A Series Of Unfortunate Events: Resilience in Women’s Volleyball

       This is the tale of a volleyball team, who together underwent the toughest of trials, which proved to only make them stronger. Tales such as these are rare and inspiring to all who hear them.

      Eastern University’s Women’s Volleyball team set off on a journey to their tournament at Washington and Lee on Friday, Sept. 8. Little did they know what lay ahead on the long road. The first omen that the day would be filled with trials was a sound. Or rather, the lack of a sound. The alarm clocks of some players did not go off, inducing a rush of panic at the lateness of their waking. Then, it was discovered that Bus Number One lacked working brakes. This led to over an hour of delay, in which the team lay in the McInnis parking lot waiting for transportation. But alas, Bus Number Two also was incapacitated. Bus Number One was repaired and up and running, but only after Bus Number Three came and went after being deemed malfunctional. They left in the working bus, or at least that is what they all thought.

      Before heading out on the highway, however, Bus Number One broke down yet again. This unfortunate incident led to another switch in buses. At this point, there was concern that they would miss their first game. Before arriving, yet another bus malfunctioned. Bus Number Four was full of gaseous fumes and smells. The next morning as the team drove from the hotel to the tournament, this same bus broke down again, causing them to run late. Regardless of the recurring obstacles, the Eastern Women’s Volleyball Team made it on time to play. Eastern won one match of three matches against Washington and Lee.

       The obstructions to the trip were concerning for the players, since the team was used to arriving at their games early to complete their pre-game warm up routine. One player said of delays for the team, “it was disturbing to our pattern.” But the same player said that despite all of the roadblocks on the way, the tournament went well. According to her, they “played good defense and came together as a team.” An important component of any team is resiliency. Resiliency is the ability to overcome hardships and difficulty, functioning well despite the odds. Suffering the anxiety of unplanned delays together, the team did not let this slow them down. Rather, they were able to play  well as a team. In doing so, Eastern’s Women’s Volleyball Team exhibited the kind of resilience that makes a team work well even when their vans won’t.