Welcome to the 2011 Niagara volleyball NCAA Tournament Blog. Bob Vail, from NU Athletic Communications, will be chronicling the Niagara's trip and preparations for its third straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament. 

Follow @NUBobVail on Twitter for realtime updates

Update - Dec. 3, 2011 - 1:00pm - 'The Game and Some Loose Ends'

Now that we're in the airport in Cedar Rapids I have some time to write about the game yesterday.  Plus, I may or may not get on the plane so I could have a lot of extra time.

Anyway, we got to the McLeod Center early to check out the Florida v Mizzou game.  Florida was down in the first set when we go there and Mizzou took the opening set but the Gators came back and took the next three to win the matchin four.  

Once that match wrapped up the building got packed and that place was loud.  Sitting courtside you could hear everything, and those fans, especially the student section, were vocal.  The steepness of the stands added an extra element to the whole experience.  Every fan in the building is right on top of the court.  

The environment wasn't so cool during our match vs. UNI, it got a little annoying but that is what it is supposed to be like for the visiting team I suppose.

After the match the team haad a chance to cool down; Coach Clements, Hannah Hedrick, and Sam Morgan got to take part in a press conference; and the players got a chance to see their families that made the trip.

Things got a little more interesting in what could have been the most ambitious, post-match dinner plan ever.  As a suprise the team was taken to the local Chuck E. Cheese, which was open to 11 pm (it said so on the doors) and they told coach Hellman on the phone that they would serve the team.  

With the info available, it seemed like it was going to be an awesome team meal.  The players got off the bus in a hurry - only to get back on the bus less than a minute later because the kitchen was closed.  That just goes to show you, you can't trust a mouse who sells pizza.  

An audible was called and we hit up a Texas Roadhouse instead before heading back to the hotel.  

So here we are after an hour bus ride from the hotel to the aiport for our quick flight to Detriot, just hanging out and staying out of trouble.  

Quick Note: here is the story about the 'beans' that were referenced in an earlier post.  Duing a practice, if a player makes a mistake or the like, coach will give them a bean.  At home practices they get an actual bean while on the road it's just a dash mark on a piece of paper (which is way less cool).  They have to run a lap for each bean they get, so the less beans the better.  

Update - Dec. 3, 2011 - 12:15am

Let's get this out of the way early, that match didn't go nearly as well as everyone hoped it would.  That being said, the final score doesn't show how many great plays the team did make.

I'll have the full update about the game, what happened before and after, tomorrow.  I mean, after an aborted post-game meal at Chuck-E-Cheese, you need a little time to wrap your head around everything that happened.

Update - Dec. 2, 2011 - 3:45pm - "Ready To Go"

The team just got back from the McLeod Center and a light practice.  I was a little worried about the somber mood on the bus on the way there but the team was relaxed during its run-through and were back to singing along with the radio on the way back

Before practice I got to sit down with coach Clements and to talk about the team, the trip, and the tournament (the converstation can be heard during the halftime of the men's basketball game tonight on WBEN 930am with Todd Callen).  The biggest challenges Niagara will face are UNI's speed and it's active setter, but after seeing practice and talking with coach, it's clear that this team is ready.

Now we have an early dinner then head back to the arena to watch the opening match of the evening, Florida v Mizzou.  

Check back for more updates during the game.

P.S. - Here is a nice preview article from the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier.  Check out who got the photo.  WCF Courier

Update - Dec. 2, 2011 - 12:00pm - "Thoughts from the Seniors"

Here is one of the guest spots I was talking about.  Last night, seniors Hannah Hedrick and Lisa Bilich took the time to share their thoughts about the trip.  Without further ado, here is their story:

So, here we are, Cedar Falls, Iowa for the 2011 NCAA Volleyball Tournament and we couldn’t have asked for a friendlier place to play.  Everywhere we go, we are greeted by warm faces and kind words. 

For the senior class, this is our last opportunity to play in the NCAA tournament.  From past experiences there is no greater feeling than walking out to a packed arena and facing one of the top teams in the country. We are enjoying and soaking in every moment of this journey, from traveling to meals to practicing.

It started Wednesday when we woke up around 4:30 a.m. to hop on a bus to the Buffalo Airport.  Some of the team did not realize that five in the morning is not the appropriate time to have loud conversations.  

Once we got to the airport we passed through security and walked to our gate.  We then indulged in breakfast sandwiches, which our team declared as the most perfect food.  Lisa even states that, “There is nothing better than a breakfast sandwich.”  

We had a quick layover in Chicago where Lisa was able to find an Illinois magnet to add to her collection, but Hannah was not as successful in finding an outlet for her Ipod.  We had another quick flight where Hannah was given the pleasure of sitting by our Coach and looked through the “Sky Mall” magazine, picking out items that will be found in her future house, such as dog ramps and pottery wheels. 

We arrived in the lovely city of Cedar Rapids around 10:30 a.m. where outlets seemed to be at every seat in the terminal.  After traveling about one hour on a charter bus to Cedar Falls we had lunch followed by a nap.

Practice followed our nap at four p.m.  After practice we headed to Applebee’s where we had dinner.  Traveling back from dinner, we passed a car dealership that was owned by John Deery.  This had senior Sam Morgan very confused, wondering if this was a rip-off of John Deere.  

We all were worn out from the day’s travel, so we headed back to the hotel where we showered and relaxed in bed.  Senior Kathy Bibler and Hannah caught up on some “Real World” before Kathy tucked in Hannah and they dozed of to sleep.

We woke up, feeling refreshed after a great nights sleep.  We ate some breakfast and headed to our rooms to get some homework done.  We then went to lunch.  We think that we can speak for everyone when we say that we feel like all we do is eat sometimes.  Luckily, we headed to practice soon after where we got some of our energy out and further prepared for the match.

Thursday’s practice went well and everyone seemed to have more energy.  We ended practice with Coach giving us the themes for our weekend.  Each week she gives us a theme based on whom we are playing.  This Friday our theme is “Freaky Friday.”

Senior Michelle James has been given the flip camera by Bob and is capturing memories from this trip.  She is doing a below par job and needs to step up her camera skills if anyone watching does not want to get motion sickness.

After practice we headed back to the hotel where we showered and did some film work.  After film, we headed to Olive Garden where Hannah found herself stuck in a musical. Lisa, Michelle, Amanda Wilken and Taylor Scully were able to enjoy both dinner and a show. 

Now it’s bedtime for us all; time to get some great sleep and dream about victory. #purpnation

Update - Dec. 2, 2011 - 10:45 am -  "Gameday"

The team gathered for breakfast at 9:30 this morning for the usual bacon, eggs, and Family Feud.  

Everyone here is ready to go.  Now it's all about getting work done before we head to the McLeod Center for practice.  For me that means getting a blog post from a couple of our seniors up on the web.  Check back real soon for that one.


Update - Dec. 1, 2011 - 9:30 pm - "Practice, Meetings, and Olive Garden..Oh My..."

First off, the team had another light practice with only a few "beans" handed out by coach Clements (I'll explain the whole beans thing in another post).  The team looks ready to go.

We popped back into the hotel for a bit then coach, Steve, and I had to head back to the McLeod Center for the coaches meeting where we went over everything from protocol to handing out the credentials.  I didn't really do much but the staff at UNI has been great and has taken care of everything.

After the meeting we picked up the team and headed out for dinner at the Olive Garden.  It would be hard to pick one word to describe our meal; interesting, informative, and scary would all be contenders, but "fun" would take the cake.  Everyone had a blast and Niagara is really lucky to be represented by this group.

The best part is - you don't have to take my word for it.  The players have written/are writting some posts AND I handed my camera over to Michelle James to shoot some behind the scenes video.  I've only seen a little bit of the footage so far but this video is going to be a must see when it is edited and online.  

Check back tomorrow for a host of guest spots and gameday updates.


Update - Dec. 1, 2011 - 12:20 pm -  "All Quiet So Far"

Today has been quiet thus far.  The team gathered for breakfast in the morning and followed up with a two-hour study table to knock out some of their homework.

I just wrapped up my portion of a team meeting and after the enire meeting is over, we'll be off to lunch.  Things will pick up later when the team practices; head coach Susan Clements, Steve Butler, and I have the coaches meeting this evening; and things wrap up with team dinner.  
 
There is one thing you are not going to want to miss - over the next few days I'm going to turn the blog over to a few of the athletes so they can give their thoughts on the trip.  That should be interesting, to say the least.

Check back soon!

Update - Nov. 30, 2011 - 7:20 pm -  "Practice, Dinner, and That's About It''

First off, it is cold out here in Iowa.  We've got some proper winter weather that shows how lucky we've been in WNY so far this year.  All we need is for the nice weather to keep up until January - then it'll warm up.

We got to the McLeod Center at UNI around 4 pm and the team went through a light practice to shake off the long day of travel.  The biggest thing that stood out was how cool of an arena that is.  The stands are incredibly steep, it's like you're plaing in a pit.  There are nice luxury boxes and legit concession stands, I had no idea UNI had facilities like this.

One of the levels in the McLeod Center is called 'Gallagher Terrace'.  That has to be a good sign, right?

I also got a quick peak at their 16,000-seat, indoor football stadium.  I think Niagara could use one just like it.  (Note to self: get ball rolling on a football team for NU)

After practice we headed out to Applebee's for the team dinner.  While we're here we might as well eat good in the neighborhood.  Anyway, now the name of the game is chill out and get ready for a full day tomorrow.


Update - Nov. 30, 2011 - 1:53 pm - "Planes, Trains, and Automobiles"

We just got into the hotel after a three-leg (in some cases four-leg) journey.

The players had to meet up at the bus to take them from campus to the Buffalo/Niagara International Airport around 4:45 am but I met the team at the airport at 5:30 am for our flight to Chicago-O'Hare.  

After a routine flight, complete with a video letting us know how well United is doing as a company, we arrived in Chi-town a whopping 55 minutes early.  That brought our layover to a solid two hours, which was just long enough for Taylor Scully, trainer Carol Bartz, and myself to contemplate hopping on the El and visiting various friends and family we each had in the area.

Instead everyone posted up by our gate and passed the time as well as they could.

The half-hour flight from Chicago to Cedar Rapids was on the smallest plane I'd ever been on and was clearly not built for people of my height or the height of some of the women on the team.  

Finally in Iowa, all we had left was an hour-long bus ride (with the best bus driver ever, Rick) from the airport to our hotel in Cedar Falls on which everyone fell asleep.  

Speaking of sleep, we have a few hours before the team heads to the gym for practice so a nap sounds pretty good.

Check back here for updates after practice and throughout the weekend.