UNLV REBELS

We lost -- as if you already didn't know. And once again we should have won -- as if you already didn't know. And once again we waited too long to actually pick it up and play as hard as we could.

Although our opportunities for a chance to experience the NCAA tournament have come to an end, there is always next year for the rest of you. And we all know that it should happen, so why not let it happen?! It is so easy to say and yet so hard to actually do, but you all might as well do it and quit messing around.

Anyways, back to the trip. It was a quick competing one, yet still one of the longest. It all started in good spirits and we were all preparing the whole way to beat the girls from Provo. We had the confidence and we could remember how great it was to beat BYU the last time. And this time was going to be even more 'crucial' to win. Everyone was healthy and feeling good. Sheila, Blair and Chris were even preparing to psyche out the good girls with versions of their own fierce messages. You guys really should have done it. I don't think the nice girls quite got your message.

The Banquet. Thank goodness for 'The Bachelor' and Colorado State players having some pull with the authority of the MWC. The banquet actually wasn't that long -- which was good cause we all had big things to do and a big game to prepare for -- and never before have the grilled vegetables been the best part of the meal. It was also very inspirational to hear the lady talk about the importance of 'vision.' We were impressed with her ability to relate our game of serving, passing, setting, and hitting to actual life experiences. Right? Without ever playing volleyball, she actually did a good job putting things in perspective for us.

It was also fun to try to figure out who everyone was. We only remember faces by teams they play for and their jersey number. When it was time to try to put faces together without numbers or school colors, it was pretty fun. If they would have only known. Personally, I don't think we played some of these people. I wonder if they thought the same about us - of course not! And we thought we were the only team with girls and alter-personalities.

I hope our newcomers to our traveling squad enjoyed themselves. Lisa, Tasha, Brian, Michelle and Jeff. Glad you guys could enjoy our company; we certainly enjoyed yours. I know for a fact that Jeff enjoyed the drive to Fort Collins and I also know that Michelle (our other favorite trainer) finally got a good taste of what it actually takes to keep track of all of us and attempt to keep us all healthy. Thanks Michelle for understanding. Brian actually got in the mix with us too which was cool (even though I barely saw him the whole trip).

We thoroughly missed the rest of yous that couldn't join us this weekend: Michelle, Mary, Suken, Musiette. We thought of you all often. And hey Musiette, thanks for the Good Luck goodies. The towels played an important role in our 'almost' success. They provided some good rally cap material and we heard they looked great on TV. Thank you.

Too bad we couldn't go home that night. Actually too bad for the rest of my teammates; I actually feel pretty lucky. I got to spend the whole weekend with my family. While the rest of my team had to watch what could have been us, I was enjoying the Mexican and learning important cake decorating survival skills. Thanks Dad and Kerri for a really nice weekend.

I also hope our Oprah fans got all they wanted plus some in Chicago. It is good to see you had the opportunity to go. We missed out big time -- and Mary, we missed you this weekend.

Until next weekend, please wish us a good recovery week of practice so we can end this season on a very positive note. This weekend will be a fun one and hopefully a winning one. It will help remind the rest of you about what 'you' can do and what you 'will' accomplish next year. So, for all you teammates that might have actually stumbled upon this page and might have actually read this column, let's WIN! And just maybe, let's have some FUN too!

Happy Late 20th Birthday Amy!!?

And the best quote of the weekend. "Tausha goes first, she cleans our underwear."