UTVballfan
100+ Posts
Every now and then special athletes appear. Pick your favorite. Vince Young comes to mind. Cat Osterman too. We gotta pay attention while they’re here, because they’re gone in the blink of an eye. It’s a fleeting kind of thing.
One athlete we all need to be watching is the amazing Destinee Hooker. It’s incredible to see her soar up over the net and crush a volleyball down at an impossible angle.
Is it a critical moment with the game on the line? Get Destinee the ball.
One of her first games as a Longhorn was against Washington, #3 in the country, and the Horns were down 11-13 in the 5th game. Destinee was the go to player – as a brand new freshman! – and crushed 4 kills in a row to win the match.
Then there was her amazing game against Nebraska last year in Gregory, when the Horns took the Huskers down in three. Rewind game 2 – Destinee got critical kill after critical kill, every time we needed one.
Then of course there was last years’ absurd comeback against Iowa State with the Big XII title on the line. The other Horns played huge roles in the thrilling comeback. But it was Destinee who had the ball when the Horns faced match point at 15-16. What’d she do? Uh huh, crushed it! And after a Cyclone error she got the match point block.
So that leads us up to last Wednesday’s game, against these selfsame Cyclones. Every Big XII match is critical if we want to lay claim to the title again. And sticky-booger Iowa State won’t freaking die. In set 2, the Horns were down 22-23; a Hooker crush ties it. Then Faucette serves up a net ball to give the Cyclones set point. Hooker kills again for another tie. But Iowa State gets a kill to earn another set point. Kocher is no dummy and follows the heat: she sets Destinee who kills AGAIN! Then Jen Do gets a block and Iowa State biffs their last chance and the Horns win the game! And late in the 3rd set with the score 25-all? Destinee kills, of course, and a demoralized Iowa State surrenders the match with an error.
Déjà vu, Cyclones. Try again in 2010 when she’s graduated.
By then, I expect Destinee to be headed to the national team to prep for London. She’s going to have opposing teams cursing in Chinese, Japanese, Russian, Italian, Serbian, you name it. By the way, I hope Ashley’s setting her and Paolini’s in the middle. Podium city, chock full of Longhorns. Sweet!
A little more wrap-up of Wednesday’s game: I like the new rotation, with Paolini and Doris switched to spread the firepower around. Heather Kisner is playing just great, making incredible digs. Paolini is a machine! The block was kinda ragged at times, with Jen Doris sometimes not quite closing and Rachael sometimes lost in no man’s land. The block seemed to be more disciplined at the beginning of the year, and I’m sure we’ll get back to that. Juliann is in a rough patch but better now than at year end, and warrior hearts don’t die.
Kansas tonight won’t be a layup – they took as many games off the Huskers as we did. But no way they stop our not-so-secret weapons!
Celebrity sighting: some supermodel, I’m not sure which one, wearing a baggy t-shirt and old gym shorts.
One athlete we all need to be watching is the amazing Destinee Hooker. It’s incredible to see her soar up over the net and crush a volleyball down at an impossible angle.
Is it a critical moment with the game on the line? Get Destinee the ball.
One of her first games as a Longhorn was against Washington, #3 in the country, and the Horns were down 11-13 in the 5th game. Destinee was the go to player – as a brand new freshman! – and crushed 4 kills in a row to win the match.
Then there was her amazing game against Nebraska last year in Gregory, when the Horns took the Huskers down in three. Rewind game 2 – Destinee got critical kill after critical kill, every time we needed one.
Then of course there was last years’ absurd comeback against Iowa State with the Big XII title on the line. The other Horns played huge roles in the thrilling comeback. But it was Destinee who had the ball when the Horns faced match point at 15-16. What’d she do? Uh huh, crushed it! And after a Cyclone error she got the match point block.
So that leads us up to last Wednesday’s game, against these selfsame Cyclones. Every Big XII match is critical if we want to lay claim to the title again. And sticky-booger Iowa State won’t freaking die. In set 2, the Horns were down 22-23; a Hooker crush ties it. Then Faucette serves up a net ball to give the Cyclones set point. Hooker kills again for another tie. But Iowa State gets a kill to earn another set point. Kocher is no dummy and follows the heat: she sets Destinee who kills AGAIN! Then Jen Do gets a block and Iowa State biffs their last chance and the Horns win the game! And late in the 3rd set with the score 25-all? Destinee kills, of course, and a demoralized Iowa State surrenders the match with an error.
Déjà vu, Cyclones. Try again in 2010 when she’s graduated.
By then, I expect Destinee to be headed to the national team to prep for London. She’s going to have opposing teams cursing in Chinese, Japanese, Russian, Italian, Serbian, you name it. By the way, I hope Ashley’s setting her and Paolini’s in the middle. Podium city, chock full of Longhorns. Sweet!
A little more wrap-up of Wednesday’s game: I like the new rotation, with Paolini and Doris switched to spread the firepower around. Heather Kisner is playing just great, making incredible digs. Paolini is a machine! The block was kinda ragged at times, with Jen Doris sometimes not quite closing and Rachael sometimes lost in no man’s land. The block seemed to be more disciplined at the beginning of the year, and I’m sure we’ll get back to that. Juliann is in a rough patch but better now than at year end, and warrior hearts don’t die.
Kansas tonight won’t be a layup – they took as many games off the Huskers as we did. But no way they stop our not-so-secret weapons!
Celebrity sighting: some supermodel, I’m not sure which one, wearing a baggy t-shirt and old gym shorts.
