Hofstra Volleyball - The Volley Blog
***Hofstra senior outside hitter Lauren Engle and junior outside hitter Harmonie Calinda will chronicle the 2008 season in their own words in the first-ever edition of "The Volley Blog".
November 20
There is only two more days until we walk onto the court for the CAA Quarterfinals. We are all focused and excited for this weekend and have worked hard to get here. We have had three quality practices so far this week to fine tune and make some small adjustments for this weekend. We were seeded in a great position to take home the title. We play William and Mary first and then would take on Northeastern. We have beaten both of these teams, but both are challenging opponents. Throughout the time I have played here at Hofstra, we have always played very well at Northeastern and I hope that can carry through to the finals. It was absolutely amazing winning the Championship in 2006 and it would be even better if we could take it again for my senior year. The team has put in long hours and hard work this season and we have three matches to prove that we deserve to be the champions. Go Pride!
#16 Lauren Engle
November 19
It's championship week...my favorite part of the season. There has been very little sleep, but lots of preparation. This team is ready for the conference championship this week...we are calm during practices and everyone is focused. With four seniors starting for us I know their past experiences will help us stay steady during the tournament. I have seen us step up our level of play over the past three weekends and I am excited to just let them go and get it done. Their chemistry is really starting to click and the team knows what its only objective for this weekend is...to win it all.
Head Coach Kristina Hernandez
November 18
I am so happy that we finished off the regular season with a win on senior night. Our five seniors, Lauren, Sarah, Talita, Stephanie and Ashley, have contributed so much to the success of this program and they deserved to finish with a win on senior night. Now that the excitement as well as sadness of senior night is over we are back to focusing on our main goal, the CAA Championship title. Most of us know what it feels like to win that Championship because in 2006 we did it and this year we want to feel that same feeling more than anything. We will play William and Mary in the first round of the tournament who we beat on senior night, but lost to the first time we played them on their home court. This week of practice is going to be extremely intense because we know that only one match is guaranteed to us and the other two matches we must earn. Practice is going to be our way to fix all of our little mistakes and continue to improve our overall team chemistry. We are preparing for three days of absolutely battling and each of us is pushing each other to the limit. Each of us has to contribute in order for this team to win the conference title. We are more than prepared both mentally and physically to play 3 matches in 3 days and bring home that Championship trophy! Not only would this be especially great for our five seniors but also for Coach Hernandez because this is her first year here. We want to show her that all of the skills that she has taught us over these past 4 months have paid off and we won a championship title because of it. We know that the other 5 teams in the conference all want the same ending that we do, but what makes us different is our passion, chemistry, and aggressiveness. We are going to Northeastern for one purpose and one purpose only, to win the 2008 CAA Volleyball Championship!
#20 Harmonie Calinda
November 17
I can remember when I was a freshman and I watched Tessa Sphar and Jess Levy walk out to center court for their last match in the PFC. I couldn't imagine that being me; and here we are three years later and I have played my last match here at Hofstra. For Sarah Lopez, Ashley Legerretta, Talita Silva, Stephanie Killins and I, this weekend was the last time any of us will play in our beloved PFC at Hofstra University. Our parents escorted us out to center court to lovely speeches written by Stephen Gorchov; and we were presented with beautiful flowers from our coach and thoughtful gifts from our teammates. Our senior weekend ended with an exciting 5-set win against William and Mary with family and friends cheering in the stands. It was really nice to have all the seniors' parents be there for senior night and watch our last home match. Luckily, our season isn't over yet. Ending the regular season 9-5 has placed us in a tie for third place in the upcoming CAA Championship. Northeastern clinched first and will host the tournament this Saturday, Sunday and Monday. The conference has been extremely competitive this year, which means the tournament should be very exciting. We are one of the most experienced teams in the conference and have the momentum to take us all the way. We're going to the 'SHIP!
#16 Lauren Engle
November 9
The regular season is down to the final weekend and the battle for the top six is getting tighter and tighter. After splitting this weekend, our record is now 8-4 in conference. We are still in a great spot for the championship and have a good possibility to get second place and secure a first round bye. We battled for a win against Towson on Friday, but couldn't pull out a win from Delaware. The lost at Delaware opened up past wounds from last season because Delaware is the site of where our season ended last year in the CAA finals. This is all just more motivation for us to take into our pivotal matches against VCU and William and Mary coming up this Friday and Saturday. We have a lot of work to do and with the conference more competitive than ever, we are going to need to be firing on all cylinders in the next two weeks.
#16 Lauren Engle
November 6
Over the past five conference matches we have really stepped up our level of play and proved to everyone in the conference that we belong at the top. We were truly underestimated at the beginning of the season and even though we had a rough start we are pulling it all together when it matters the most. Tomorrow we take on Towson for the first time this season and we know that it is going to be a fight, but we plan to fight even harder and come out victorious. Then on Saturday we face Delaware for the first time, which will be another challenge for us; however we are all very confident because our team chemistry is peaking and we have one hundred percent faith in one another and that's what makes a team great. We know that two wins this weekend will definitely keep us in second and depending on what other teams do first place is still an option for us. It would be great to finish out in first place, especially since we have five seniors who have given so much to this program and we would love to give them the opportunity to win the CAA championship on their home court, but even if we stay in second that still means that we get a bye in the first round of the tournament. We are prepared to finish out the last four regular season conference matches on the season strong and make a statement that Hofstra Volleyball is the top team. Like my coaches always told me, it's not cockiness, it's confidence. Confidence is what we have in each other and our coaching staff and that what makes us not only a volleyball team but a family.
#20 Harmonie Calinda
November 2
We had a lot going on this weekend in the PFC. Along with our two matches, we had an alumni match and a tribute to two retired numbers. Congratulations to Shellane Ogoshi and Sue Gades-Trommer who are the only volleyball players in the history of Hofstra Volleyball to have their numbers retired. You can see their numbers hanging proudly above the court. It was also really nice to have a lot of alumni and the legendary Fran Kalafer back at Hofstra. It was really inspiring to have the great Hofstra players of the past at our match today. We had a nice big crowd and the energy in the gym was contagious. We pulled in two important wins this weekend against James Madison and George Mason. This puts us in a great position to sneak into second place and get a bye into the semifinals of the CAA's, but we still have a lot of work to do. We take on Towson, Delaware, VCU, and William and Mary in the next two weekends and all of these teams are battling for top six. It will be an exciting end to the regular season and with our fifth straight win; we are really on a roll.
#16 Lauren Engle
October 31
This weekend is huge for us because we play James Madison and George Mason who are tough teams and teams that we took to 5 sets in order to get a win. This past week of practice we have been going at it hard because we beat Northeastern in 3 we know that that teams are going to come after us even more aggressively now. But we are definitely ready for it because practices have been extremely competitive and we have been working hard every moment!! Yesterday's practice Rachel and Jenna were digging machines and we know that they are prepared to play all out defense, our setters having been speeding up the offense, the middles are running around the court constantly to get themselves more opportunities as well as everyone else and the outsides have been working on blocking and playing defense better. Our coaching staff has been in the office and gym constantly trying to get us prepared and the team is 100% ready for these two upcoming matches!!!
#20 Harmonie Calinda
October 26
I would like to start off by saying Happy Birthday to Harmonie who turned 21 today and it's even better because we can also celebrate two big wins this weekend. On Friday we took Robert Morris in three and on Saturday we beat undefeated Northeastern in three. We finally seem to be back to our game and it couldn't have come at a better time. The rest of our season is extremely competitive and it will take our best effort to be on top in the CAA Championships which are only six conference matches away. This season is flying by and I can't believe it's my last season. This weekend was really fun (winning usually helps that). We want to say thank you to men's soccer for coming out to support us on Friday and to Rachel's uncle for the movies to watch on the bus. This week we take on Manhattan on Tuesday, James Madison on Friday, and George Mason on Sunday all at home. Hope to see you there.
#16 Lauren Engle
October 23
It was really good to be back in the Physical Fitness Center...and just to clarify things Andy's van is the official winner since we did achieve victory after our last practice at Adelphi by a huge margin! However, there are more important things to us, which is beating Northeastern this Saturday. Northeastern is currently undefeated in the CAA right now and we have been the only team to be very competitive with them. We took Northeastern to five sets and unfortunately we did not close out the match how we would have liked to, but things have changed. We have gone back to being a fast offensive team and each one of us is ready for sweet revenge. Being back at Hofstra also allows us to run more competitive drills because we have our scoreboard and our points board to keep track of who is winning. This week of practice we have been fine tuning our weaknesses and focusing on being a fast offensive team. We are destined for a win this weekend and each one of us is ready to give it 100% and make this a team win! Before we play Northeastern on Saturday we have Robert Morris on Friday afternoon and we plan to play them just as competitively and intensely as Northeastern because we all want to win! The match against Robert Morris is not a conference match but every time we step on the court with the Hofstra logo across our uniforms we have only one goal and that is to beat the team on the other side of the net.
#20 Harmonie Calinda
October 19
This weekend we were back in the Physical Fitness Center after 47 days away from home! It is amazing to think that we haven't had a home match since August 30. It is so nice to have our team room back and our nice big gym. Although I couldn't be happier to be back, I will miss the intense after-practice racing back to campus from Adelphi. The official winner between Andy and Coach is still undecided, but I'm pretty sure Coach takes the prize (I may be biased because I was in Coach's van). I'm sure Coach is happy to be back because she doesn't have to endure the combined smell of our knee pads and shoes in the confines of the van. We had two great wins this weekend against UNCW and Georgia State. Against Georgia State, we came back from 16-24 to win in four sets; that's eight points without a single error. Congratulations to Rachel who had a career high 22 digs today. It was also nice to have a good group of parents and fans out to support us. Special thanks to one of our biggest blog fans Kyle for making the trip to watch us play. We have a big week coming up with two out-of-conference matches against Fordham and Robert Morris and a match against first place Northeastern on Saturday. We are going to need to work hard this week and get one step closer to the conference championship.
#16 Lauren Engle
October 16
This past week for us has been really exciting as well as hectic. After a tough weekend against VCU and William and Mary, we knew that we had to make some changes and get back to playing the fast paced volleyball that we started the season out with. On Monday we watched film and it really opened our eyes to how good we can be and as a family we decided to start a new season. On Tuesday each one of us was super anxious to start our new season and get back to playing Hofstra Volleyball they way we are supposed to. The presidential debate was on Wednesday and it was such a crazy day on campus with all of the media and police. We even had to have practice at 7 a.m. and be back to Hofstra before 10 so that our coaches and athletic trainers wouldn't be stuck on campus. It was really exciting to be part of all the madness surrounding the debate, even though none of us got tickets to go. It is a great experience to have the candidates right here on our own campus and have so much public attention turned towards Hofstra. Even with all of the events going on regarding the debates we had to stay focused and continue to prepare for this weekend's conference matches. We finally do not have to go back to Adelphi anymore, and we will be back in the PFC this Friday against UNCW and Sunday against Georgia State. We are all very happy that we are back at home, since it has been 47 days since our last home match. This weekend is important because these are conference matches that will affect our chance of being in the CAA conference tournament which is our ultimate goal! This will be a great opportunity for us to show people how much we have improved this week and all of the hard work that we put in during practices!
#20 Harmonie Calinda
October 12
A special Happy Birthday is in order for our friend and trainer Andy Wetstein who turned 29 this weekend. We hope you enjoyed being sung to by the staff at Olive Garden while dumping platefuls of mints into your bag. Rachel and Monica a big thanks for providing delicious chocolate chex puppy chow. Coach Hernandez also deserves a thank you for the huge hotel suites she put us in. This weekend was a tough set of matches. VCU and William and Mary are two of the top teams in the conference and we knew they would be very tough competitors. The conference is very competitive this year and every team is battling for a coveted spot in the top six to play in the CAA Conference Championship. We have our work cut out for us and have twelve matches to take care of business.
#16 Lauren Engle
October 8
This weekend's matches are going to be a tough challenge for our team because we are facing William and Mary who is tied for first in our conference with a record of 3-0 and then we take on VCU who is tied with us for second with a record of 2-1. Both of these teams are going to put up a good fight, but we have worked really hard this week on focusing on the details of our game so that we can come out on top in both matches. In recent matches we have given up a lot of points on silly errors but this week in practice each of us has worked extremely hard on being focused and determined on every point of the match and not slacking off at any moment. As a team it is important for us to start off each match with good momentum and Coach Hernandez has been instilling that idea in our heads! The team is extremely excited about this weekend's matches because this is our chance to move up in the rankings and prove to everyone in our conference that we are not a 6th place team we are the 1st place team. The only thing not exciting about this weekend is the 8 hour bus ride...but I am sure that we will find ways to entertain ourselves because we always do!!
#20 Harmonie Calinda
October 5
We are now 2-1 in conference after two five-set battles against George Mason and James Madison. Congratulations to Monica for getting career-highs in kills and digs this weekend! Winning both away matches definitely makes traveling six hours on a bus more fun, and we have all learned how to pass the time. Bus surfing, sleeping, and watching movies are some of our common activities. Some of my favorite parts of this trip were Rachel laughing continuously through Drop Dead Fred, Checka's Coca Cola megaphone and watching Andy walk on top of the seats trying not to wake anyone up. We will be making our way back down to Virginia again next weekend to face William and Mary and VCU. We have proved that we can win five-set matches, but now hopefully we can start winning in three and not make it so nerve wracking.
#16 Lauren Engle
September 30
Hofstra University is fortunate to host the final Presidential Debate this October and the campus is busy preparing. Our current practice and conference opener site is Adelphi University. They have a great new complex, and it is pretty funny to be bumping along in the new blue beetle to practice everyday. Our "Pasta Pump Up" was a success and the food was amazing. Even Coach Hernandez made an appearance. We are officially into conference play; and after a five-set battle against Northeastern, we are definitely pumped up to take on George Mason and James Madison this weekend. Once everything comes together we will be a force to be reckoned with.
#16 Lauren Engle
September 25
(The list of special guests grows this week as junior right side Monica Knight follows Coach Hernandez with her thoughts)
It's finally here; this weekend's match against Northeastern will mark the much anticipated arrival of the CAA's. This Friday night before our Saturday match we are going to support our women's soccer team then having a pasta party, which Rachel has identified as the "Pasta Pump up"! This is just one of many ways our team has bonded this season. We have never been closer and I feel it is largely because of this fall's preseason. It has been completely different from any other. We spent every waking hour together... literally. Watching the Olympics all night, having a beach volleyball day and conquering the Meadowbrook Bridge thanks to our very own "woman atlas" or as we like to call her "the Grizz". Having these experiences gave us the opportunity to grow together as a team both on and off the court.
As you can tell we have made major changes but all have been for the better; new coach, new systems, new philosophy, and most importantly a new passion for the game. We are looking forward to showing off our new improvements during conference play. We know what it takes to win the CAA ball, so bring it on Northeastern.
#21 Monica Knight
September 23
(HOFSTRA HEAD COACH KRISTINA HERNANDEZ JOINS LAUREN AND HARMONIE THIS WEEK AS SHE GIVES HER THOUGHTS ON THE SEASON TO DATE)
It's almost October and we are 4 weeks into the season, 13 matches already played. Things that make it season for me have begun...the sleepless nights of thinking about whether or not we are ready for the match tomorrow, the obsessive film watching and the overload of caffeine and sugar. We've finally finished our preseason schedule and are now headed into the real heart of the schedule...conference. As a team and as a coach we have felt out what we are made of. I threw a completely new system at this team and they have responded to the challenge very well. Teaching this team to take the risk of the unknown and work towards something that at first they may fail at, but in the end will make us better. Along the way we have had some great victories, Seton Hall, Boston College, St. John's and Bowling Green. I have seen glimpses of us playing in near perfection, and I know that it will be something that will be seen daily soon. During our first weekend of play I saw what we were made of as we came back from 2 sets down to beat Seton Hall in 5. The following weekend we were tested to see how we would stand up to some of the top teams in the country when we headed to USC. I was pleasantly surprised to see the true character that was in my team as they battled head to head with #7 USC and # 21 San Diego and never once questioned themselves. We had a few bumps along the way, but the adversity that we have stepped over has helped us grow into the team that I have been trying to get them to become. We have found our soul, our passion. They have realized and seen my intensity and passion along the sidelines as I display my jumping ability during some intense moments-and as I have hoped it has started to rub off on them. Playing St. John's was so far one of the most memorable moments of the season. The team stayed strong and steady through all 5 sets and never once played with a sense that the game wasn't ours. Needless to say, holding up that huge cup at the end of the match was something that will last a lifetime in my mind, and I am pretty sure my jumping around reached new heights because my knees were killing me later that night!
4 weeks in and 13 match later, we are ready for the next phase our season. The thing we practice for everyday. A ton of play over these past 4 weeks and we've challenged our team to respond. It's only a matter of time before they "put it all together" and you just don't want to be that team and that match when it happens. During our last preseason tournament I was proud of how the team responded to the game against Bowling Green after a first rough two matches against Rice and Binghamton. We were struggling to find ourselves in those matches, but we came back focused Saturday night. They weren't caught up in their past with a big win over St. Johns on the week, and they weren't looking to the future with a big rivalry weekend coming up with Northeastern. They played in the moment and did what I have been asking this team to do since match 1 - show up, compete with a high level of energy and intensity, and play unselfishly. I have seen some players amaze me with their heart, as Chrissey rammed her shoulder into the ref stand to save a ball against Yale, Lauren going around the ref to the other side just to bring a ball back that no one thought was worth going for, Harmonie falling on her face bleeding and ready to go back in, Rachel bent over on the sidelines with a mysterious stomach pain just waiting to be called upon and Monica playing our first few matches with mangled feet from new shoes. Needless to say, these are the things coaches always smile at secretly to themselves, because it means they care.
I am excited and eager to start our conference play this Saturday against Northeastern. I think we have been underestimated and taken lightly with being ranked 6th after playing in the championship match last year- but don't get me wrong, we will enjoy people not being ready for us. It is simply pure motivation for us. CAA here we come...
Head Coach Kristina Hernandez
September 21
Our very last trip of preseason has ended. We ended up coming in second place in the BGSU Invitational and it was pretty eventful. After the first match Rachel was rushed to the emergency room with side pains. After multiple tests and IVs, Rachel was back for the match the next morning. Andy our trainer was there with her the whole time and it was quite a bonding experience for them. Although Andy might have made some enemies with the Bowling Green doctors he kept in check. But Andy's work wasn't done. During the second match, Harmonie, after picking up an awesome dig, sliced through her lip. Andy patched her up and she was back on the floor by the end of the set. Way to be tough Rach and Harm! After such a dramatic first two matches, we finished the tournament with a great three set win against Bowling Green. I would like to give a special thanks to the mid-western part of my family for coming out to support us (all twenty three of you), to Checka's homemade megaphone, Sarah's interpretive dance, and to Rachel's family for the cheers and cupcakes.
#16 Lauren Engle
September 17
Yesterday we beat St. John's to win the 7th annual Queens-Nassau Cup Match which was so awesome!!! We had a tough loss to Yale on Saturday night but on Tuesday night we came prepared to play and we showed that Hofstra Volleyball has moved to the next level. Lauren Engle really helped boost the team by taking advantage of every one on one block she got by putting the ball down with authority and Ashley Legerretta did a great job closing all the blocks and getting up quick every time. Overall it was a great team win and we were all super excited after the match was over. Even though we went five games it was great because St. John's is a team that was getting top 25 votes and to beat a team like that makes a huge statement about Hofstra Volleyball. Plus we were all really excited about taking that nice big gold trophy back to Hofstra with us so that we can fill it with food and sweets to keep in the locker room. Coach even joked that since she won't be in her regular office because of the debate she is just going to drive around with it in her car. It was an extremely nice win for our 5 seniors because they will always remember that their last year at Hofstra they won the Queen-Nassau Cup Match!
#20 Harmonie Calinda
September 15
We just got back from our first bus trip of the season. Bus trips are my favorite trips. We each get a row of seats to stretch out in and we all listen to music and play card games. Harmonie is our reigning MVP of card games. We placed second in the Yale Invitational located in New Haven, CT. In our first match of the weekend, we came back from two sets down to beat Colgate. This is the second time this season we came back to win in five. We also had our first three set win of the season against Boston College. Overall we played extremely hard this weekend and learned a lot. We are still working out some of the kinks and trying to find a more consistent rhythm. We are looking forward to showing what we have learned in the match against St. John's this Tuesday and in the BGSU Invitational this weekend.
#16 Lauren Engle
September 11
Since the third and final presidential debate is being held at Hofstra this year we are practicing in the Arena instead of the Physical Fitness Center. It is definitely a new scene for us because we never play in the Arena, but in a way it prepares us because a lot the teams we will play will have big gyms. It is a lot harder finding all the balls because there are so many places that the balls can go. It's funny, at the end of practice we have to make sure we end with the same amount of balls we started with and it almost seems that we spend more time looking for the balls then we did actually playing volleyball. Also every now and then we get some visitors in the gym who have to move equipment to get ready for the debate and it always seem that the noise starts exactly when coach is trying to tell us something, and normally we can't even hear her speaking so we all just laugh and coach acts out what she wants us to do! Now that school is starting we are all having to juggle going to practice, getting work done and traveling, but we all help each other manage our time so that we don't fall behind in classes and we don't slack when we are in the gym. These past two weeks we as a team have had to make some adjustments in several ways but the team is handling the situation very well and I am very proud of everyone.
#20 Harmonie Calinda
September 8
We just returned from our first away tournament that took place at the University of Southern California. We had a great opportunity to play some of the top teams in the country and have some fun in California. Because so many of us are from the west coast, we had quite a cheering section. It was especially nice to have Ashley's little brother cheering his heart out while wearing one of Ashley's spandex uniform tops. We also ended up having a celebrity supporter, Lil' Romeo, who is a basketball player at USC. Because it was a few people's first time to California, we made a mandatory trip to In N Out Burger. After our delicious burgers, fries, and milkshakes, Ashley's family treated us to a bowling party. Overall the trip was a great experience on the court and off. We played well against some really competitive teams and really bonded as a team.
#16 Lauren Engle
September 4
Yesterday we took our first away trip to California and it was a great experience for the team. We had a lot of funny times throughout the day, especially once people started to fall asleep on the plane. Being out in California means better competition and a lot of my teammates have the chance to have their families and friends come watch them play. We even got to go have dinner at Taylor's house, which was a lot of fun and her parents did a great job planning food and activities for us. The first away trip is always the most memorable, especially for the freshmen and our goal is to make this trip even more memorable by winning. We are expecting these teams to play hard and fast, but our goal is to show ourselves how much we have improved and have some fun while doing it. As a team we have grown so much since the first day of fall camp and since our first tournament. We are all extremely excited for our match on Friday to kick start this tournament and have nothing but high expectations for each other and the team as a whole.
#20 Harmonie Calinda
August 31
We had our first tournament this weekend and finally had the opportunity to show what we have learned during fall camp. Our hard work has paid off because we were named tournament champions!!! All three matches were difficult and we had to fight our way back multiple times. Two of the matches even went to five sets. In our final match against Seton Hall it was first time Hofstra had come back from two sets down since October 8, 1996! Everyone contributed to our success, but I believe special acknowledgements are necessary for Chrissey Cruz, Ashley Legerretta, and Harmonie Calinda who all were named all-tournament team! An extra congratulations to Harmonie who was named MVP! Ashley also had a career-high 15 kills in the match against Siena, which was Coach Hernandez's first win at Hofstra! It was a great weekend, but the work doesn't stop there. We face our hardest competition to date next weekend at the USC Trojan Invitational where we will compete against the University of San Diego, the University of Southern California and the University of Oklahoma. We are looking forward to the challenge and hope to see you all at a home match soon! Go Pride!!!
#16 Lauren Engle
August 28
Coming into to fall camp this season I was definitely excited to meet all the newcomers to the team and see how Coach Hernandez would manage the team. When we first arrived at Hofstra I think that everyone was a little nervous because we had four new players that we expected to play important roles on the team and we did not have the chance to get to know them prior to coming to preseason. After a few days of having double practices I think we all started to get along really well partly because we all understood how sore and achy our bodies were. As time went by we really started meshing as a group and we spent a lot of time together in between practices as well as after. We slowly got more comfortable with each other and we became friends instead of just acquaintances. Coach Hernandez's practices were more intense than we have had in the previous seasons but I think that it has helped the team becomes more competitive and refined. Now that preseason is coming to an end and our first tournament is coming up and my teammates and I have set many goals for the success we want in the future and we also have the tools to accomplish them. We are all really excited about the season beginning and proving to each other that we are a great team that has an awesome coaching staff, athletic training staff and other supporting administrators here at Hofstra. We are excited to start competing with other teams and we are looking forward to an awesome 2008 volleyball season.
#20 Harmonie Calinda
