Season in sight

(Editor's note: Ursuline Academy's Caitlin Burchill checks in with her first blog of the season)

It's officially the most wonderful time of the year.

Nope, it's not Christmas... or my birthday... it's volleyball season. I live for this time of the year. It's truly the only reason that makes me look forward to going back to school during the warm, relaxing summer months. I have counted down the hours, minutes, and seconds until I could spike a ball down onto Ursuline's newly polished hardwood...and that time has finally arrived!

Unlike all of the previous autumns, this is my big senior year. The year I have dreamed about since I first slid on kneepads in the seventh grade. Tryouts ended yesterday and the team was picked. We are lucky to have nine returning players and three talented girls taking the place of the three seniors who graduated. Although, it's a bummer that two of the grads were starters, I feel we are lucky to have varsity veterans that can step up into their spots.

We ended last season with a heartbreaking loss in the Division 3 state semifinals. (My third trip to the volleyball state semifinals, and yes... my third upsetting loss.) Although it was a miserable day for us Bears, it was definitely great motivation for this upcoming season.

After that game, I made one of the hardest decisions of my life to stop playing varsity basketball and softball at Ursuline and to concentrate fully on volleyball. I played throughout the rest of the year training at the gym and traveling and competing with SMASH 18's volleyball team. The greatest reward for my tough decision was that I wasn't alone. Almost every single girl who will wear an Ursuline jersey this season did the same. Everyone put in the effort, either by playing for a club team or by going to a camp. We're hoping it will all pay off in the end.

Our first game is Sept. 5 against Oliver Ames. Starting today, we only have six practices until the season starts.

Go UA!