The Blue Devil Volleyball program canceled games on Friday, September 13. In place of the games, they went to the SMU volleyball tournament at University Park.
Head coach Logan Smoak had great intentions in bringing her program to the game.
”I took the program, so they could see volleyball played at a high level,” Smoak said, “and for the program to experience this together.”
Smoak and her players had some very memorable experiences during this trip.
“I enjoyed the entire SMU and Kentucky game because it was back and forth the whole time,” Smoak said. “I enjoyed the environment of the gym,”
Caroline Ashley, setter for the Blue Devil volleyball team, had a different perspective on why she liked the game.
“I enjoyed watching Purdue’s outside who is extremely undersized for the level of play,” Ashley said. “She could jump out of the gym. I also enjoyed watching SMU’s setter. I went into the game with the mindset of focusing on the Kentucky setter. However, I was pleasantly surprised by the show SMU’s setter put on and how she ran her offense.”
The players and coaches saw some great volleyball full of great techniques.
“We understood prior to the match that these athletes are some of the best in college volleyball,” Ashley said. “We observed the players in our positions and watched things they did well and why it worked for them. As individuals, we tried to incorporate those skills and techniques into our game when we got back to our gym.”
Besides learning techniques, the team enjoyed their time together.
“We had a good time because we made it a good time, Ashley said. “It could have been easy to complain about the three-hour bus ride there and back, but we made the most of it and used it as team bonding.”