"At the Net" - with Shay Gracy

The first week of two a days is over and it was moving along very smoothly - until the first session of workouts Wednesday morning. After all the preparation that was I put in over the spring and summer to prevent unwanted injuries, it still did not go as planned. I slipped and fell during a drill and reinjured my back. I was so frustrated because I slipped on a wet spot that was on the court instead of actually completing a volleyball skill. I have not been able to walk normally nor participate in any practices over the last three days. I was feeling really good on Friday morning, but was still not allowed to suit out and practice. I was a little disturbed about being held out again, but deep down I knew it was the best for my back. The coaches gave us off on Saturday, which I was super pumped about because that is two less practices that I will miss. I am hoping to be back on the court practicing Sunday afternoon

Sitting on the sidelines is extremely hard for me, even though, you do learn a lot from watching. It almost makes me angry because I want to be practicing with the girls and putting in all the hard work that they are putting in. I catch myself playing with a ball up against the wall and modifying the drills that are being done in practice so I can keep getting touches on the ball. I won’t lie - I am the athlete that always tries to find a way for me to get in some sort of practice when I am injured. Although, that was not the case with this injury as the trainers have put a short leash on me, :).

As a team, we are looking better each with every practice. We still have a lot of kinks to workout, but that is what practice is for. I can’t explain the amount of leadership that we have in this group of returners. Every single one of them are amazing. All nine of us are strictly about business on the court and we are not going to let anything get in our way of reaching our goal – Lone Star Conference Championship!!!!! The six new girls are fitting in more and more every day. It’s so funny because not only have we learned so much about the new girls in just a short span of one week, but the returners have learned so much more about each other as well.

Week Two begins on Monday and it is going to be very crucial. I pray that there will be no more injuries on our team - so that we can focus solely on what we need to do to win our first match in Nebraska.

Go Texanns!!!

Shay