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women'svolleyballplayersanswerin theirownwordsi.j

0.* What ledyou tocome hereover otherschools?

I was considering a few schools before I truly feltthe Lord pushing me to come here.Iknew that even ifI could not have volleyball,Iwould want to attend this school. I wanted to be surrounded by people who loved the Lord and grow closer to God.

-Kelly Haseman, SO

0." What events led you to join our volleyballteam?

One of my greatest dreams, since I was small and started playing volleyball,was to play at a collegiate level,Division I to be precise When God led me to a Christian and Division I level school that offered me a position on their team, Iknew this was where Ibelonged.

-Claire Jacobsma. SO

I decided to transfer [here] because of Jeremiah 29:11 It was on my heart when Icame to visit.I knew I was at the right place when Coach introduced the team verse to me, the same [verse]on my heart. Coach recruited me at the right time,and I knew God wanted me here. -Brittany Pacella, SR

QtWhat skills, trainingordisciplineis needed tocompete atthislevel?

I would have to say that mental toughness isthe most important thing for college sports. You can have allthe talent inthe world, but if your mental game isn'tthere then you're practically useless If your mind isn't tough enough for the pressure,fatigue and everything else that comes along with being a student athlete,then you're just up a creek without a paddle and you won't love the sport you play."

-Chelaine McCarty, SR

0." Do you feel rewarded when you walk off the court and what makes you feelthis way?

Knowing I did my best and gave itmy all and seeing that pay off gives me a sense of satisfaction when I walk off the court. Also seeing my teammates do the same in succeeding gives me a rewarding feeling. When [our supporters] are behind us and seeing them impacted by what we do is an insane feeling It'srewarding to know that in some way we're doing something, even though it's just volleyball,for someone else -Karyl Bacon. JR

/ stronglybelieve thattheLord broughtmeto thisschool. I knewthefirst dayIvisited thatIwantedto attend[here]. Thewelcoming atmosphereof thestudents, coachesand administrative employees impressedme tremendously. I knewitwasthe rightfit.

-Erica Manor, FR

FreshmanshortstopJoshRichardsonlikesthepitchandswings Fansfilledupthestandsto watchourteam defeattheDelawareStateHornets8-1 intheirfirsthomeopener "I lovegoingtothe baseballgamesbecauseI lovewatchingthesport,"SarahGoss,sophomore,said."Thereisnothing betterthanagood baseballgame onabeautifulday." (for more on baseball see page 140)

Sometime s the best teams do not take home the championship trophy. In2007,the softballteam had the most individual talentand established national records, according to Head Coach Paul Wetmore, but they were not the best team the day ofthe Big South Championship tournament They went home aftertwo losses.In2008 and 2009 the team advanced tothetitle game,only tofinishrunner-up. Thisseason the team resolved towin.

"We've come insecond two years ina row, so it seems like there'sno bettertime than the present totake one home," Jenna Eatmon,juniorutilityplayer, said. "I want a Big South Championship ring, and I think we have agreat shot atthatgoal."

Inorderto reach thatgoal, theteam would haveto defeat long-time rivalsWinthrop and Radford, the teams thatwon thetitle games the pasttwoyears

"We haven't had the experience,but now we do," Coach Wetmore said "We have tofinish it now."

The coaches challenged theteam tochoose atheme. A few ofthe girlsnoticed the words "AllforOne" on the sideofa Pepsi bottle, and they thought it fit the team perfectly withZaneBator, seniorfirstbaseman

"'One'represents Jesus and the team,"Katie Warrington, freshman pitcher, said "It helps remind us that we all have thesame goal."

Eatmon said, "To me,AllforOne' means putting aside everything thatwould ordinarily hold usapart and coming together asa team,asfriendsand assisters in Christ."

Thiscommon bond setthisteam apart because all the girls were playing toglorifyGod,a motivationdifferent than many other schoolsaccording toWarrington Although the girlshave had individual hardships this year, theteam has bonded because ofthose challenges and learned toovercome them together.

"Thisteam is full ofgirls who loveGod and loveeach other,"Eatmon said. "We areall focused and readyto bring home a Big South Championship."

Or How long have you been on the team?

Thisismy second yearattheschoolasI transferred from Wenatchee ValleyCollegeasajunior.

0." What position do youplay?

Pitcher, Firstbase,and DesignatedHitter.

Q' What'syour favorite partabout beingapartofthe team?

Theclosenessofgettingtoknow eachother, friendshipsthatarebuilt, representingtheschool throughathleticsand alltheexperiencesfromit

Ql! Do you have a favorite memory?

My favoritememory would havetobeseeing Ryan Baumberger getdrug behindCody Brown for60feet, attachedacableduringspeedtraining

Q' What'syour favorite part of attending the softballgames?

My favoritepartofattendingsoftballgamesis feelingtheadrenaline.ThepassionthatI haveforthe game explodesfrom headtotoeevenwhen I am on thebleachers.

0." What makes itdifferent fromother sports?

Whiletherearemany similaritiessuchasa ball, runningand team players,softballisdifferentinthe sensethatyou constantlyhavetobeonyourtoes, readyforthenextbighit,thegroundercoming atyou orthenextpitchcoming at50 mph

Ql What's theenvironment like?

A dead crowd makes adead game Theintensity ofthegame explodesfrom thefirstplay,and the team'sconfidencerises A greatcrowd makesthe playersworkashardastheycanand thatmakesfora greatgame,whethertheywinorlose

SeniorShawnTeufeldeliversapitch, hopingtostrikeouthisDelaware opponent. Thebaseballandsoftball teamsstrivedtoshowChristonthefield and offthefieldthroughcommunity service Thesoftball teamdecidedto supporttwogirlsthisyearnamed Kayla and Aprilwho hadbraintumors."Ourgoal istosupportwho wecallour"sisters" and helpthem throughthistoughtime," DanielleHoward,sophomore,said "We constantlysendvideosand writeontheir webpagejustshowingalittlelove,which doesn'tsoundlikemuch,butjustletting them know thatGod isontheirsidecan help SeniorDaneBeaklerpreparesto bringtheheatagainstDelawareState Hornetsbatter. Thesoftballteamwas alsobringingtheheatthisyearasthey strivedtowinaBigSouthChampionship "We havealotmoreexperienceonthe fieldbecausewehaveateam witha lotofupperclassmen."Jenna Eatmon, juniorsoftballplayer,said."Iexpectalot outofusthisseason," Sophomore and 1stbasemanTreyWimmer divesinto thedirt,gloveextended,hopingto catchthebaseball Spendingawhole seasonwithteammates,gettingready forgames,travelingand practiceenabled playerstoformlastingrelationships.

"WhatIenjoymostaboutthesport is thelifelongfriendshipsyouaccumulate alongtheway,"KatnnaJohnson,freshman softballplayer,said."Ialsolovehaving theopportunitytomeetnewpeopleand traveltonewplaces."

Q

"1havebeen goingtothe gamessince my freshmanyear 1 attendbecause 1 am friendswith a lotoftheguys ontheteam,and my boyfriend plays Myfavorite partofattending is probably beingoutside hangingoutwith my friendsand watchingthe guys play."

-Amber Rogers,SO

"1enjoybaseball andsupporting my friendsand boyfriend on theteam.1 like thelaid back atmosphereand hangingoutwith friendsand nice weather."

-Courtney Rood,JR

Thesecrettofourstraightchampionshiptitles

F o r four consecutive semesters straight, the Dime Pieces won the title as intramural soccer champions.The secret behind theirsuccess rested on theirfriendships

"I think a lotofus knew each other before we started to play,"Lindsey Fyre, juniorteam captain , said, "Since we were doing well, we stayed together.We were all friends outside ofthe team."

"Most ofus have been playing together foraboutsix semesters,so we have been able to really get to know each other's strengths and abilitieson the field," Alii Burley, alumni team member,said. I think that's what helped us win the past threesemesters."

Dedication also played intotheirsuccess

Intramural soccer supervisor Adam Dupere said, "They had a really good group committed to play The lastcouple years it's been the same girlscoming out so they had the advantage."

The name "Dime Piece"reflected the team's drive to be great.

"I came up with our team name from the song that says,'I'm looking fora dime that'stop ofthe line', but a dime piece is also called a "perfect ten," said Burley,

The team defeated all opposition intheirpath According tosenior Rochelle Jones,there are generally 10 teams a semester,Arsenal,Panic, Viva laVida,Betty Goats,Rampage, Las Munecas,Plain White Tee's and Just 4 Kix are the names of some ofthe teams the Dime Pieces competed against "Our biggest rivalsare probably Aresenal and Just for Kix,"Fryesaid

Several intramural teams practiced outside ofthe scheduled games,but not the Dime Pieces "Our team does not hold practices,but all ofthe girlson our team are very talented,"said Jones.

The prizeforthese intramural champions has been t-shirts. They are simple shirtsofwhite,red or blue with the flames logo and the words 'Intramural Champions' on it "We lovegetting the t-shirts,"Fyresaid

"Itis fun to be on a team that is so talented and really loves to play soccer,"Jones said "Every girl on our team is passionate about soccer."

"I am excited toplay[indoor soccer] because thesoccer complex is really nice, and I want toplaytostay activeand have funwith my friends." -Nick

Pendley,SR

"I would "[I lookforward "I would liketo - • "Thishasbeen definitelyplay toplaying] trypaintball 5-my firstyear flagfootball Intramural if I canget *=•• participating becausethisis Frisbeeand thegear." | in Intramural thefirst year possibly -HankJett.SO 3 Sports I regret sincehighschool paintball ;: not getting I haven'tplayed Frisbeewill be g involvedsooner! football". veryfun." -Mike >. Basketballhas

-Antonio Zappitella.JR » beenagreat Medley,FR wayto play competitively, meet new people, andget someexercise It hasreminded me thateach member isan essentialpart oftheteam. It takesajoint effort, with everyoneusing theirown skills andabilities forasuccessful game."

-Rachel Lake,SR

"I wanted to play [flag football] becauseit'sa funthingtodo getaway from work andjust hang outwith my friends Also, I lovefootball and itgives me a wayto get out thereinsome funcompetition. It'salsoexciting because we haveall been on thesame team forawhileso we workwell togetherand haveagreat team thisyear."

-NickCope,SR

"I'mactually playingwith some girlson thehall and some ofthe brother dorm soit's likea brothersister dorm thing Mike playing because it'sagood way toexercise, hang outwith friends, and playa sport you like in a laid back but fun environment."KelsiFarmer,JR

"I play intramural sportsbecause I lovesoccerand itgivesmethe opportunityto playonaregular basiswithout being onthe actualwomen's team.I like playing because it givesyou the opportunity to play competitively withothergirls inastructured leagueandthe opportunityto meet othergirls who sharethe same passionfor thesportasyou do."

-Jessica Bridge,JR

"I am playing soccerforthe 4thsemester. It can getsweaty, sometimes freezingand sometimes superhot, but it hasreally brought me amazingfriends! I likethat'sits chill butstill challenging." -

AliciaAllen,JR

FreshmanEmilySmithplants herfootand concentrateson deliveringtheperfectpass. Many formerhighschoolathletesenjoyed beingabletoparticipateinsports theyspentmany yearsperfecting and nothavetheresponsiblyand intensitythatcomewithbeingonan officialuniversityteam "Intramural sportsareanincrediblewayto findcompetitionatschool,"Jenni Blanzy,junior,said. "I playedhigh schoolathletics,and now I havean opportunitytocontinueplaying what I lovebest."

Dribblingtheballtowardshisgoal,astudentathleteattemptstooutmaneuvertheopposition. Fall semesterwas thefirstseasonthattheindoorfieldwasavailableforintramuralindoorsoccer allowingsoccerenthusiastswereabletobeattheunpredictableLynchburgweatherpatterns Theblessingofarooftoplayunderand alsothefomatofthegames played inan indoorsetting weresome oftheprasiesthatstudentsgavetothenew facility "Thesmallsizeofthefieldand 6 vs.6formatcreatessome greatfastpaced competitiveplay," Ryan McVety,junior,said.

JuniorJosiahJonesscansthe fieldlookingforoneofhis teammates duringagame of flagfootball Studentsenjoyed theopportunitytomeet new peopleand remainactive "It issomuch funtowatch and playintramuralsports,"Julie Mcmillian,senior,said. "I like watchingstudentswho may notknow eachothercome togetherand playforfun It reallyisagood way forthe campustobond." L-*-iJ

An intramuralbasketball playertakestheballdown the laneinpursuitofthenet Many studentswho played highschool sports,used intramuralsasa meanstocontinuecompeting and inastructuredsetting. "I playedbasketballin high school,"SteveBrower,senior, said "Intramuralbasketballcan becompetitiveattimes, but thegood teamsdefinitelystand outabovetherest."SeniorBen Berry'sintramural basketball teamchosetosendaspecific messagetotheiropponents inthenametheychosefor themselves "I playbasketball and my team name isVICtORY," Berrysaid "Thelowercase"T" symbolizesthecross."

ESTING IN THE WAKE OF EACH STEP ILEAVE

BEHIND WHO I WAS. I SOLDIER ONWARD TO BREACH MY POTENTIAL AND REDEFINE ITSBOUND.J

MY FEARS AND FAILURE. I AM DESTINED TO CONQUER THE UNKI HIS VISION IS DAILY BECOMING MY REVELATION. WOUNDED BUT NOT DEFEATED. OPPRESSED BUT NOT OVERCOME. COMPELLED TO PERSEVERE WITH THE COURAGE TO PREVAIL.UNASHAMED.THIS ISMY SCHOOL.