3rd, 5th, 3rd...  Those are my results from the last three tournaments.  Let's start in Huntington Beach.  It was so nice to be back home, even if it was only for a very short week.  Playing in a tournament where you get to sleep in your own bed feels very strange yet comforting. 
 
Huntington Beach was great.  We played some very good volleyball and beat some great teams.  However, we did not quite have it when it came to Kessy/Ross and Misty/Nicole.  Those two teams have established themselves at the top and now we have got to figure out a way to knock them off.  We came up against both those teams again in Virginia Beach and did not find the answer.  Despite all that, I am not discouraged.  It is a long season and there will be many more opportunities.

Our month-long, worldly excursion ended with Silver in Seoul, Korea last weekend.  I am thrilled that we were able to bounce back from a few disappointing results in the previous events to finish on the podium in Korea.  What a great feeling for things to "come together!" 
 
We played and beat some really great teams including Talita/Antonelli from Brasil who had our number last year.  We lost to that team 4 or 5 consecutive times last season.  It was a great feeling to win the close matches and come from behind to win.  I feel like every event teaches us more and more about ourselves and our team.  We continue to grow and learn from every single experience. 
 
Included in that learning process is how to deal with severe fatigue and jet-lag.  Our latest road trip was perhaps the most brutal travel schedule we have had to deal with to date. 

I have to admit, I was very sad to leave Rome.  In the short 2 weeks that I was there, I fell in love with the city.
 
The tournament was held at a beautiful location just north of the downtown area at the Stadio Olympico.  We stayed at the dorms in the training center. 
 
We were disappointed in our result, a 9th place finish, but like everything in life, you must learn from every situation and experience.  We hope to make better on that result in Korea. 

Hello everyone!  I am back at the computer!  China, Shanghai specifically, is a bit difficult for communication because Facebook and Twitter are banned.  Internet works, but you have to be in your room at the computer to use it and I did not spend much time there. 

Tyra and I finished 5th place in Shanghai.  It was a solid start to the FIVB tour for us.  We are anxious to do better.  We flew straight to Rome from Shanghai so that we would have a week here to act like tourists. 

Hello everyone.

This is Jeremy (Angie's husband) filling in for her today because she has limited internet access and a tight schedule while on the road. Angie and Tyra are over in Shanghai, China competing in their first FIVB tournament of the 2010 season.

The long flight from LA to Shanghai allowed Angie to put the disappointment from last week's AVP event in Santa Barbara behind her and refocus her attention to the task at hand. It definitely worked, because she and Tyra came out firing and played some determined volleyball on the first day of competition.

Next up, Santa Barbara!  The season is here and this coming weekend will kick off what will be a very busy summer.  From SB you can follow us around the world while we compete on the FIVB International Tour in Shanghai, Rome, and Seoul before coming back to California for the Huntington Beach AVP event. 

We had a great week of training and we are HUNGRY to get out there and compete!  I want my first big win and I want it NOW!  Come cheer us on! 

I hope to see you at the beach!

Angie

Fort Lauderdale was a fantastic event!  What a great way to start off the 2010 season!  2nd place and LIVE on ESPN2!  Tyra and I started the event with some jitters.  We lost in the third round and had to battle back one match at a time.  We played 4 matches each day and felt stronger and stronger as the tournament went on.

"Welcome to my new site!  This year I will be updating you frequently as I
travel all around the world during the 2010 AVP and FIVB
season!