The weekend of Sept. 22, the girls’ volleyball team traveled to Austin to play St. Andrew’s. For the first time this season, the Mavs played a match with the full five sets, but ultimately SJS took home the victory. Experience their travels from the perspective of SJ Lasley, team manager.

Friday

11:00 a.m.: I leave St. John’s on bus to Austin with both the girls’ volleyball and field hockey teams. The bus is full of excited girls on the way to their first conference games of the season.

12:00-3:00: I struggle to entertain myself (Fruit Ninja, Netflix, sleeping) on what feels like the longest bus ride ever.

3:30-4:30: The volleyball team pretends to understand field hockey and watch the Mavs play St. Stephen’s. SJS fans, especially the volleyball team, compete with St. Stephen’s spectators in a cheering battle.

5:30: The field hockey players jump into the frigid-spring-fed water of Barton Springs, while the volleyball team hesitates, not having played a rigorous game in the Texas heat. Some volleyball players and I venture in after friendly encouragement and not-so-friendly threats of being pushed into the water.

8:30-9:15: We settle into our hotel rooms, assign beds, and look longingly at the comfy pillows as we leave our rooms for the mandatory team meeting.

10:00: We finally go to bed, trying to get some rest before the volleyball game against St. Andrew’s the next morning.

Saturday

8:30 a.m.: We wake up and rush to the hotel buffet breakfast.

9:30: I watch from the bench as the Mavs warm up while many strange looks from St. Andrew’s fans who are wondering what I’m doing at the tournament.

11:00-12:30: The game starts at 11:00. The Mavs beat the St. Andrew’s Crusaders to 25 points in the first two sets, yet the opposing team makes a quick comeback, sending the Mavs to five sets for the first time this season. The coaches urge the benched players (and me) to cheer for every point the Mavericks score in the final set to keep energy up. The team and I take this command seriously, screaming and clapping until our hands are raw.

1:00: The Mavericks win the fifth and final set! We storm the court, shouting like a bunch of howler monkeys.

2:00: The team and I celebrate until we board the bus, finally heading home after an eventful 24 hours.