University of Nevada Athletics

 

Head Coach
Devin Scruggs

 

NEVADA VOLLEYBALL MISSION STATEMENT: The Nevada volleyball program is committed to providing a positive athletic, academic, and social experience for each student-athlete. Our goals on the volleyball court are equally matched by our desire to prepare the athletes to succeed in all aspects of their lives.  Whether it is winning a conference championship, achieving academic honors, or developing life long friendships, our TEAM will devote the time and effort necessary to optimize each student-athlete's collegiate experience.

 

The opportunity to take our team to Chile and Argentina has come as a result of 100% private fundraising by our staff and team.  A special thanks goes to our premier donor, Dixie May, for her generous gift that truly has allowed this trip to happen.  

 

Jorgan Staker
Right Side Hitter
Taylorsville, Utah

May 15, 2009

 

We started our journey on Thursday morning.  After a quick flight to Dallas, we began making our final calls home to friends and family, knowing that we would have limited communication over the next two weeks.  We then boarded a nine-hour red-eye flight to Santiago, Chile.

            As soon as the plane landed, there was no time for rest.  We went through customs and other various checkpoints and jumped onto our bus.  We drove to the hotel, which resembled a dorm room with six of us to a room.

We ate lunch  at a small caf, where we tried a typical chicken and rice dish.  It was nothing that any of us had expected.  The salad was served without dressing and the dessert consisted of rice milk flavored with cinnamon.

            We took a walking tour of downtown Santiago with our tour host, Dave.  The city is very pretty, with many historical buildings and statues.  The city also has many parks, in which the residents pass the time on unique stone benches.  We visited the Plaza de Armas, a square scattered with artists selling paintings and various vendors selling hats, scarves and other knick-knacks.  People are very friendly here, waving and asking us about volleyball as we walk around. 

            After our tour, we headed to the main highlight of the daya match against the Chilean National B team.  We played in the brand new Chilean Olympic training center for an informal exhibition match, in which the crowd consisted of table tennis players and athletes of other various sports.  We won in three games, working out the kinks of playing international volleyball.  

 

Jorgan Staker

 
Brittni Yates
Middle Blocker
White Plains, Maryland

May 17, 2009

Today we went to the zoo downtown.  Walking there was an experience in itself.  We saw the university area where people our age would hang out and we picked up a stray dog or two along the way.  Before we went into the zoo we rode the gondola up to the top of the mountain and got an amazing view of the city.  We had a little time to shop and after riding the gondola back down to the bottom, we went to the zoo.  Everything was uphill so we got a little bit of exercise along the way.  They had the typical animals that you would see in America but it was still a great experience.  Afterwards we ate chicken for lunch, which came with an amazing crepe-like dessert. Then we were off to play our second match against the Chilean B team.  The atmosphere in the gym was awesome.  The guys wanted our pictures and the crowd was really pumped up.  We won in three but it was a great, competitive match.  After the match we went to dinner back at the hotel, then called it a night.  Adios from Santiago, Chile!!!

 

Brittni Yates

 
Jorgan Staker
Right Side Hitter
Taylorsville, Utah

May 19, 2009

On Sunday, we were off to play the Chile National B team again.  We arrived at the Olympic Training Center to find that all the lights were off.  The man in charge of the lights wasn't scheduled to come into the training center until four and our match was scheduled at noon.  The coaches from both teams and the players didn't want to wait around for that long, so we found another place to play.  We were invited to go to the German Club, which is a private club in the area that only allows members with German last names.  It was much like a country club and it was filled with famililes leisurely enjoying their Sunday afternoon.  There were tennis courts, a swimming pool, soccer fields, a gymnastics pit, and elegant dining areas.  After we played, we were invited to eat in the dining area.  It was a buffet style meal, with many different choices.  Outside, cooks were barbequing different kinds of beef and chicken.  All we had to do was ask for it!  The dining experience also provided us with entertainment.  An accordian player roamed the area playing songs and especially enjoyed it when our girls sang to "Oh Susana" and "My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean."

The next day, we boarded a new bus and headed for the border.  We spent the next eight hours winding over the Andes.  The roads were very steep and had sharp turns.  There were a couple times that we had to slow down in order to avoid getting hit by semis travelling in the opposite direction.  Although it was a little unnerving, the view as we traversed back and forth was beautiful.  We went through the checkpoint and were officially in Argentina! 

We were very excited to drive into the city of Mendoza.  The city seems more like home, with lots of stores and buildings.  We are only here for one night though, so today will be free so we can explore, shop and eat.  Tonight will be dedicated to playing anadult club team from Mendoza. 
 
Adios mis amigos!
 
Jorgan Staker
 

 

Head Coach
Devin Scruggs

May 21

It is Thursday and we have just arrived in the city of Tandil, which is about four hours southwest of Buenos Aires, and known for their knives and cheese. I plan on purchasing both before the end of the day. Yesterday was the longest day/night of the trip. After playing in Mendoza on Tuesday night, we got on a double decker bus and drove through the night. The bus was very nice and similar to seats in business class on an airplane minus the individual televisions. In the morning, we picked up the Argentina National Team and made it to the tiny town of San Caytano making our total trip just under 18 hours! The town looked deserted when we arrived, but the whole city must have been waiting for the big match. We were a scene driving in a double decker bus through the tiny streets of this town. The match was our first against the Argentina National Team and the first game went very well. We lost the match in four sets, but surprised our friendly hosts in the first set.

At this point in the trip we are now traveling with the Argentina team from town to town playing each other, driving in the same bus and dining before and after the matches together. The kids are starting to talk to each other which allows for some good bonding and everyone is able to practice the other language. I am most frustrated not knowing Spanish and will be purchasing my Rosetta Stone when we return!

Tonight we will be playing the match in Tandil where there are posters everywhere saying Argentina vs. USA. Although we are from the University of Nevada, we are truly representatives of USA. All for now.

Devin Scruggs

 

 

Jorgan Staker
Right Side Hitter
Taylorsville, Utah

May 20-21

After our match against the Mendoza club team, we had a quick dinner and then hopped on the bus for our longest travel yet.  We spent eighteen hours on the bus, traveling all throughout the night and most of the next day.  We were finally released from our double-decker prison when we arrived in San Cayetano.  It was a small townmuch smaller than we all had expected.  We checked into our hotel, which was very small and decked out in seventies dcor.  We then headed to our first match against the Argentina National Team.  We didn’t expect the scene that awaited us at the gym.  We thought that nobody would show up to the match, but we were definitely wrong.  The atmosphere was very festive and rows of people lined the court.  There was popular Argentina music playing most of the time, a mix between rap, rock and hip-hop.  We went to four games that night, winning the first game against the Argentina girls.  The crowd was definitely there to support the local girls though and in the end, gave them the energy to finish the match. 

The next morning, we hopped onto the bus again and made our way to Tandil.  Tandil was a much larger city than San Cayetano, but still had a very small town feel to it.  We arrived around 2 p.m..  The cobble-stone streets were quiet and we were convinced that we had stumbled into a ghost town.  Our perceptions once again proved wrong though as we entered the gym to play our second match against the National Team.  Although the gym was no bigger than one found in a high school, it was packed with people.  They provided a buzz that was contagious as we warmed up and the loud, catchy music just added to the festive atmosphere.  From the open door of the gym wafted the smell of barbeque smoke and propane gas and made the playing atmosphere hazy and slightly unreal.  We finished our warm up and listened to the United States National Anthem.  As we went to listen to the Nation Anthem of Argentina though, there was a problem with the sound system.  The people in the crowd, as if on cue, started singing the anthem a capella.  Although the moment may not seem like much, it was unreal to see the pride that the people had in their country. 

The match started out well, with our Nevada team taking the first two games.  Our surge in energy lapsed a bit though and we lost the third and fourth games by only two points each.  The match came down to the final and fifth game, played to only fifteen points.  We started off strong, but in the end, lost by the narrowest of margins, losing 20-18. 

The crowd didn’t care that we had lost though.  After the match, the floor was a sea of small kids and teenagers who wanted autographs and to take pictures with us.  They also wanted our personal effects, such as our shoes, kneepads, jerseys and other items as tokens to remember us by.  It was a type of fame and attention that none of us had ever received before.  It was very neat to see how much the people of Argentina love the sport of volleyball and admire the skill that it takes to play it.  I doubt that many college players in the United States have had a chance to play in an atmosphere as fun and as challenging as the one we played in last night.  It is not an experience that any of us will soon forget.

 

Sonnie Sei
Setter
Loyalton, Calif.

Kylie Harrington
Outside Hitter
Honolulu, Hawaii



Lindsay Baldwin
Middle Blocker
Hillsborough, Calif.

May 21, 2009

 

On this day of our excursion, we traveled to a small city of Tandil.  We were greeted by many enduring fans and a massive amount of spaghetti.  Our match started at 8:30, bringing the town of Tandil to one gym to watch what seemed to be the match of the century.  During the match, blow horns and chants from Argentina’s homeland were heard throughout the gym.  We played a marvelous game; however in the fifth game the score became 18-19 with Argentina and with one swing they ended up taking the match, 18-20.  Afterwards, the fans came in swarms, blinding us with camera flashes and practically ripping our jerseys off of our backs.  Many of the fans made out with our t-shirts, while one lucky fan left with a sweaty knee-pad.  Overall the experience was life-changing.

 

Sonnie Sei, Kylie Harrington and Lindsay Baldwin

 

Erin Garvey
Middle Blocker
Argyle, Texas

May 25

Hey Ya'll

 

Today we arrived in Dolores, Argentina, once again at "siesta" time. We ate lunch in a place similar to a town hall. The people were very excited to have us and video taped our every bite! We had the Argentina version of a chicken fried steak, a.k.a. chicken fried steak with ham and melted cheese on top of the steak. That is one thing we came to find on our trip-- the Argentines love their "jamon y queso." After lunch, we crashed on the beds of the cozy Hotel Aryana. We woke up at about 7:00 PM and started our 10 block walk to the match. The town seemed deserted. That was a different story when we got to the gym. The gym roared with excitement.  The whole town was at the match, even the governor (who delayed the match because he was late).  The match was another really close game, only this time it ended with a 15-13 Wolf Pack win in the 5th game! Other than winning the match the coolest part about this town was the gym's atmosphere.  There was a stray dog that roamed the gym floor the entire match. The Argentines went about the game as if it was normal to have a blind dog circle the place like a lion. Our team, however, couldn't help but giggle and be distracted. The announcer diid a great job of getting the crowd involved by shouting "PUNTO! PUNTO! PUNTO!" (point, point, point) every time the Argentines scored. After the match we ate another classic pasta dish and sang Happy Birthday to one of the Argentina coaches.  This was my favorite night of the trip, because I felt like our team was really starting to come together as a team and I hope this is a sign of things to come!

 

Erin Garvey 

 

Head Coach
Devin Scruggs

This trip has been fantastic in so many ways. It has been everything I wanted and more. The "Volley", as they say in Argentina, went well. We did not have any major problems and the players have enjoyed common experiences that will be in stories for the rest of their careers. Although we did not win every match we played, we learned how to deal with loud crowds, late night matches and early morning bus rides. The matches we played the best came after some of the latest nights and hardest bus rides. The people in Argentina were absolutely wonderful to us. Everyone worked very hard to try to communicate and, I believe, we have all made lasting friendships with our South American friends.

My favorite parts of the trip were watching our team being treated like rock stars after our 20-18 loss in the 5th in Tandil. The fans wanted autographs, pictures, and anything that the girls and staff were wearing....including dirty knee pads! My other highlight of the trip was the last two days on the bus with the Argentina team. Our kids exchanged e-mails, facebook accounts, and clothing. anything American or volleyball was exchanged. They were all kids right around the same ages as our Nevada team. We had a few players who could get

by with their Spanish classes. The Argentina team had just one player who spoke English well. It was amazing to watch the different groups working hard to communicate. The last day was filled with many good byes and last picture opportunities.

From driving over the Andes mountains to meeting our new Argentina friends, the team and staff have shared many common experiences that will be talked about for generations to come. I am extremely appreciative of this opportunity for me, my staff, and especially the group of 12 young women who got this opportunity of a lifetime.

Devin Scruggs