbie Howe;

Just a good ole’ Greeley summer…
So, unlike most of the girls on the team, I am a local. Northern Colorado born and raised which means while all of my lovely friends skip off to their hometowns for the beginning of the summer I stay here in Greeley.
For the most part my summer starts out pretty slow which is really wonderful considering I spent my finals week trapped in a room writing what could be the equivalent of a novel’s worth of papers. My finals went well and so I spent a solid week sitting on my hind end just because I could J
Although a solid week of laziness is great, I am one of those types of people who can do nothing for a little bit but gets really antsy after a while so I started back with my job. I cater. Basically that means I spend my summer making sure everyone else’s parties and weddings are great. I cook the food, serve it, and clear all off of the plates when the guests are finished (not my favorite part of the job). But I do get to see some of the most insane parties in Colorado.
I usually head to work after I finish working out with the team in the mornings. We lift and run about midday during the week. My summer isn’t all work though… my parent’s have their house in the country about half an hours drive outsides of Greeley and I spend a good amount of time out there. Every Saturday night my mom makes Saturday night supper, which is amazing, and I get to see my dogs too :)
Now, Greeley is the type of town that requires a little bit of creativity when it comes to summer entertainment. One of the things that a bunch of us in the athletic department engineered is a super long slip-n-slide down the butler hill. Basically we take about 150 ft. of plastic and run it down the massive hill with coolers full of water at the top. Add a little dish soap and you have great summer fun! There are some casualties with this super slip-n-slide but all the bruises and scrapes are well worth it. Last summer the guys even set it up at night and had some moonlight slip-n-slide action! We haven’t gotten to set this up yet this summer because for some reason Colorado weather has decided it doesn’t want to behave like summer yet, go figure. So our slip-n-slide antics are to be continued…
Well, this is my little insight into a local summer. Hope you all are having a great one! GO bears :)

In The Words Of...

2009-06-12T13:14:00.010-06:00

Coach Jenny Glenn...

There is no better way to finish off a great spring season than relaxing on the beaches of Costa Rica. I joined Lyndsey and a group of friends to spend a week surfing, zip lining, volcano watching, and sunbathing. The highlight of the trip had to be zip lining over the canopies of the rainforest at the Monteverde Cloud Forest. There is nothing like soaring hundreds of feet above the trees and creatures! It was definitely my closest experience to flying. We also stood and stared at Arenal Volcano for over an hour waiting for it to erupt one night. Apparently it erupts quite often, but we decided that was just a way of getting gullible tourists to go there. Another highlight was surfing the beaches at Tamarindo. Thanks to a local surf instructor who spotted us rookies out and had pity…I was able to surf out an entire wave more than once! He was pretty tough and kept yelling at me to “bend your knees.” I had visions of what our athletes must feel like when I say that to them all the time :). Playing in the ocean, reading books, laying on the beach, playing water volleyball and water polo, dance lessons (apparently I know how to do the Merengue now :), and other random activities filled most of our days. Unfortunately, vacation ended and my tan quickly faded, but really, it is all about the stories anyway!

In The Words Of...

2009-06-10T11:39:00.005-06:00

Kenzie Shreeve...

While I was at home, two of my sisters were gone, one out of the country for her birthday and the other in Vegas with friends, so I went with my parents to Lake Powell. I was eager to go because I had not been for about seven years. My dad and uncle have been working on the house boat but we all got to go this time as well, which was definitely nice to get out of Eagle for my last weekend home. I spent most of the weekend taking care of my neice Zakia, which is fine because I do not get to see her alot. She has become such a character. She was okay being in the water until she saw a fish swim past her feet. My younger sister Lauren came along as well. We joked around alot as we always do and were able to be in the sun and water with the weather being as nice as it was. We found out that Lauren is somewhat claustrophobic and couldn't sleep down below in the bedrooms, that was pretty comical. It was kind of a rough weekend for her though, as she jumped into the water she forgot she was wearing her glasses. They are now laying down in the bottom of Lake Powell probably with many numerous items from the past. All in all it was a great trip and it was nice to spend the time with my family...just wish my two older sisters were there to share the many laughs.

In The Words Of...

2009-06-10T08:55:00.006-06:00

Breanna VanDerMost...

Going home for summer is always a tough adjustment because we are leaving our teammates and friends. However this year I was very excited to go home for the month of May because my parents bought two 8-week-year-old puppies a week before classes got out. I couldn’t wait to go home and play with my new puppies!!! The puppies are muts so it is hard to say what they are, but my family and I do know that they are part Chihuahua and a mix of Terrier. This combination may sound ugly, but they are so adorable! The puppies will be three months old on June 15. Jade, our little princess, is the brown one. She is so playful, and loves to lick our faces. It is so funny to watch her run because she bounds and kind of skips. It is so cute!! We named her Jade because her eyes are bright green. That is one of the reasons we picked her from the litter of six. While my parents and I were seeing the litter for the first time, I knew I couldn’t go home without Jade. And I am so happy I didn’t!! Jasper is our little fluff ball. He is very mischievous, and loves to get into the plants in the backyard. But even when he is being bad, he is still so cute no one can be mad at him for long. We named our little guy Jasper because he is so white and reminded of Casper the friendly Ghost. But, I didn’t want to name him Casper, so I cleverly thought of Jasper, which fits him perfectly! When we first saw Jasper, my dad laid down in the grass, picked him up in his arms, and said, “You’re going home with us!” There was no debate between my parents and I that Jasper needed to be our puppy. I was so lucky to have three weeks with the puppies (or how I call them is the “babies”). It’s hard not being with them now, but since they are only two hours away in Colorado Springs, I know I will see them soon!!

In the last weekend in May, I had to be pulled away from my babies to go on vacation to California. Most of my aunts and uncles live in California, so I love visiting there. It feels like a second home. I stayed with my aunt KT in her condo in Irvine, which is a part of Orange County. I had a great time going to the beach and laying out. My favorite is Huntington Beach!! It's a great place to shop, play beach volleyball, and of course play in the waves. This trip was shorter than my usual visits to California, but it was still just as great! Well I’m back in Greeley now, working out and enjoying spending time with my teammates. Summer is great but I can’t wait for the fall, GO BEARS!!

Our Seniors...

2009-06-09T09:34:00.003-06:00

Here is a little poem that Natalie Laband (Sophmore from Colorado Springs) wrote for our seniors...

Here's to our seniors...this season's for you!
This is the year our championship's in view.

We'll pump all the iron...all those stadiums we will run.
We'll practice our hearts out while we make bonding fun!

We’ve got the whole package, we now put it together,
With us all together...any storm we will weather!

You are the reason we’ll work hard and fight!
You deserve our best so we’ll get it done right!

So look out Big Sky teams we aren’t holding back!Be ready to greet us then get yourselves whacked!

In the Words Of...

2009-06-03T11:56:00.009-06:00

Coach Tom Hunter...

Hey all... Just a quick update on what is going on in the life of an assistant coach. We just finished the move into our new, but temporary home, Bishop Lehr. It used to be a K-12 school that was on our campus (NC did start as a teacher's college) but is now the home of our athletic department. I actually like our new place. I am sure there will be pictures of it up on the blog soon.

Before the move, my wife, Andria, and I went on a mountain biking trip. It is the third year in a row we made the same trip and it was a BLAST! We drove to Fruita, CO, road around there some, then headed to Moab. Moab was ridiculous. If you are into mountain biking, you need to ride slick rock sometime. Super fun.

Besides that, I have just been working around the house and getting ready for our 2009 season. It is going to be so much fun! Our 2009 class is shaping up to be great and our returners are very solid. Going to be a good year to be a bear.

Ducklings!

2009-06-03T11:26:00.003-06:00

Time to give an update on the ducks! Unfortunately the number of ducklings are down to 3. All three look to be very healthy and are starting to run out in front of mama duck. They are getting bigger! Keep an eye out for more duck adventures at the 'Ship' (we call the new building the 'Ship...' the building's actual name is Bishop Lehr).

In The Words Of...

2009-05-27T14:55:00.004-06:00

Julie Stephenson;

I knew this break was going to be a little different from all the ones in the past. First because it was going to be a much shorter time at home, and second because my permanent home had moved to Oklahoma. I flew into Oklahoma City the week after finals, where I was met by my dad and we only had to drive a short 10 minutes to thier new home. The house is brand new, and really nice. I am happy they are finally settled again in a permanent location that they like, it is just so different being away from where i grew up, and away from all of my friends. That first week, my mom took off work to hang out with me which was really nice. We did a lot of shopping, and did really good! This is cause for concern though considering my bag was already over $50 the first time around and I was stuffing jeans into my purse. I'm just going to have to leave it home and have my mom ship it I guess. Couldn't have passed up those sales!

The next week, after my mom and I shopped our hearts out, we went to my home town, Augusta. While my parents went back after the weekend was over, I stayed with my brother for the week. That way I could spend time with my best friends from home, and everyone else that i've missed. I have had a blast seeing everyone, but the best part has been spending so much time with my niece! She is about to turn 3, and acts like she is 16. So she can be quite the pistol, but she is the cutest thing ever! Also, during my time in Augusta, I colored my hair for the first time in my life! AHH! I was so nervous to do it, but it turned out good, and im glad that i did (it's only highlights a shade or two lighter than my natural color, so no biggie).

At the end of that week, my entire family (me, two brothers, sister-in-law, and niece) went to Oklahoma to stay with my parents for Memorial Day Weekend. It was a really fun weekend. We got to go to the zoo! It was a long 5 hours of walking, but definitely worth it. Then of course my mom, sister-in-law and I had to hit the mall again for all the really good holiday sales! I rode back to Augusta with them to stay in town just a couple more days, then I will be heading back to Oklahoma yet once again. I will then stay there for the remainder of my break which is until Wednesday, June 3rd, where I will be coming back to all of you in Greeley!

Resident Ducks!

2009-05-27T14:13:00.003-06:00

Because they are renovating our building (Butler-Hancock), the entire athletic department has recently been moved to a formerly abandoned high school that is in the center of our campus. In the courtyard of this school is a female duck and her 10 chicks. We will be sure to keep up on how they are doing. For now, here is some video of her and the courtyard.

In The Words Of...

2009-05-22T09:56:00.005-06:00

Taylor Smith;

Update from Texas!!!!

Howdy ya'll! Well things are sunny and bright down here in the Lone Star State, I have been up to quite a lot. The first few days I was home it was really rainy and there were thunderstorms, so I wasn't too happy about my tanning schedule being pushed back. My whole family works at the high school I graduated from and they are still in school, so I have been the only one at home, well except my Austrailian Shepherd companions: Laddie, Sassy, and Angus and my cat Jessi. There are plenty of activities to keep me from boredom down here though, such as Texas Rangers games, where I got great seats, caught a free t-shirt, almost caught a foul ball (if i would have had my glove on and wasn't taking a picture with my friends), witnessed two home runs in one inning, and saw a fireworks show in the ballpark after the game. I got caught up on all my season finale's including Gossip Girl, One Tree Hill, and Grey's Anatomy. This last week I took a trip down to College Station, TX home of the Texas A&M Fightin' Aggies to visit one of my best friends, we had a grand ole Texas time, eating Mexican food and meeting some real bull riders! Then last night some friends of mine and I went to a minor league baseball game, called the Frisco Rough Riders, and we got in for free because the ticket machines were down. Tonight I went to my club volleyball team's end of the year banquet as an alumni guest and it was really good seeing some of my former teammates and coaches. Tomorrow night I plan on going to one of the most famous Texas dance halls in Ft. Worth called Billy Bob's to get my two-step on! In the midst of all this fun, I have been doing my exercise routines and I must admit I haven't planned the timing out so well because I ususally do it in the middle of the day in the sweltering Texas heat and humidity. But all is good and I know I'll be ready when I come back to Colorado. I have talked to a few of my teammates usually via text and it seems they are all doing well too. I am soaking up all I can back home, and eating as many home-cooked meals, mexican food, and barbeque as I can while I'm down here!

Ya'll take care now! =)

In The Words Of...

2009-05-21T11:12:00.002-06:00

Here is what Allison Raguse is up to;

Well, let's see...What have I been up to in Lincoln this summer? Besides grumpily dragging myself out of my cozy recliner in my backyard to go run at the track (believe me, it's been a struggle), I really haven't been doing anything cool. I've played with my one-year old (and slightly psychotic) lab puppy Kasey a whole bunch. She likes to wake me up by pouncing on my bed and biting my ears...it's lovely. We even went on a run around the park last week...but it was way to much of an arm workout trying to keep her from chasing rabbits and birds to ever attempt that adventure again. Other than hanging out with the dog, I have just been seeing a few of my high school friends, playing some Sims (sad, yet true), trying to work on making a resume, and researching grad school stuff. And most excitingly...*drumroll*...I went to the library today and checked out three new books! Yay! I just finished up The Brothers Karamazov, which started out super slow, but ended up being quite good in the last 300 pages or so. I only have two more weeks until I need to be back in Greeley, so I guess I'm gonna have to read them quick! Good thing I have nothing to do with my time :). Ahh...I love summer...It's a great time to be a nerd.

Winners!!!

2009-05-07T16:18:00.003-06:00

We had our annual UNC Athletics Awards Banquet on Friday night. We had several honors...
Kenzie Shreeve - Most Outstanding Athlete
Allison Raguse - All-Bear Team
Taylor Smith - Strength & Conditioning All-American Award
As a team we were crowned with the CHAMPS/Life Skills Cup. It goes to the team with the highest point total for community service, attending other sporting events, and team enhancement workshops.
Way to go, volleyball!

Baby Animal Days

2009-05-04T14:13:00.004-06:00

One of our favorite community services is working at the Plumb Farm on Baby Animal Days. On both Wednesday and Thursday of last week, our team headed to the farm (which is right in town) around 12:30 and we were done around 4:00. During that time we learned about the animals they have at the farm, and then relayed that information to the young kids that came through to visit. Many of the kiddo's came with parents, but some also came with their classes from several of the local elementary schools. This year, the kittens (only about 5 weeks old) and the puppy (6 weeks old, named Lacy) were the favorites among our girls. Bre VanDerMost, although, fell in love with the pigs. It was a great time for our girls all the while providing a valuable service to the community.

Another Spring Season in the Books

2009-04-30T08:27:00.003-06:00

We just finished our spring season on Saturday beating Denver in 4 sets. We played very well controlling the match in almost every aspect. We ended the spring season 7-1. The wins/losses are not the most important thing in the off-season. It is most important to prepare for the fall, but I think we accomplished both this semester. We walk on the court expecting to win, competing hard and we continued to focus on individual improvements. We are ready for the fall!

"Beach" Day

2009-04-23T14:48:00.004-06:00

Here at Northern Colorado we like to take some time during the spring season to train some doubles. Fortunately we have a sand court close to campus where we can go and spend some time. We put up a grass net so everyone can play at the same time.

Nothing quite like a 75 degree April afternoon to get outside and enjoy Colorado!

Women's Walk

2009-04-20T09:57:00.010-06:00

Last Saturday the University held its first annual Women's Walk. The purpose of the walk to is promote women in athletics and fundraise for women's scholarhsips. Our team was there to help guide the walkers as they entered the gym, then to guide the walkers on the course. Unfortunately because of the weather the walk had to take place inside the Butler-Hancock Sports Pavillion (wasn't too hard to lead the walk....go straight...make a left...repeat). At the end of the event, Lyndey Benson (our head coach), Breanna VanDerMost, and Allison Raguse all spoke about what athletics has done for them. It was a great event.

Here is some video....

Sports Psychology

2009-04-20T09:07:00.008-06:00

Here at the University of Northern Colorado we understand not only the importance of our athletes being at their physical best, but also being mentally prepared for competition. Christy Moore is working on her Sports Psychology PHD. She joined our staff over a year ago and she meets with the team every couple of weeks to discuss how we can become more mentally focused. It also gives our athletes a great outlet outside of the coaches to vent and talk.

This is a little taste of what she does...

2009 Summer Camps

2009-04-17T10:03:00.014-06:00

The Northern Colorado Bears are proud to present our camp scheduled for summer, 2009. There are several ways to sign up for camps. The easiest way is to visit http://www.uncbears.com/information/camps/index and scroll to the bottom to find the volleyball camps.

3-Day Camps
We offer two Three-Day Player Development Camps. The purpose of these camps is to improve the individual skill level of the athletes and provide game play experience.

Dates: July 9-11, July 15-17
Cost: Day Camper; $200, Resident Camper; $280
Where: Northern Colorado Recreation Center
Grades: 4-12 (boys and girls)

We also offer a very competitive College Prep Camp. This is designed more for athletes that have aspirations to compete at the next level. We focus on higher level skills as well as game play. The design is similar to a college practice.

Dates: July 19-21
Cost: Day Camper; $200, Resident Camper; $280
Where: Northern Colorado Recreation Center
Grades: 9-12

1-Day Clinics

Setting Clinic: This camp is designed to help the athlete create a base of setting skills as well as teaching the technical aspects of jump setting, firts tempo sets, and combination sets.

Date: July 12
Cost: $90
Where: Northern Colorado Recreation Center
Grades: 4-12 (boys and girls)

Defensive Clinic: In the defensive clinic, all floor skills are taught along with seam covereage, overhead digging, serve receive and team defense.

Date: July 13
Cost: $90
Where: Northern Colorado Recreation Center
Grades: 4-12 (boys and girls)

Hitting Clinic: The hitting clinic breaks down the technical aspects of attacking as well as backrow attack, first tempo attacks, set combinations, and scoring and against a block. Blocking will also be covered.

Date: July 14
Cost: $90
Where: Northern Colorado Recreation Center
Grades: 4-12 (boys and girls)

See you on the court!

2008 Highlight Film

2009-04-17T09:46:00.005-06:00

This movie was put together at the end of the 2008 season. It features one of our many "Character" fans...Superman. We also have the Incredible Hulk, Pancho Villa, and Braveheart in regular attendance.

It was a great season and we are looking forward to next! With our strong returners and an incredible 2009 recruiting class, we will definitely be looking at competing for the Big Sky Title.

BGO's

2009-04-16T16:41:00.008-06:00

Bear. Gladiator. Olympics. For those of you who do not know...the BGOs are becoming the most important sporting event in the world (aka, Bear's volleyball). They have brought joy and unity to the team (a little yelling and arguing too).

Filmed during the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, and our pre-season two-a-days, the BGOs have become legend. The team anxiously awaits the final video which will be shown on the evening of April 25th, after our last spring season tournament.

Our athletes were broken into three teams. Those teams competed against each other in several "Olympic" events such as Canon Ball, Reverse Sprint, and the Floor Routine. They also took on our barrage of mean and menacing Gladiators. The Gladiator events included the Gauntlet, Joust, and the infamous Assault.

As an introduction, enjoy the following video. It was made as a trailer to the real video, which is soon to be released.

Welcome!

2008-01-24T12:13:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the Northern Colorado Volleyball Blog page! This is all new, so expect to see changes... More to come before long.

2007 Highlight Video

2008-01-24T11:13:00.001-07:00

Just a sample of some of the great play from our athletes

Team picture

2008-01-24T11:13:00.000-07:00

This is the team from the 2007 season.