Nationals - Day 1

Today was the first day of competition for MVP15. We had the afternoon wave, which meant we did not start until 3pm today (and did not end until 9pm tonight!) We were in a 5-team pool: Ka Ulukoa (from Hawaii), Eden (from NY), Ultimate, and HPSTL (High Performance St. Louis).

Thanks to our chaperone Mr. Fowler and dad Guy, the boys spent their free morning catching Toys Story 3 (parents should be happy to hear that the matinee showing only cost $5! Yaye!) Except Adam, who went to church with mom without complaint (double Yaye!)

Coaches P&T took care of picking lunch up at Rudy's, a BBQ place right out of a gas station. (We heard great reviews of this place and had to check it out.) As you can see, the sign says "Worst BBQ in Texas," but all the reviews raved about their food.

The restaurant was so thoughtful: it packed plates, ustensils, napkins, a box of ice, cups, ice tea, even a picnic-style table cloth! With the help of moms Jill and Mary, the food was expertly laid out like a buffet.

Boys and parents enjoyed their lunch. Coaches were just hoping it wouldn't weigh them down this afternoon...

Finally, we arrived to the Convention Center. Our first match was against the Hawaiian team. Coach P tried the double substitution line up, where our setters played in the back row only and our opposites (Paul & Kevin) played front row only. Things didn't work out as we hoped, and we got crushed in the second set.

After a break in the schedule, we picked back up with a match against Eden. We had not been able to beat Eden this year, losing to them at East Coast in the third deciding set by only 2 points. This time we really wanted to beat them. We went back to a 5-1 with Philippe setting, and as everyone settled down and played their game, this time, we beat Eden in 3 sets. This was a great accomplishment for the team, as this was our first win in Open.

The Eden/Ultimate/HPSTL matches were played back to back. Justin set in the match against Ultimate. Then Philippe set in the match against HPSTL. We had our chances against both teams, but could not pull it off.

At any rate, by beating Eden, we moved our ranking today from #21 to #17! Excellent! Tomorrow is a new day.

Since we ended so late, we ordered pizza from a pizza joint highly reviewed called Home Slice Pizza. Coaches P&T picked up the pizza and salad while the boys went back to the hotel to shower. The video of today's matches was replayed as the boys had dinner.

Tomorrow, John will arrive with MVP17 and their chaperone. The boys will have a relaxing morning before we head out to meet John and the 17s for lunch. Our match will begin at 3pm again tomorrow.