10-25-17 Video Blog

 

Well Cougars, a lot has happened since we last talked and I will try to update you as best I can! But first things first: your favorite volleyball team is officially 12-2 and we are diving head first into Pac-12 play. We finished out our preconfernce schedule with another long road trip to Springfield, Missouri where we faced a trio of tough teams, including the Missouri State University Bears. The battle against the Bears was a nail-biter, five-set match but we came out on top AND were announced tournament champions AND our very own Taylor Mims was the tournament MVP!! I know we aren't technically supposed to fraternize with the enemy, but both McKenna and I have played on teams with girls from MSU and we can't help but love them. Lily, Butters, Lynsey; if you are reading this I want to say hi, and I hope you kick some major you-know-what this season so that we can have a rematch in the NCAA tournament in December ;)

Besides, next time we face you I want to be on the court so I can talk some major trash through the net…yeah right, if you know me at all you my trash talk game is weak…but I was getting a little heated during that match and I may or may not have been screaming at my computer when I was watching it online in Pullman. Let me guess, some of you are like "What the heck? Why was Casey watching the games online?" (I'm a mind reader, what can I say) So I guess I should inform those who don't already know, volleyball has apparently become a contact sport and I was not ready for it. See, a few weeks ago in Fairfield, Connecticut, one of the opponents decided she really wanted to play on our side of the net (because let's face it, who doesn't want to play with us), so she came under the net and took me out in the process. By the grace of God, it was a minor injury and I should be back before you know it, but it did force me to sit out for a few weeks and support my team in a different way than what I am used to. I gotta be honest with you Cougs, being physically restricted is one of the hardest things for me to deal with because it really tries my mental and emotional strength. I don't want to speak on behalf of all athletes, but I can say with confidence that for most of us, not being able to do what we do is one of the most frustrating experiences. When you know how good you can be if only your body wasn't holding you back, it can take over your entire attitude and energy in a negative way and then before you know it, that physical problem has escalated into a mental and emotional issue as well.  That is why I thank God that he gave me this WSU family who make it so easy to stay positive.

Okay, enough about me, y'all are here to read about the team! So we kicked off Pac-12 play with a tough match against our in-state rivals (can I get a 'Huck the fuskies?') Unfortunately, we came out of the match 0-1 in Pac-12 play, but that's not even what frustrated me…what really grinds my gears is that it was a missed opportunity. Sure, they are a solid team, but we didn't come out to play until the third set and by that time we were down two sets and playing catch-up the whole time. We were dragging behind the first two sets, playing with little passion and energy, and making stupid mistakes. But that's the beauty about our team this year; we have so much room for growth and improvement it's insane. I can honestly tell you that the team UW faces at the end of the season will not be the same as the one it just played, and that's more than I can say about the team in purple. In fact, in my opinion, a lot of other Pac-12 schools have played all their cards; we know exactly what we are going to get with them, but us? We got a few more tricks up our sleeve ;) and you definitely don't want to miss those, so come out and support this season!
 

For those of you not fortunate enough to spend your summer in Pullman, let me just tell you that it is by far the best time of year; the sun is shining, the campus is empty, and there is that long-awaited anticipation for fall sports to start up. Or for us volleyball girls, the feeling of completing our summer fitness tests and finally getting back into Bohler Gym with our coaches. See, because of NCAA rules our coaches can't be in the gym with us until our report day (this year was August 8), which means for two months we were on our own (scary, I know). We ran our own practices and even had a "Battle of the Border" with the University of Idaho volleyball team. We all decided that after the winter we had, some vitamin D would do us some good, so we combined the teams and tried our luck with beach volleyball. Let's just say we weren't very lucky and we should probably stick to indoor volleyball, but it was still fun to play in the sand for a change! I wish I could say the same about our sand workouts, but fun is not exactly the word I would use to describe our mornings with our strength coach, Ashley Hamada. Whether it is in the weight room, on the field or in Leach's Beach (a term of endearment for our sandpit), Hamada had us training hard and putting in work this summer. Some of us even had the opportunity to put that training into use when we competed on a National team that traveled the world!
 
Four of our sixteen girls were chosen to play on a National team, which made us one of the only schools in the country to have that many girls selected. Few other teams had more than two girls playing nationally, and I am proud to say that my teammates not only got to represent their countries this summer, but kicked some major you-know-what doing it! Jocelyn Urias-Castro was back in her homeland playing for the Mexican National team, and played a big role in their run in the FIVB Grand Prix! McKenna Woodford had the honor to represent USA in Thailand when she played on the College National Team…I could try to tell you about it but it wouldn't even come close to the amazing blog she did on her own, so instead I am just going to tell you to check it out online! I also had the privilege to be selected to the College National team that went to Minneapolis (Minnesota is basically the Thailand of the Midwest) I could go on about how great the experience was for me, but instead I will just give you one of the biggest highlights. In set #3 of a tight match I was subbed in to serve and play back row when we were down 22-23…I may or may not have peed a little bit when my name was called, but hey, we won the match and I even had a few aces! But my shining moment as a serving specialist is not nearly as exciting as the success that Taylor Mims had on the College National team that went to Europe! Taylor was part of a team that not only won gold in Croatia, but she was one of the few selected to be on the 2017 Global Challenge all-tournament team! Now normally I'm not one to brag, but I can't even begin to tell you all how legit it is to be selected for that award and how proud I am of Taylor for earning that recognition. Having three of our girls play internationally and come home with immeasurable experiences will only make us stronger as a team. Not to mention our four freshmen and two transfers have sparked a noticeable competition that ignites a battle with each other every practice. Each one of them brings something so unique to our Cougar volleyball family and I can't wait for you all to get to know them this season!

Alright, so I know there is an unwritten rule that no love is to be shared between students of different Pac-12 schools, and especially not between the student-athletes of those schools. The Battle for LA, the Duel In The Desert, the Big Game, the Civil War, and of course the Apple Cup are not just rival games but traditions to be honored and revered always. But after spending a memorable weekend in San Francisco with student-athletes from all the Pac-12 schools, I have to admit that I now support some incredible people even though they don't sport the Crimson and Gray. Now before you get some crazy idea that I am not loyal to my Cougs, I need to tell you about my weekend at the Pac-12 SAAC Conference where my circle of friends grew to include some rival student-athletes. Let me guess, when you read "SAAC" you either came up with some perverted joke, or thought that WSU really needs to fire one of its English professors...but no, SAAC is an acronym for a super cool organization: the, "Student Athlete Advisory Committee." It is a committee composed of student-athletes from every sport that meets to review NCAA legislation and works to bridge the gap between student-athletes and the institution's athletic administration. I have the privilege of being one of the volleyball representatives for the WSU SAAC and had the honor of representing the Cougs at the Pac-12 SAAC Conference in California this spring. Each school sent one male and one female representative to the Pac-12 headquarters to discuss NCAA rules and how the Pac-12 can better serve its student-athletes. We discussed what the Pac-12 is changing to accommodate our needs, what the future will look like for Pac-12 student-athletes, and what other schools' SAAC groups are doing around their communities. The presentations and conversations engaged us with each other and led us to draw from and share our individual Pac-12 student-athlete experiences. In so doing we got to know our "rivals" from a personal perspective and the special bonding that happened between us is something that I will never forget. Whenever I use my new Pac-12 pen, I will think of Marcus (Cal), Matisse (UW), Frankie (USC) and your very own basketball player Jeff Pollard (Go Cougs!), throwing that tiny basketball across the room, bouncing it into Mary's (UCLA) sandwich. My new Pac-12 shirt will surely stir memories of all of us sitting at the Cal baseball game swapping stories and competing to see who could get the most people to take pictures at our SAAC booth (I am pretty sure Zach from Arizona and I still hold the record by the way...just sayin'). I will never play a game of "rock, paper, scissors" that could ever get as heated as the competitions we had that weekend...seriously, if you want to see people fired up just throw 24 competitive student-athletes together and tell them there can only be one winner. These are memories that I will cherish forever and I am so blessed that I had the opportunity to represent the Cougs during this incredible weekend.

3-29-17 Blog

You guys are probably wondering what life is like for us fall sport athletes who have an entire semester of "off-season"...some people are even surprised to hear that we still workout and practice everyday. But let me tell you, there is no such thing as an off-season for any collegiate athlete who is determined to be the best that they can be. Everyone around the country is constantly putting in work to make themselves better and for us here in the Cougar volleyball family, this means that the spring semester is our time to put in as much work as we can so that we can compete at the highest level possible in the fall. Want to know what that looks like? Let me paint you a picture:
 
*5:45 a.m.: alarm goes off (smile on my face, I get out of bed and get ready to walk to Bohler).
 
*6:15 a.m.: we are in the weight room or the gym, stretching and trying to get as "un-sore" as possible before our workout.
 
*7:30 a.m.: workout is complete (depending on the day you can find us sprinting in the gym, getting yoked in the weight room, jumping over hurdles and running around cones, and sometimes a combination of all three…ask us about our favorite "star drill").
 
*8:00-2:00 p.m.: you can find us in class taking diligent notes and giving unwavering attention to our professors (definitely not catching up on sleep…), up in the office watching film with Shannon, and then grabbing lunch from the Gray W before practice.
 
*2:00-5:30 p.m.: It's volleyball time…our afternoons are filled with the "silent killer" pre-hab exercises with Jaimie (I swear she finds every little muscle that we aren't getting worked in the morning and makes it burn like you wouldn't believe), laughing at Milan's frustration when we can't properly do his Serbian warm-up, and then practice: we work on new skills, try to break habits, attempt to head and kick the volleyball in our ball control drills (probably the most entertaining to watch), and get prepared for our spring tournaments.
 
What are spring tournaments like, you ask? Well let me tell you. Essentially, spring games are the opportunity for us to put our work into action and see what improvements we have already made and what changes we still need to make. Actually, we just had our first spring tournament at Gonzaga this past weekend, where we got to try out new line-ups and put people in different positions. To put it simply, there were definitely some bumps and bruises and we lost a couple games that really highlighted our weaknesses, but that is what spring tournaments are all about! The more relaxed setting is good for us to learn from our mistakes, and while there may be some major things for us to tackle before fall season, at least we have more opportunities this spring to work on our game. A tournament at the University of Portland (we couldn't stay away from Tani any longer), and a tournament here in the Palouse will wrap up our spring season and leave us one step closer to season!
 
*6:00 p.m.: we shovel food down our throat before heading off to tutoring, meetings, labs, exams, and all sorts of fun school stuff. 
 
As you can see, our days are pretty much booked and sometimes it seems like the weekend will never come. But I can tell you firsthand that even though it seems to move at a glacial pace while we are in the midst of it, time flies by way too fast. In a few short weeks I will officially become a senior…not going to lie, that thought terrifies me. But it also makes me extremely excited to see what this final season will bring J
 
Want to know more about what our team and our lives are like here in Pullman? Want to know how much we tease Burdette? (The answer is all the time, by the way)…Please email your questions to volleyball.office@wsu.edu and type "Casey" in the subject line to ask me anything you want to know about Cougar volleyball for a "Q and A" edition of Catchin' Up with Casey!
 

"UP IN FIVE…..readyyyy GO!" I can just hear Hamada bellowing it as if she were right in my ear - I swear sometimes I hear it in my sleep and wake up in a sweat thinking I overslept and missed workouts. Let me tell you, that has to be one of my biggest nightmares after I was late to a workout my first week as a freshman. Let's just say that after the punishment I did, I have never been late to a workout since (knock on wood...seriously). Yep, if I were to caption our off-season workouts in one phrase, it would have to be Hamada's signature "up in five" with the exact pitch and emphasis that she executes it with. Our team actually does a pretty good imitation of it when we reminisce on hard workouts, which is usually right before we make fun of Brian, our lead trainer, for struggling with the ab workout we coerce him to do with us. It's moments like those though, the camaraderie that comes with pushing our bodies to achieve peak performance, that makes the long grind of spring semester worth it...I would even say that one of the best feelings in the world comes after a hard workout when we get back together in the locker room knowing we put in work and are going to see the benefits of it. That's probably why we get hyped even though it's only 8 in the morning...people are just arriving to work, but it feels like we have already accomplished a lot so we just BLAST music because we can feel good about the work we put in that's going to make us better, faster, stronger. And that's what this off-season is all about! This is our time to put in work before we hit the ground running in the summer. To fill you in on what our schedules are like this semester: we workout every morning before class, then twice a week we have our individual practices with the coaches where we get a technical training, and then three days we have team practices without the coaches. Now you might be wondering why we only have two hours a week with the coaches, but trust me when I tell you that the NCAA has so many rules and regulations and I have no idea what all of them are…for all I know me telling you about our workouts is somehow seen as some benefit that could take away my eligibility or something so shhh don't tell anyone! Just kidding - I would never jeopardize that just to entertain my audience, but I will definitely keep you guys in the loop these next few months and give you an insight on how our team is developing and changing in preparation for next season. We have people practicing in different positions and trying new things to see what kind of line-up you might try in the fall. In fact, you might be surprised by what you see! The only thing I can guarantee is that I will definitely not be taking over for Lex in the libero position...Jen and Shannon tried to convince me that it would be the best for the team, but I just couldn't let go of getting the opportunity to stuff block people in the front row! Other than that, things are new and changing, which makes it an exciting time for all of us on the team and I hope you follow along to stay updated on our team. This may be Catchin' Up with Casey, but you can expect to catch up with all of my teammates this spring with exclusive interviews and videos!

12-14-16 Blog

Well that's a wrap Cougar fans…the volleyball season for the Washington State Cougars has officially finished and let me tell you, it is one for the books. Let's start with the fact that this was the first NCAA tournament appearance since 2009 and first time making it past the first round since 2002. Not to mention the countless other droughts we kicked this season. Roll over UW in their house? Check. Beat UCLA on their home court? Check. Finally take down Stanford? Check. Seriously, it seemed like every time we won a match Burdette was pulling some crazy statistic out from somewhere that always sounded something like "this is the first time we have come down here and beaten these guys in their house since 200 B.C."…alright maybe it wasn't that dramatic, but I am not exaggerating when I tell you that it was a season of defying the odds. We had players breaking records left and right and we made a habit of reversing negative trends of losing. But if I am being honest, none of that stuff truly resonated with me and I think a lot of my teammates would agree. We weren't playing to do those things; that was simply a consequence of the hard work that everyone in the program put into the season. However, I can let you in on one little secret to our success though...our team actually likes each other. Sure, we all get annoyed with each other but don't all sisters fight? I mean it is bound to happen when 15 girls spend almost all their time with each other. But once you get past the occasional snippy comments, you will find a team that has a connection unlike any other team in the nation. And it even goes beyond just the players. Do other teams have players and parents who not only get along with each other, but truly enjoy each other's company? I swear, my parents don't even come to the games to see me, they come to hang out with the other parents. They all sit together in their Cougar gear, waving their Crimson flags and jumping to their feet to give each other high-fives. On the surface that may seem like nothing, but whenever I look over and see that display of unity and support, I can't help but smile and think to myself that I am extremely lucky to have these people in my life. And I am not just talking about my own parents (sorry mom and dad). I am talking about the parents, grandparents, and aunts and uncles of my teammates who consistently give me hugs and graciously provide positive encouragement after every match. There is no division between players and their families…with Cougar volleyball we are all one big family and I have yet to see any other program like that. I have also yet to find a team that has parents who drive hundreds of miles to supply the players with the best milk in the world (shout out to the Vander Tuigs). No joke people, I would drink that milk if I was lactose intolerant and still enjoy every minute of it. Again, that may seem like a trivial thing, but it is one more thing that makes Cougar Volleyball incredibly unique. We have remarkable relationships on this team and I wouldn't trade any of those for the world. Jen said something after our loss against Wisconsin that I think speaks volumes about our team. "You aren't going to remember how many games you won or what your record was, but you will never forget the relationships you created." I know that I will never forget the bonds that I have created with this team and I hope everyone enjoyed watching our team as much as I have enjoyed being a part of it! Until next season volleyball fans...Go Cougs!

11-2-16 Video Blog 


9-28-16 Blog

What a week! Two victories over two top 10 teams (both on the road I might add) in a three-day span and one over our in-state rival. These were absolute battles and I knew not to expect anything less. Welcome to the Pac-12. No other place in the country can you find as many competitive volleyball teams as there are in our Conference of Champions. Sure, other power 5 conferences have their ranked teams, but how many of them send 7, 8, and even 9 teams to the NCAA tournament at the end of the season? This unrivaled competition is what makes a Pac-12 season so unpredictable, surprising, and for our Cougar volleyball team thus far, exhilarating! Maybe we were the only people confident in our ability to come out of this season opener 2 and 0, but a belief in ourselves is really the only thing that matters. That trust in each other has never been more evident in my three years here than it is this season. Maybe that's why we are breaking records and ending losing streaks to some traditional powerhouses. But the drought is over...we beat #4 UW in their house. Not only is this the first time we have beaten the Huskies since Jen and Burdette took over, but is also the first rival victory for the Cougs since 2009. And ACTUALLY this is the first time we have beat them in Seattle since 2001, when I was five! And then we turned around and beat the Bruins, which hasn't been done since 1997 during the era of Jen and Shannon, when I was one year old. Suffice it to say, the tide is turning for WSU volleyball and the victory of last Wednesday night only fired us up more for our next ranked opponent, UCLA. Honestly, I was nervous for how our team would respond after upsetting UW.  Would we be complacent? Cocky? Would we be satisfied with just that win?  The answer to all my concerns was effectively silenced when we came out on Friday night with guns blazing. We played with a passion and an energy that was palpable in UCLA's Pauley Pavilion. Until the third set…when the Bruins made a few adjustments that took us to long to respond to. But we never stopped fighting, and that grit is what kept us going in that fifth set. That grit showed itself in the momentous stuff blocks from Claire, McKenna and Boone; the jaw-dropping kills from Taylor; the "no way she got that up" digs from Lex, Nic and Mac; the admirable work ethic from Kyra and the shared determination of the team, all carried out with poise. I can't tell you how important poise is in an intense volleyball match; the rapid rise and fall of emotions that comes with a tight fifth set in volleyball is a unique experience in the sports world...one moment you are on your feet for match point, smiling and putting that pointer finger in the air. The next point your stomach is in your mouth because of some microscopic brush of the net by a jersey, giving life to the opponent. Despite this roller coaster of emotions, one thing remains true; you have to have faith in your team and keep being aggressive. For me, this mindset is what got us those two wins against ranked teams. Not to mention our Coug fans, who have given us an incredible boost! Some travel to most of our matches (Bill and Faye Seehafer the primary jet-setters) but I was personally humbled by the unexpected but tremendous support in my "hometown" of Seattle. But let me be the first to tell you, there's a lot more ground to break and these Cougars have a hunger that is not satisfied with just two wins. So don't sleep on us...otherwise you are in for a rude awakening.

9-7-16 Blog

On the road with Cougar volleyball is basically a big game of "who can capture the most embarrassing pictures of each other," proudly sponsored by Snapchat. On the plane, on the bus, in the locker room, eating dinner or basically any free time is fair game and at any given moment we are ready to attack. I wish I could say that one might be safe going to the bathroom or taking a shower, but our team knows no boundaries and unfortunately there is an overwhelming amount of proof of this. I wish I could show you, but I wouldn't dare open that can of worms and get blackmailed with all the embarrassing pictures my team has of me. Like it or not, if you are on the trip, you are in the game, and that includes coaches and staff.  In fact, on our way to Long Beach, Milan and Colby had the honor of sitting in the back of the plane with all the players and were the subject of many Snapchats with ridiculous filters. Of course they complained, but I know they secretly loved the attention. It's moments like these that create an unspoken bond between players, coaches and staff that undoubtedly brings us closer as a team. Team chemistry is a crucial aspect of any successful team and I am convinced that these moments have helped us have two successful weekends thus far in preseason. We battled hard in Indiana and California to come out 5-1. Our season opener, the Purdue Mortar Board Tournament, was a uniquely memorable experience…let's just say I understand now why many teams dread making the trip to Lafayette, Indiana. Is it the intimidating black and gold? Or the respected athletes who train there? Perhaps for some, but for the WSU volleyball team the only item of concern during our time in Holloway Gymnasium was the heat. Or more accurately, the lack of modern-day air conditioning. To paint a pretty picture for you: after our 4-set victory against the University of Wyoming, Kyra literally dripped an actual puddle of sweat during our post-game talk. I honestly tried to keep my focus on Jen and Burdette but I lost concentration while trying to avoid the flood right next to me. As disgusted as I was from the steady stream of sweat pouring off of her, I couldn't help but admire and respect this evidence of hard work that Kyra put into that weekend. 3 matches, 11 sets, hundreds of points and Kyra played every single one of them…there was no one more deserving of MVP. However, I have to say that nothing made me more proud than when Boone was awarded that nauseating purple Nike bag (shouldn't they have known this is not a good color for us?) for being on the all-tournament team. Few people understand the frustration of being a right-handed hitter on the right side but Boone made it look effortless, only allowing one hitting error for the entire weekend! But were we satisfied with one good weekend of volleyball? No, we weren't. So we turned our attention to Long Beach and the competitive teams we would face there. It was a good thing too, because few things feel better than sweeping your opponent on their home court, on a Saturday night, effectively silencing their fans and annoying pep band. Not to mention winning with a major comeback, which is exactly what we did against Long Beach State. We were all smiles and laughs in the locker room after that match; I think Burdette MAY have even cracked a joke…apparently miracles do happen. Victories are fleeting though, as we are now focused on this upcoming weekend. Our first time taking the court in Bohler Gym this year and we are comin' out with a bang - you definitely don't want to miss it.

Fall camp. It can be a daunting two weeks for volleyball teams all across the nation. Days filled with two practices, lifts, film sessions and everyone's favorite post practice treatment; cold-tubbing. But as I soaked into the unforgiving cold tub for the last time during fall camp, I was struck by the change that has occurred in Cougar volleyball; unrelenting determination and competition. In fact, these past two weeks have been filled with some of the most intense, competitive volleyball Bohler Gym has ever seen. Don't get me wrong, we still had double days, lifts, yoga sessions, pool workouts, film sessions and what seemed like never-ending sessions in the dreaded cold tub. But this preseason was nothing like I have ever experienced in my three years here. By trading off between double days and single days our coaches gave our bodies as much rest time as they could, and yet I still went to bed exhausted every night. We emphasized skill practice in the morning by splitting up into different positions and working on technique specific to each position. Then, we would dedicate the evening and/or the end of practice to 6 v. 6 drills and scrimmages to allow us to compete in game-like situations. Other DI volleyball programs wait to scrimmage until the end of their fall camp, but here at WSU we are uncommon. Nearly a week into fall camp and we got to pull on our crimson jerseys for our scrimmage in front of our season-ticket holders. I could see the excitement and pride exuding from my teammates as we laced up our ankle braces, knowing we had the opportunity to compete in front of an audience. And boy did we compete. It didn't matter that we were playing in front of a less rowdy crowd, or we were playing against ourselves and not the nauseating purple and gold…both squads played to win. Despite being the first time playing in front of Cougar fans, Lex and Trey were un-phased by the crowd and even wowed them with some of the amazing defense that they bring to the team. I was constantly frustrated playing against our defenders who never seem to let the ball hit the ground because whenever I think I finally put the ball away, there's Olivia, throwing her hands up and reaching to get the ball up. And then there is Trey sprinting full speed after it, sprawling out and barely getting her arm underneath it, and before I know it the ball is back on my side. I muttered under my breath in annoyance before I barreled in with even more determination to kill the ball. But, I also know this frustration is actually a blessing because every single hitter is getting better by having to find new ways to put the ball on the ground. It feels like it takes minutes for one team to earn a single point because of our tenacious defense and hustle. This has been a recurring theme throughout preseason and I am excited to see it frustrate other teams across the net. Cougar volleyball is on the precipice of something new.