Day One:

The trip began with a noon flight from the Newark airport with the varsity volleyball team, coaches, and Athletic Director. Once through the tedious TSA lines, our team arrived at our gate to drop our bags and explore. After about an hour and a half of buying snacks, eating a quick breakfast, and exploring our terminal, it was time to board our plane to Houston. The flight felt like days, although it was only about 3 hours and 40 minutes. Following the turbulent flight, we landed in Houston and were immediately greeted with southern accents and cowboy hats in the airport. Our team boarded a bus with the volleyball team from Carrollton to venture to Duchesne Academy and officially kick off our tournament. Once we walked off the bus and into the beautiful campus of Duchesne Academy, we were immediately greeted by three friendly members of the varsity volleyball team who gave us a tour of their school. We were able to talk freely with the girls, build connections, and hear personal anecdotes about different spots around the school. Once the tour had ended, our team ventured off separately to explore, eat, and watch the middle school sports games happening around their campus. At 6:30, all the teams congregated in the lunchroom to share a Tex-Mex fajita dinner and a tres leches cake. Following dinner, all 8 teams went out to Duchesne’s turf field to line dance, relax, and bond with other girls. The exhaustion on all the volleyball team’s faces was evident when they announced that the buses had arrived to take us to our hotel. We boarded our bus with Greenwich Academy and drove 15 minutes to our hotel. We were greeted with gifts that one of our team mothers had brought for us. Our team was given adorable cowboy hats, bows, and body glitter to wear the following day. Once settled into my room, which I shared with our two defensive specialists, Rhea Jain and Hadassah Broughton, the night brought on many fun activities. We showered, danced, and all cuddled into one bed to watch a terrifying horror movie. When the clock struck 12:30, we decided to go to bed and prepare for the exciting day ahead of us.

Day Two:

My room woke up bright and early at 6 a.m. to start the day. We excitedly put on our uniforms and did our hair, imagining the fun that was awaiting us. Two hours later, we found ourselves arriving at the school with our volleyball bags in hand and ready to play our first game. Our first game was against Bloomfield Hills in Michigan. We walked away with a win and were riding high as a team. Throughout the day, we talked with girls from different schools, bonded as a group, and enjoyed the Texas weather. Next, we played a game against Carrollton, our Sacred Heart school in Miami. It was a heated game with intense cheering and determined hits that eventually ended in a loss for our team. We were disappointed with the outcome but relied on one another to stay positive. Lunch had arrived, and our team walked outside to order from the food truck on campus. We bonded over our Mexican food-filled lunch that was unforgettably delicious. I wandered around campus, enjoying the scenery and discovering new areas. Finally, it was time to warm up for our last game. It was against Duchesne, our hosting school, and we were motivated to win. Alas, we lost the game after a hard-fought two sets and were done playing for the day. We ran to the cafeteria to enjoy a Texan classic Whataburger dinner and raced back to the hotel to get ready for our night activities. All the schools would be attending Duchesne’s brother school’s homecoming football game. Around 7 p.m., our team arrived at the game, and the energy was fantastic. There is truly nothing that can compare with a Texas football game. It was so much fun and filled with plenty of cheering. The night concluded earlier than expected, but we were all tired and ready to sleep, although we may not have been prepared to admit that. Rhea, Hadassah, and I were beaten from the day, and after our showers, we couldn’t seem to keep our eyes open for longer than five minutes.

Day Three:

Following our fun-filled night, my room woke up at 6 a.m. to pack our suitcases and get ready for the day. Rhea, Hadassah, and I talked while getting ready and discussed our readiness to go home. We had an amazing experience at the tournament but agreed that we missed the luxuriousness of our beds. Coach Kachmarski and Reeves paid our room a visit to ensure there was nothing left behind and it was ready to be cleaned. Our group collectively went down the elevator together with our luggage to the lobby to eat breakfast and convene with other teams. Our breakfast was filled with humorous discussion and was pleasantly interrupted by players from 91st Street offering us donuts. Eventually, the buses arrived to pick us up and take us to Duchesne to play our final matches and attend the award ceremony. Our team didn’t have their first match until 8:30 against Newton Country Day, so we filled the gym’s bleachers to watch the teams warm up and walked to the lunchroom to enjoy breakfast snacks. Once it came time for our team to play, we hyped each other up and prepared for an exciting set. I played for both sets of that game and did everything in my power to boost morale on the court. After two close sets, Stuart lost the game and was officially done for the tournament. Although the result may not have been what we wanted, our team bonded interpersonally with each other as well as with other teams across the country. After a heated championship game between Greenwich and Carrollton that resulted in a close win from Greenwich, it was time for the award ceremony. Our team proudly stood alongside our Sacred Heart sisters and posed for photos before boarding our bus to the airport. The bus ride brought along a 30-minute drive to the airport, where many of us took much-needed naps. Once settled in the airport, my friends and I ate an early dinner, stopped for snacks, and ventured all over the terminal. We bought some souvenirs and returned to our gate. Our team reunited at our gate and boarded the flight back to Newark, New Jersey. The plane arrived around 11:45 p.m., and the fatigue was evident throughout the group. Once the team had arrived at baggage claim, I said my goodbyes and knew that my official Sacred Heart tournament experience was over.

The experience was truly one to remember through the team camaraderie, Sacred Heart bonding, fun playing, and exposure to Texan culture. I had a wonderful time on the trip and am extremely grateful that I had the opportunity to attend. Stuart’s varsity volleyball team was proud to represent our school and can’t wait for next year’s tournament.