Journal Day #2 – by Kyle Russell

Hola from Argentina!!! Me llamo Kyle Russell and it is September 15, day two here.

So to start out I would like to say that this trip is pretty amazing and definitely a once in a lifetime opportunity. Day one here was fun getting to see the country and get our first taste of international volleyball but day 2 was quite amazing! It was our first morning waking up in our comfortable 4 star hotel; the beds are very small though, I am 6'9" and my feet hang off by about half a foot which makes it tough to sleep and I wonder how the other guys are holding up with that? So to start off our morning we were treated to a pretty big breakfast of sweet croissants , bread, fruit, honey, caramel, oh and more bread and croissants! They really love their bread here ha. And the view from the breakfast room is spectacular; you can see the whole beach and a ton of the city which shows the influence of different cultures and times.

After breakfast, us being California kids, we decided to head down to the sands of Mar del Plata to check out the beach and the surf and of course get a little training session in. We ended up playing ultimate Frisbee with tennis balls and once the game ended we decided to take a dip into the water, which is about 50 degrees! The same temperature as Newport in the dead of winter and all of us are out there wearing boardshorts. I am pretty sure the locals were looking at us thinking, "estos Yankees son locos!!" After our little training session we headed back to the hotel, which is literally right across the street from the beach, what a life huh? So we headed back, showered and were given the option to relax or walk around and check out the city, shops, and basically be typical American tourists! So a group of us including, Jeremy Dejno, Mike Brinkley, Ian Castellno, Zack La Cavera, and myself set out on this little excursion.

We ended up walking down one of the main shopping streets and it reminded me a lot like New York City in how there were shops everywhere, people bustling around, and billboards all along the skyline. I've never seen a place like this so I very intrigued and taking lots of pictures! Then we happened stumble upon a decently large cathedral and decided to go check it out. This place was unreal! I have never seen anything like it before in my life! The architecture and design was beautiful and the inside was incredible. I was in shock and awe the entire time in there and for that matter whenever we came upon something I had never seen before or something that was just eye shocking you had to be astounded! We then found a street market where there were some interesting gifts that we had to look at and we ended up buying a thing or two which wasn't easy.

First we had to try and understand what the lady was saying to us in Spanish and then all five of us, being pretty smart fellows and being in country that doesn't speak a lot of English, we put our heads together to remember what little Spanish we could to figure this whole situation out and it ended up turning out well. Then around 4:30 we headed back to the hotel for a snack consisting of more bread and croissants and watched a little game film, this being my first game film session I was enjoying the moment. After about a half hour or so of film we then headed to our playing facility which is about 15-20 minutes from us.

It did start raining on us the drive over and when arrived but it was one of the coolest places I've seen; it was in the middle of this suburban type neighborhood and had a big solid gate that was the entrance. Off to the side there were a couple sand courts that we could see and once were we inside you knew you were in South America playing volleyball. The court was sunk into the ground and had grandstands overlooking it all, the roof is just a tin like sheet material covering and with the rain made the experience that much more unique and interesting, there are Argentine billboards (all in Spanish) on and off the court, and basically it is a volleyball gym in the middle of South America and I don't believe it could get any more authentic.

This facility is also a sports club so in the back they have another smaller standard gym, outdoor basketball courts, of course a soccer field and a small café. So on our off time before the game we got to explore the grounds and ended up heading into the warm café where inside they have these tennis courts that you can watch, but they weren't playing just tennis. The court is just like a tennis court but behind and on the back sides there are high walls and as we were watching the men playing began to hit the ball off of the walls turning into some sort of racquetball-tennis match and we all thought that it was the coolest thing ever.

Now onto the game, first of all I forgot to mention that I am not currently playing due to an ankle injury so there is no extreme need to wear my jersey while sitting on the bench. But tonight was the very first night ladies and gentleman that I have ever put on and worn a UC Irvine Anteaters uniform and the moment I put it on I instantly got goose bumps and could not stop smiling! It was one of the best moments to have that jersey on and to have the UCI logo on my chest and name on my back! I couldn't have been happier; I was so excited I had our coach David Kniffin take a picture of me in it just seconds after so I can remember that moment forever!

So now the stands began to fill up with a lot more people than I expected which was really cool to see, because these people love there volleyball. The warm up music was playing spanish-english rock music and I was just standing on the sideline taking it all in still not believing we are in South America. Our match started and we played the same team as the night before, Buenos Aries Undios, so we knew what more to expect. The match ended up going really well even though we ended up losing in 3 again, our guys played really well and executed our game plans and some guys absolutely lit up the other team with blocking and hitting. The atmosphere in the gym was always electric with people cheering, talking, anticipating and it was very surreal to take in.

After the match most of the girls in the stands wanted pictures with us so that made us feel like celebrities which was fun. We headed back to the hotel for some dinner which we knew was going to be delicious from the previous night. We had steaks, pasta, chicken, fish, fruit, salad, all different kinds of food and of course more bread ha! Also September 15 happens to be a special day for one gentleman on our team, Dan McDonnell happen to turn 24 years young on this day, so a happy birthday to him and in honor of his birthday we decided to go and check out the night life here in Mar del Plata and I can just say what a fun night and a great experience it was!! It was a good birthday for our Uncle Dan as we call him. So to finish it all off that was our day and what a day it was, and let me remind you we are only on day 2! We still have 10 more to go! Who knows what could happen?? But I can tell you now; I cannot wait to find out!

Signing off now and Adios!

Kyle

Kniffin's notes…

The boys are integrating what we are training into the matches. We are asking them to be precise in movement and disciplined with defensive vision and execution. To be able to perform skills at this level in a match setting, for any duration of time, with only 10 days of volleyball behind us this year, is nothing short of impressive. My highlights: Ian Castellana getting 4 stuff blocks in a set; Collin Mehring going mano a mano with the Venezuelan middle and meeting his attack way above the net (his stuff block against their big OPP was impressive too); Jeremy Dejno using every inch of his jump and going high-hard seam over the block; and, UC Irvine beating BA Unidos to the first technical timeout (8-7) in the third set…a small step in the right direction.

After the match the director of the tournament paid us a great compliment on our blocking game, recognizing the relationship we are building between front and back court. As a coach, it was one of my prouder moments thus far. We are beginning to function as one fluid and strong unit.

 

Journal Day #1 – by Ian Castellana 

Hey Eater Nation!  This is Ian Castellana from the UCI Men's Volleyball Team, and we are in Argentina preparing for the 2012 World Challenge International Volleyball Tournament.  After hosting the international tournament in our home at Irvine the last three years, we have the obligation and opportunity to return to Argentina.  So, all things aside, the plane rides to get to Buenos Aires were quite interesting.  After twelve hours of flying and a layover in Atlanta, we landed in Buenos Aires and soon linked up with our friend and creator of the first ever World Challenge, Sasha Andruskiewitsch, who led us to our  bus drivers. We drove another five and a half hours until we reached the small town of Vida for lunch.  The chicken, carrot dish, and salad was very good, and the ranch was very homely.  We made our way to the local gym to play Buenos Aires Unidos in a friendly match at 6:30 p.m.  Despite the experience of the professional team, and the day long travel by bus and airplane, we put up a strong fight in the three games.  Afterwards, the bus took us into Mar del Plata where the tournament is being held.  Dinner was scrumptious, as the spinach ravioli won the squad's hearts as the best part of dinner.  The nightlife in Mar del Plata was a sight to see, as the Argentine lifestyle uses up more hours in the day.  We walked around the park around 11:30 at night, as little Argentine toddlers got some playtime in with their family.  Many streets have cafes that are pretty cool to sit around in and converse while the city bustles late into the night.  Tomorrow we play Buenos Aires Unidos again, so we get another chance to play them again.  Until then...

Rip em Eaters!

Ian Castellana

Kniffin's Knotes:

We are well cared for here. The busses here are double decker with first class seats throughout). The boys were essentially on beds for the 5 hour ride and most got their best sleep on that drive. The Equestrian Center that Ian referenced (where we stopped for lunch) also serves as a training site for Polo and a center for disabled or mentally challenged kids. We ate in a small private cabin they generally use as a classroom and daycare center. There were pictures of students riding, artwork, and supplies all pushed to the side to make us our own homey banquet hall.

The match was in a new gym in the province of Mar Chiquita. The people there are very proud of their municipal facility. It is an area that has only 10,000 residents in the greater area. The building boasts the first elevator in the town. At the press conference the General Secretary of Sport for the region was almost emotional when speaking of what it meant for him to have this facility, and the importance of having such high level teams to compete within its walls.

Highlights from the match: Ian stuff blocking their beast of a Venezuelan middle while read-blocking, Daniel Stork following up with a stuff on their outside, the look on Travis Woloson's face after trying to wipe his attack off the block (a shot that never comes back) and having them play it up and transition for a point, Collin Mehring's first ever international kill going big time wrist away and bouncing it, and the first five points, which were mostly adrenaline, where the team demonstrated that a 17 hour trip is a part of the experience and the challenge, not an excuse. We showed glimpses of greatness, and played them tight in the third set. Scores: 17-25, 14-25, 22-25.

Thank you again to all who made this trip a reality.

Follow UC Irvine Athletics on Instagram #uciathletics to see more photos throughout the trip.

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