Thursday, May 19, 2016

against sunset

       we played sunset high school the other day. it was a good game but we came out with the win. they're a good team but when it came to it, they couldn't hang with palmetto. it was a home game so the crowd was on our side. i looked in the stands and saw the fans cheering us on and doing their synchronized chants. you could feel the energy going through the gym.
        first set starts and we go out with bang. instantly start out with bouncing balls and 3 ball passes to open up the offense. we won the set 25-17 and its on tho the next one. the next set starts and sunset looked rattled. we took advantage of that and played with no mercy and won that set 25-15. it was definitely one of my better games. our coach seemed proud of us because it was a great game on his birthday. before the third set started, he reminded us that it was his birthday and that our first time beating sunset would be perfect on his birthday. third set starts and we come out on fire. a good game becomes a great game when you start and finish strong.we win the third set and the crowd is on their feet cheering while we shake hands and say good game.

Wednesday, April 20, 2016

pre season tournament

                                                           Preseason Tournament

            So this Wednesday was the start the preseason. we had a great tournament. we played Columbus high school and st. Brendan high school. I know a great majority of the players on both teams because i played travel volleyball with both those teams during the off season.
            when the teams walked in we all greeted each other like it was a family reunion. we established that we are all friends until the game starts then we are rivals. that made the games so much more competitive. you could feel the excitement in the gym. and you knew the season was coming soon.
           we ended up winning both games but it wasn't easy. both teams fought hard but we came out victorious in the end. this gave us a great start to the season. we scan now go into the start of the season with confidence and hopefully dominate on the court.

Friday, February 19, 2016

A Couple Days In:
    Tryouts are finally over for the palmetto varsity volleyball team. we started the tryout with 14 and ended with 12, an easy choice for my coach. we all knew who was on and who was off from the beginning.
    The team is looking strong. everyone seems excited and dedicated to this year. we each have our own separate goals, whether its getting first team all Dade, or getting a starting spot, or showing the coach that they deserve playing time. Last year i was an honorable mention for the all Dade team but this year my personal goal is to be first team all Dade and lead the district/ county in kills. in order for this to happen i have to be committed from the beginning and put forth maximum effort to the game and my team.
Image result for all dade volleyball 2015

Tuesday, February 9, 2016

The Season Is Coming

    So the season is finally coming!! Tryouts started on Monday and I'm pretty excited to see how the year goes. Everyone out there is so determined to get better and exceed. We all have one goal this year and it is to get to states. We have to build and get better as a team but I'm confident we will do great this year. I've talked to everyone and everyone seems to be just as excited as me.
    I was looking over to the JV side and saw that the competition over there was pretty good for the first day. I'm expecting for them to be a great team and I am always willing to help them if they ever ask. When I was on JV my freshman year, the team was at a high level from the beginning. I wish that to happen this year because I want to enjoy the JV games as I watch them before I play.
    When both teams are finalized we will have a strong team and we will turn into an even better team to take the title.

Sunday, January 31, 2016

Florida Fest 2016

            Some of the most competitive volleyball I have played in a while happened this weekend, January 30th and 31st. This tournament had teams from all around the US, Canada, and even Puerto Rico.
            I went with my travel team MVA (Miami Volleyball Academy). We played an all around great tournament. we won four games and lost three (4-3). our first two games started slow, we had AM wave so our games were early in the morning. we played a team from Puerto Rico called "San Juan" and they had the number 1 player in Puerto Rico as a star player. my team is stacked with some of the best players in Miami, but in Puerto Rico they eat sleep and drink volleyball so you can already figure how that went for us. we held our own but it wasn't enough. after those games we had a break and got some rest to play two more full games. we go on the rest of the day to win our next two games and end Saturday on a high note to only start again on Sunday.
             Sunday morning comes and I wake up in a mood to play some volleyball. the second day of the tournament is playoffs and my team was in the silver bracket. we played at 1:00 but the time seemed to go by slowly.the first team we played was "Vegas" a team from LA. They were good but we've had better competition. our next team was some great competition but not enough for me to remember their name. And finally our last game of the day against another team from California called "nemesis". they had a 6'5 player with the wingspan of an eagle and jumped out of the gym. I did my best to put some points on the board but he just couldn't be stopped. we didn't have the height nor the heart to do it. there is only so much I can do.
             so to wrap up my "Florida Fest" volleyball tournament experience, it was an all around great tournament with some intense competition. I left that tournament knowing I did everything I could and I got better while doing it.

Friday, January 22, 2016

Only the beginning 🏐

Boy's volleyball, a sport greatly under appreciated.
           I've been around volleyball for more years than I can remember. My oldest brother graduated from palmetto in 2011 and played volleyball for all 4 years of high school. I went to almost every single game and cheered him on not knowing I would fall in love with the game. My middle brother graduated in 2014 and was playing volleyball too. He would go with the oldest to practice and they both enjoyed every second they were on the court.
           I went into freshman year expecting to be strictly basketball. But that quickly changed when Mrs. Latshaw (the volleyball coach at the time) was constantly asking me to play when I walked into her class for p.e. I thought... "Why not give it a chance? Your brothers loved playing and even your mom played in high school."
           Tryouts came at the beginning of February and I went with a mindset to get in there and work too make a good impression on the coaches. As we introduce ourselves to the coaches they instantly remember me from my brothers playing for them in the past. I was the third Brown to come through and I was determined to be the best one since I am the last son. After a couple of rounds of playing I started to get the hang of it. Watching my brothers past games really helped me since I already had some knowledge of the game. I could tell the coaches were impressed because they seemed to crowd the court to watch and always had eyes on me. I felt the pressure, but I work pretty well under pressure.