Last Tuesday we attended Academic Convocation where the students, faculty, staff and alumni gathered to dedicate and rededicate themselves to the pursuit of learning and teaching. During this time the Stonehill community formally welcomed the Class of 2018, saluted the Class of 2014, honored Christopher Wetzel, learned about the value of curiosity from Professor Rev. Richard Gribble, heard first-hand advice from students, and joined in prayer for the year to come. We all enjoyed the opportunity to dress up and look pretty after living in volleyball clothes for the past few weeks.

Continuing our team bonding activities, we made a stop by Daddy's Dairy and enjoyed a nice bowl of ice cream. It was the first visit for the new members of the team, and I'm sure it won't be the last. They even had lactose free options for those who can't have dairy!

Thankful to be able to apply what we have been working on in practice for the past 2 weeks, we came in with enthusiasm and focus for our first Tournament Playdate this past Saturday. We had the opportunity to play Merrimack, Assumption, Bentley, and SNHU. Although there are still many areas of improvement and particular aspects we need to see become better, we are focused on becoming better as a whole and taking it step by step.  We can't wait for the season ahead!

Finally, we finished our week with an adventure to Wheelers Farm where we practiced how to communicate effectively, listen, and work together through numerous ropes courses. Together we conquered fears, held hands, and overcame adversities. We all enjoyed the long zip line at the end as we got our final nice breeze of fresh air in the woods.

Because we have more members on the team from out of state this year than we have in the past, we decided to do a recap of our favorite home-cooked meals to be reminded of our time with our families back home. Hope you enjoy!

-          Mary Kay loves chipped beef on toast with peas

-          Ashley likes sloppy joes, mashed potatoes, and corn on the cob

-          Claire enjoys meatloaf with mashed potatoes and peas

-          Kat savors chicken cutlets and spinach pie

-          Taylor loves salmon, corn, and mashed potatoes

-          Abby likes stove top chicken (chicken, stuffing, provolone, cream of mushroom soup)

-          Ellen enjoys beef wellington, mashed potatoes, and beats. Chocolate lava cake for dessert!

-          Delia obsesses over Chipotle (May even cry tears of joy when she eats it)

-          Kelsey loves turkey tip kabobs

-          Marty likes stuffed pepper soup; scallops with mashed cauliflower

-          Petey has a tie between liking Mexican casserole and her dad's Worcestershire marinated steaks with white corn, parmesan, Worcestershire marinated grilled onions, red and yellow peppers, and mushrooms 

-          Mary Kate enjoys chicken enchiladas with green salsa and Mexican rice

-          Emily savors Giordano's deep dish pizza

-          Meg loves mashed potatoes, corn, and steak tips

-          Mary likes steak tips, potatoes, and corn on the cob on the grill

Don't forget to check back next week for the fourth installment of the VolleyBlog series! To view past posts, click here.