My Championship Experience is a diary blog written by Summit League student-athletes detailing their experiences at each of the 19 Championships.
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Fort Wayne red-shirt junior Hailie Ripley writes about her
experience at the 2014 Summit League Volleyball Championship:
The
Summit League Tournament is what I have lived for throughout my career at IPFW. Once one season came to a close whether the
victory was sweet or the loss was upsetting, I was already focusing on what it
was going to take to get back to the tournament the following season. Every grueling practice, ache, and pain from
spring to the start of season was dulled by my motivation to succeed. The Summit
League Championship was always first on my list of goals.
Going
into my senior year, this Summit League Tournament had a whole new meaning to
me. Not only because my collegiate
career was coming to an end, but that this season had been a true test for
me. A week before league play, I got
really sick and felt that I lost everything I had trained for over the past couple
years. I ended up having to get a major
surgery, and the doctor was skeptical about my return and questioned if I would
even be able to play at all this season. I had my doubts as well. The first few days after surgery were
horrible. I could barely get myself out
of bed without being in unbearable pain.
However as the days went on, I slowly improved. Once I came back to IPFW and saw my team, I
knew that I owed it to them to try my hardest to return. It was hard.
I was in pain, but I believed that I could do it. Most importantly, they believed that I could
do it too. I was able to play a few
points here and there, and I started to feel like myself again. By the time the
tournament rolled around, I finally felt like everything I fought for was
beginning to pay off.
Thursday, Nov. 20th
The
banquet marks the start of what we have all been waiting for. Everyone was dolled up, excited, and ready to
celebrate our individual and team accomplishments so far this season. Even with
the competitive nature of the tournament, the banquet always seems to have a
sense of unity. We all made it to the
tournament. It is something we should
all be proud of! Anything could happen
at this point, but only one team will win and advance to the NCAA Tournament. As much as we all hate to lose, we set aside
our rivalries and cheer that team on, because we want to make a name for The
Summit League. We may not be the biggest
league, but we have strong players and the will to win. We [IPFW] took Iowa State to five sets my
sophomore year, and I cannot wait to see a Summit League team win in the first
round. Let’s make this year the year to
win!
Friday, Nov. 21st
I
woke up Friday morning ready to go. It
was game day, and we knew South Dakota would be a battle. They have a solid team with great players,
but so do we. Nonetheless, we were the
underdogs. Being the last seed, we had
nothing to lose. We spent the week telling underdog success stories to instill
belief and confidence. A quote we kept
saying was, “we don’t need easy. We just need possible.” If we put ourselves in a position to win, we
could do it!
South
Dakota took the first two sets 25-23. Each
team was fighting hard, and even though we were down 2-0, we were still
optimistic. We just needed to make a few
adjustments and play our game. In the
beginning of the third set, I landed wrong and hurt my knee. I gave it my all to be able to return to the
court, but I faced setback after setback.
It was enough for me to stop playing, but it also gave my teammates
something to fight for. We won that
third set! It was one step closer to our
goal, and a special moment happened that none of you would have seen. Emily Spencer told me that the team won that
set for me. My dreams of playing were
over, but the team kept my dreams of winning the tournament alive just a little
bit longer. Each team kept battling,
but South Dakota ended up on top.
I
hate losing, but losing in a game like that makes it more manageable. This season did not go how we all wanted it
to, but we learned a lot about ourselves. We will all face adversity and times
of hardship, but sticking together and believing in one another makes things
easier to face. I would not be where I
am if I did not have my team by my side through all of it. We are
all lucky enough to have such a strong support system, and hopefully our team
and friendships will last a lifetime.
Hailie
Ripley
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Don’t forget to check out the next
edition of My Championship Experience as it follows the Men’s and Women’s
Swimming & Diving Championships, Feb. 18-21 and throughout the 2014-15
season for coverage at each of The Summit League Championships.
