Oh dear. I know how you feel.

This past weekend the Volleyball team I've been coaching headed off to the Divisional Tournament.

We went in hope full and fully confident we would do well and continue on to state. (This team I feel, could have went to state and competed just fine with the other teams)

As most of you know, tournament time is a crazy time. Some teams are tournament teams, some are not.
We played well during our tournaments in the past. Either taking first or second at all the tournaments we had participated in.

This however evidently had to come to an end.
All high school tournaments are double elimination. (Keep this in mind)

Our first game was on Thursday and we played North Star.
We won in 5 games. They played well, and fought for that win.

The next game we had was Geraldine. Geraldine is in our district and we had played them before and had beaten them 2 other times.
We played them on Friday, and we lost to Geraldine.
I'm not sure why? I believe that was the worst game of volleyball those girls had ever played.

It's okay though, we are still in this. We just have to come back up from the bottom. Totally possible!

On Saturday we had to play North Star, again.
We beat them in 3. North Star is out, and get to stay.

Our next game was then at 1:00 against Simms Tigers, then we would have another shot at Geraldine at 4:00. Then we would be back in the championship game.

1:00 rolls around and we play Simms. The first two games the girls played scared and safe. This technique NEVER works. We lost the first two games.
That third game, they came out and really played. And they beat Simms, things were looking up and we were gaining hope again.
Then, the fourth game was over before I knew it.
I hate to say this, but some of the girls just flat out quit.
Some were tired, and some were just young.
All in all. We lost to Simms in 4 games.
We were out. No more.

This all brought me back to that feeling I had my senior year in volleyball when we lost out in District's. You feel so sad, so many what ifs. You wonder why things happened they way they did, but ultimately you really had no control. And that feeling is the worst one ever.

Man oh Man, did we have some tears.
I didn't know how to handle them. I gave pat's on the back, good job's. But there is nothing you can say to make those girls feel better. Especially the seniors.

I just quietly stood there with them.
I was thinking the entire time. "Oh dear, I know exactly how you feel."

I wanted to cry with them and for them, but it wouldn't have helped. What was done is done.
They will all move on. Some will forget, and some won't. (I know I never did)

I don't think there is anything to say that will "help", or be "the right thing."
That has been the hardest part of coaching to date.
But I was there, standing with them, understanding that feeling.
I think that is the best thing I could have done.