Happy Birthday Coach Dan!

No fun picture, per Coach Dan's request... but happy birthday to Coach Dan!

Happy Birthday Bruna!

AVCA Final Top 25 Poll

You might call it icing on the cake of this season, because in the final AVCA Top 25 Poll that was released today, Saint Leo is ranked #10! Amazing!

Watch Out, it's FINALS WEEK!

This week is all about the student in student-athlete as the Leo ladies are buckling down for finals! Let's hope that all their hard work and hours upon hours of study hall has paid off! GOOD LUCK GIRLS!

Happy Birthday Michelle!

2009 Saint Leo Volleyball

It's quite a list...

Post Season Awards

It's been a productive postseason for the Lions! Our players and coaches have been blessed to be recognized by our peers for their outstanding play and accomplishments this season.

Happy Birthday Lucy!

Happy 18th Birthday Miss Fricker!

No more permission slips for you!

Gobble Gobble!

HAPPY TURKEY DAY FROM SAINT LEO VOLLEYBALL!!

Awards Season

The playing season may have ended, but now it's time for the individual awards to start coming out, and today both the Daktronics and AVCA All Region Teams were announced with a lot of green and gold on them! Saint Leo had 4 players named to the Daktronics Teams, the most of any team on the list, and also placed 4 on the AVCA South Region Team.

Daktronics All Region
First Team
Kaitlin McKenna
Second Team
Danielle Bletso
Michelle Nogueras
Bruna Rocha

AVCA All South Region
Emily Calderon-Reyes
Michelle Nogueras
Kaitlin McKenna
Honorable Mention
Bruna Rocha

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL THE PLAYERS!

Chris' Corner: Tricks of the Trade From Your Friendly Neighboorhood Certified Athletic Trainer

Welcome to the final edition of Chris' Corner (at least for the foreseeable future). I'm not going to lie to you gang, this is a tough one to write and I'm getting very choked up doing so. If you'll forgive me I'm not much in the mood to discuss education this week but rather to reflect on the season that was.

And what a tremendous ride!!! Right from the pre-season I could tell this was a special group. I've never coached a volleyball game in my life and my knowledge of the sport is still growing, but having been a part of athletics in some capacity my whole life it was easy to see this team would go far. All the physical skills and personnel were there but more than that this was a true team! The kind that doesn't come around that often. Just to put it into perspective here are some numbers:
- 30-4 overall record (best winning percentage in program and school (?) history)
- Ranked #12 in the nation (highest ranking in program history)
- Countless SSC offensive and defensive player of the week honors along with a National
player of the week
- 5 players on the All-SSC Team (most in the Conference and most in program history)
- SSC Conference Champions (first in program history)
- Making the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Tournament (first time in program and school
history)
- Sam Cibrone SSC Coach of the Year (first time in program history)
Not too shabby when you add it all up. Not too shabby at all!

In my world it was a dream season as well. Not one player had to miss match time due to injury! With the type of schedule we play that is huge. Plenty of bumps and bruises along the way and plenty of quality time in the Athletic Training Room, but these athletes are tough as nails and were always ready to go when the bell rang.

Plenty of sentiments were shared by players, coaches and yours truly in the locker room after the final match, and that's where they will stay. But let me tell you this: As an Athletic Training student and as a Professional I have been fortunate to work at every level of athletics, from high school to professional sports. I have never loved, cared so deeply for, or been so immersed in a team as I have for this one. Coaches and players alike, there is not one person involved with this team I would not call my friend and do anything for. And I know that same sentiment is true across the board. When you boil it all down, that is the true reason for our success this season.

As an Athletic Trainer you tend to operate somewhat on the periphery of the teams you work with. You are a part of things but not really a part of the team. Not true with this team. From day one an effort was made by coaches and players alike to include me in every team function, every team meal, everything. And the trust put in me by the coaches and players is something I will always remember. When talking with friends, relatives and co-workers it always felt natural for me to say "We" and not "They", and for that I can't thank you enough. It has been an honor and a privilege to care for you this season and a heck of a lot of fun to contribute to this blog in my little way.

Cherish the season that was, look forward to the season that will be.

Signing off from Chris' Corner.

An Amazing Season

Unfortunately, Saint Leo could not overcome Tampa last night, as the Lions fell in 3 sets to the Spartans. The crowd was amazing, thank you so much to everyone who came out to support us! The list of accomplishments from this season is huge (and will come on here soon) and the coaches are so proud of our players!

On a personal note, it has been so much fun writing this blog! I love this team, I love Saint Leo, and I hope that I've been able to show that to everyone who has read this. Thank you for reading!

A Rubber Match at the Regional Championship

Saint Leo and Tampa are tied 1-1 on the season, tied for 1st in the SSC Standings, share the 2009 Sunshine State Conference Championship, and are neck-and-neck in the NCAA Regional rankings... so why not have the tie breaking match as the 2009 NCAA South Regional Championship?

Match time is 7:00pm, links to video, audio, and live stats can be found at saintleolions.com.

SWEET 16!!!

We said it wouldn't be easy, and boy it wasn't, but the Saint Leo Volleyball team won their 2nd round match against the University of West Florida to make it to the SWEET SIXTEEN! 5 sets led by Danielle and Bruna match us up against the University of Tampa tomorrow night at 7:00pm...

Onto 32

The second 2009 sweep of UNA by the Leo Lions sends us to the second round in this year's NCAA Tournament. With the win, the Lions will face the Argos of University of West Florida. This will be the third meeting of the season between the two teams, with Saint Leo holding a 2-0 record on the year.

It isn't easy to beat a team three times in one season, so the players are getting their rest and the coaches are working on video to keep our NCAA run going!

ROUND 1

It's finally here! Today the Lions open up play in the NCAA Tournament at 2:30pm vs. the University of North Alabama. There are lots of links to get your SLU volleyball fix!

South Regional Home Page - Live Stats

NCAA DII Interactive Bracket - Streaming Video

NCAA 1st Round

Chris' Corner: Tricks of the Trade From Your Friendly Neighborhood Certified Athletic Trainer

Before we get started this week I have to send out a monster CONGRATULATIONS to the team after winning the Conference Championship! Another first in a season of firsts! I have no doubt this trend will continue in the Big Dance this week.

On to education. This week I want to touch on one of the "dirty little secrets" of sports: performance enhancing drugs (PED). More specifically, why you should never take PED. PED's are not limited to steroids. Caffeine, if taken in large quantities, is considered a PED. Besides the ethical issues associated with cheating, PED's wreak havoc on the body. Your body wants to maintain a steady state of all its functions, called homeostasis. When this state of affairs is disrupted the body manipulates all its functions to try and regain homeostasis. Blood pressure, hormonal functions, even brain activity, changes as a result. An easy example to illustrate this involves changes resulting from abusing anabolic steroids. As you artificially increase your blood testosterone levels your body senses this increase and tries to regain balance. It accomplishes this in two ways. First it will stop producing its own testosterone. Second, it will increase its production of estrogen to counteract the increase in testosterone. The effects of prolonged steroid use are well documented. Because of these hormonal changes men are apt to develop female traits such as breasts, as well as shrunken testicles and low sperm count. Not to mention the effects on bones and joints. As muscles are able to produce more and more force bones, ligaments and tendons can't handle the increased load. You are likely to tear bones and/or soft tissue and develop early onset arthritis. Furthermore, steroids are lipid based hormones, meaning increased fat levels, increased blood pressure, increased load on the cardiovascular system equaling heart disease. Quite a price to pay for artificial glory.

In my world this week the injury report is back to zero after a minor hiccup. A good thing heading into the NCAA tournament. I see or hear about other teams having injuries and knock on wood that our good fortune continues in this regard. Completely off the subject, knowing that we would be driving at night back and forth to Nova with the AC blasting in the vans the whole time I had the foresight to bring along the Snuggie. Let me tell you gang, after actually using it as intended I'm a believer. The Snuggie is legit!

Stay away from PED's, get rowdy at the tournament and we'll see you next time on Chris' Corner.

NCAA Regional Brackets Announced

After three years in a row of waiting by the computer to hear if Leo made it in to the NCAA Tournament, 2009 brought a #2 seed in the South Region and wait to see who we'll be playing... it's a nice feeling!

Saint Leo will be facing the University of North Alabama (#7) on Thursday, November 19 at 2:30pm at the University of Tampa. Keep checking back here for more information and blogs from the tourney!

The full NCAA Bracket can be found at this link.

REGIONAL TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
hosted by the University of Tampa

Thursday, November 19, 2009
#3 West Florida vs. #6 Lynn – 12:00 pm
#2 Saint Leo vs. #7 North Alabama – 2:30 pm
#4 Eckerd vs. #5 Nova Southeastern – 5:00 pm
#1 Tampa vs. #8 Albany State – 7:30 pm

Friday, November 20, 2009
Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2 – 5:00 pm
Winner of Game 3 vs. Winner of Game 4 – 7:30 pm

Saturday, November 21, 2009
Winner of Semifinal 1 vs. Winner of Semifinal 2 – 7:00 pm

MySpace Countdown

SSC CHAMPS!

SAINT LEO VOLLEYBALL

2009 SUNSHINE STATE CONFERENCE CO-CHAMPIONS!

Click here for the link to the game story.

Sunny, Cool-ish Fort Lauderdale

Good morning from Fort Lauderdale! The Lions Volleyball team is just waking up after a late drive into town last night. The ladies went to all their classes, had a little practice, dinner, and then hit the road for our last regular season match against Nova Southeastern.

The match is at 4:00pm, and the live feed can be found through Penn Atlantic.

Veteran's Day

Yes, the Lions spent last night completing a season sweep of Florida Southern, but today we want to thank all of the men and women who have served our country and helped us live our lives in the freedom that so many of us take for granted. Saint Leo has a large investment in the military community, and there are no words to truly express how grateful we are for all you do!

Special recognition to Chris McDonald, our Certified Athletic Trainer. You take care of our girls now, you served our country. You are absolutely our hero, and we are proud to have you as a part of our Leo volleyball family!

11-09 News

Chris' Corner: Tricks of the trade from your friendly neighboorhod Certified Athletic Trainer

This weeks' edition of Chris' Corner will cover a subject some of you may be wondering about. What is it that is going on when you see or hear about athletes lying on treatment tables with wires coming off their bodies? What is being applied to them are various therapeutic modalities. Specifically in this case either electrical stimulation or ultrasound. How do these help? In various ways. One of the most common applications of electrical stimulation (e-stim) involves pain control. By introducing an electrical current you stimulate sensory nerve endings which deliver their message to the brain faster than nerves that send pain messages. In this way, at least temporarily, you control the pain associated with an injury. Other e-stim waveforms can be used to help control/eliminate swelling or to introduce medication into the body. Ultrasound works differently. It can be used as a deep heating modality, reaching tissues as deep as 5cm and increasing tissue temperature 4 degrees Celsius or more in a relatively short amount of time. This is useful in increasing local blood flow and increasing tissue extensibility, think getting ultrasound before activity. Ultrasound also has non-thermal properties though. These include stimulation of white blood cells, called phagocytes, to remove dead and damaged cells at the site of injury, stimulation of repair cells, called fibroblasts, to begin laying down new tissue and increasing cell membrane permeability thereby allowing cells to function more efficiently. The non-thermal properties of ultrasound are very useful when applied to an acute or sub-acute injury. As an Athletic Trainer you must guard against falling into "cookbook" applications of these modalities. Just as no two injuries are exactly the same, you must take the time to think about what you are trying to accomplish with modalities and manipulate your treatment parameters to achieve the greatest effect.

Wow, that was fun! Now on to the court. Unfortunately, the team saw their amazing win streak stopped by Tampa this week but were able to regroup and get back to business against Eckerd. A few scares this week in my world, both involving fingers. Luckily, however, as has been our good fortune this season no one had to miss playing time. The seniors said goodbye to their home court for the last four years this week. They couldn't ask for a better season to culminate their college careers. Michelle, Brittany and Chelsea, it's been a privilege taking care of you the last two years. Thanks for making me feel like a part of your team (and for your kind words and special gift at the senior match!). Now let's finish it off with a conference and national championship!

Hang on for the stretch run, it's going to be a blast! See you next time on Chris' Corner.

Senior Sweep

Saint Leo posted their 26th win of the season today in a 3 set sweep of Eckerd College, and more impressively, the seniors posted their 100th win! We are very proud of this class, and excited to finish the season strong with them!

Michelle Nogueras

Chelsea Armer

Brittany Fuhr

SENIOR GAME!

CONGRATS SENIORS! WE LOVE YOU!

Kait is REALLY Smart

Congratulations to Junior Kaitlin McKenna on her selection to the CoSIDA Academic All-District First Team. McKenna is an Accounting major with a 3.84 GPA. Click here for the full release on the Saint Leo Athletics website.

Tough Loss

The amazing streak of the 2009 Lions Volleyball Team came to an end tonight against the University of Tampa. In front of an outstanding crowd of over 800, the Lions played two great sets, but the run by Tampa in the end of the second set to win was a hit Leo could not come back from.

Now it's back to practice to prepare for our match against Eckerd on Saturday, our seniors' last home game! 4pm, let's send them out right!

Spear the Spartans!

Saint Leo vs. University of Tampa
at home tonight!
7:00pm
BE THERE!!

If you can't be there in person, watch us online
through the SLU Athletics site at this link.

Congratulations Women's Soccer!

The volleyball team wants to congratulate the Saint Leo Women's Soccer team in their SSC Tournament quarterfinal game tonight over Nova Southeastern!
Keep it up ladies, good luck against Rollins on Friday!

The Wii Video... FINALLY!

More Halloween Fun

11-04 News

Saint Leo Volleyball Supports 3-Day Walk

On Sunday, November 1st, the Saint Leo Volleyball team along with over 100 other Saint Leo athletes spent a few hours cheering on the walkers at the 2009 Susan G. Komen 3-Day Walk for the Cure in St. Petersburg, FL.

Kait McKenna getting her cheer on!

Corey Ryan, Kim Nuckols, Lucy Fricker and Meghan Donovan pink it out!

Emily Calderon and Brittany Fuhr with their interesting and supportive sign.

Truly a reflection of the Saint Leo Core Value of Community! We could not be prouder of our girls and all of the athletes who gave their time!

Chris' Corner: Tricks of the trade from your friendly neighboorhod Certified Athletic Trainer

Another first this week on Chris' Corner. For a few months now I've been rambling on about various and sundry topics as I think of them each week. Since we expect to be playing for another month I figured I would ask for your input. Let me know what you would like to read about. Maybe you know someone who just had surgery, maybe you have a particular injury and would like to know more about it. Whatever you like. In any case, I'll bet someone else wants to know about the same topic too, so just let me know.

Big weekend for the team last weekend. A nail biter against Barry was followed by business as usual against Lynn. Still undefeated going into the biggie against Tampa this week. Perhaps the scariest moment of the weekend though, at least for Meghan, came with the mysterious Halloween disappearance of her beloved bear "Teddy". He vanished on the drive home complete with ransom demands and pictures. Just when she thought she might never see "Teddy's" Red Sox shirt again, they were reunited. All's well that ends well.

Looking forward to your input, be the "7th man" against Tampa and we'll see you next week on Chris' Corner.

Finally Home!

Saint Leo is finally home from south Florida, and with two big wins too! Barry and Lynn are always difficult teams, especially at home, and the girls showed great resiliency in both matches. Chelsea was back-to-back Player of the Match, collecting 47 digs on the weekend, good for 5.9 digs per set.

Now it's one day of rest and then two days of training to prepare for Tampa on Wednesday. We hope to see everyone for the first of our final two regular season home matches!

Happy Halloween!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN FROM SAINT LEO VOLLEYBALL!

Gut Check

Whoo gut check time for the Lions. Tons of respect to the Barry coaching staff and team for doing a phenomenal job of scouting and executing their game plan, but Leo managed to pull out a 3-2 victory for their 21st consecutive win. The Lions felt humbled afterwards, but energized at the same time. We are excited for tomorrow's match vs. Lynn and hope everyone can watch it on the live stream from Penn Atlantic!

Happy Birthday Danielle!

Congratulations Women's Golf!

Saint Leo Volleyball wants to congratulate our Women's Golf Team for winning the Flagler Fall Slam and Anna Riss as the tournament individual champion!

CONGRATS LADIES!

10-26 News

Chris' Corner: Tricks of the trade from your friendly neighboorhod Certified Athletic Trainer

I thought I would do things a bit different for this installment of Chris' Corner. Have you ever wondered how that sharp cookie of an Athletic Trainer figured out what was wrong when your favorite athlete went down on the court or walked into the Athletic Training Room complaining of an owie? Well wonder no more. Rather than discuss a specific injury or condition I thought I would talk about the process we use in evaluating a medical problem. This process is known as "HOPS". The first letter stands for history. You must obtain a thorough history of the injury from the athlete. The two most important questions to ask are "What happened?" and "Where does it hurt". Couple this with a solid understanding of human anatomy and you have gone a long way to figuring out which structures have been damaged. Other questions to ask include "Did you hear/feel any snaps, pops or cracks?", "Can you move the injured area?" and if so "What movements hurt?". The next step is observation. Look at the injured area and compare it to the opposite side of the body. Is there any obvious deformity, swelling, discoloration or anything else that looks different from the healthy side of the body? The "P" stands for palpation. Again you will compare to the healthy side of the body. Use one or two fingers to touch specific spots in the injured area. Does your touch illicit pain? If so, what structures lie under your fingers? Finally, the "S" stands for special tests. As part of any Athletic Training Education Program you learn tests to preform on the body to differentiate which structures are damaged at to what extent they are damaged. Put it all together and, whala, you figure out what's wrong with the athlete. Obviously, this process is very much condensed when evaluating an injury on the court/field under the pressure of match play having to decide whether or not it is prudent to allow the athlete to return to play. But hey, that's why we're there.

On the court the machine that is SLU volleyball keeps humming along. Florida Tech and Rollins both went quietly in three sets and the team tossed in a win against Saint Francis University for good measure. I think I was the only one in the gym who got the memo about Hawaiian shirt night. But that's ok, I got to show off my sweet threads anyway.

In Athletic Training world the injury report remains at zero. While I enjoy plying my trade I am perfectly happy having the whole team available week in and week out. On a side note we said goodbye to some of our Athletic Training Students from the University of South Florida. They will be replaced by new students who will help us the rest of the way. I have to give a major thank you to all of our students new and old. Their eager minds and able hands help keep the Athletic Training Room running smoothly. They are truly indispensable.

Remember your HOPS, keep supporting the team and we'll see you next week at Chris' Corner.

WOW WIN

Definitely a statement win last night! The Lions walked in to the Rollins' gym in business mode and put on a show, defeating the Tars in 3 straight sets. Our serving work has definitely paid off as 3 different players went on huge runs, led by Chelsea Armer and Emily Calderon.

This week is 4 practices heading into our trip south to Barry and Lynn, one of which will be our annual Halloween practice! Keep checking back to the blog for pictures!

20 on the Table

As Saint Leo travels to Rollins College today, they are looking for their 20th consecutive win of the 2009 season and 10th consecutive SSC victory. It will not be an easy task! Rollins is the epitome of home team advantage, and the Lions are ready for the battle!

Unfortunately, we most likely will not be able to live stream today, but Rollins has live stats that (according to my Mom) are so much fun to watch! Click here for the link, and cross your fingers and knock on wood for this superstitious coach!

Let the Luau Begin!

Tonight the Saint Leo Lions handed St. Francis their second straight loss against Sunshine State Conference opponents and the third in Florida. SLU had 48 kills on an amazing .432 hitting percentage!

It's back to work tomorrow as we get ready for our Saturday match at Rollins, always a tough road match!

Hawaiian Night!

HAWAIIAN NIGHT TONIGHT!

Check out the lovely Lions in their match this evening against St. Francis at 7:00pm

Leo Tops Tech!

Another night, another win! The Leo Lions handled business tonight as they topped Florida Tech in three sets tonight. Tomorrow night... HAWAIIAN NIGHT... vs. the visiting Saint from St. Francis. Follow us online!

Breast Cancer Match TONIGHT!

As the Saint Leo Lions open up the second round of Sunshine State Conference play tonight against Florida Tech, we will also be taking to opportunity to join the month long effort by organizations and teams across the country to raise money for Breast Cancer Research.

Specifically, the Saint Leo Softball Team will be participating in an American Cancer Society MAKING STRIDES Walk this Saturday, and all of tonight's admission and donations collected will be taken with the team to the walk.

The Lions hope that everyone takes time to either volunteer their time or donate to this very important cause!

As always, tonight's match will be streamed live via the Saint Leo Lions website and Penn Atlantic!

10-19-09 News

Chris' Corner: Tricks of the trade from your friendly neighboorhod Certified Athletic Trainer

Welcome back to Chris' Corner. This weeks' trick of the trade will center on an issue very important in athletics, especially athletics here in sunny Florida. That issue is dehydration and exertional heat illness. It seems every year we hear about deaths involving athletes suffering dehydration and exertional heat illness. This year in particular criminal charges were brought against a high school football coach following an athletes' death (the coach was later acquitted). Dehydration is very preventable with proper preparation. Not only is proper hydration important from a medical standpoint, dehydration of only 1%-2% can result in decreased athletic performance. The most important thing to remember in the fight against dehydration is that for the most part the battle is already won or lost before an athlete even hits the field or court. Because an athlete will be losing fluids continuously during athletic activity the best you can hope for is to maintain the hydration level they started with. If they walked into competition in a dehydrated status you are fighting an uphill battle. The easiest way to ensure proper hydration is to continuously sip on quality fluids throughout the day. Quality fluids include juices, sports drinks and of course good old fashioned water. Easy ways to monitor hydration status is revolve around bathroom activity. If you are properly hydrated you should be using the restroom about every two hours. Furthermore, the color of your urine should be clear to light yellow. Anything darker and you need to push more fluids. Dehydration can lead to heat illness ranging from heat cramps to heat stroke. Early signs and symptoms of heat illness include: thirst, irritability, fatigue, headache, muscle cramps, dizziness and nausea/vomiting. An athlete with heat illness should be moved to a cool environment, remove all possible equipment and clothing, push oral fluids and be fanned and monitored. The heat illness that makes the news is heat stroke. The most significant issues with heat stroke are a core body temperature of 104 degrees or greater (measured rectally) and loss of the body's' thermoregulatory capacity. This is a life threatening condition! The athlete should be cooled rapidly, preferably in an ice bath if conscious, given IV fluids and transported to a hospital for advanced life support care. Keep in mind that an athlete will not necessarily display the signs and symptoms of heat cramps or heat exhaustion before progressing to heat stroke. Also, sweat production is not an accurate indicator of heat stroke. In the majority of cases of heat stroke the athlete will still be sweating significantly.

On the court this week the juggernaut keeps on rolling! Two big regional wins solidified our spot as the #1 ranked team in the region. Isn't winning fun? The injury report remains at zero although Emily's acrobatics on the court consistently cause me to hold my breath. A little rest today before heading into the second round of conference play this week. We had a little alumni support at Winter Park on Saturday in the form of Amanda Cook. Always nice to see former players doing well in their lives.

Hydrate early and often and we'll see you safe and sound next week at Chris' Corner.

AVCA Play of the Week!

Ohio Represents!

Danielle Bletso and Leah Perry went block crazy! Both ladies posted 8 block assists, but in the post match meeting Danielle claimed that she was merely in the general area when Leah was blocking, so Leah was chosen by the team as the Player of the Match! 3 Lions had tremendous offensive numbers, with both Kaitlin McKenna and Emily posting 12 kills and hitting over .400, with Danielle joing their hitting percentage with 8 kills.

Next week brings 3 more matches, with Florida Tech and Rollins kicking off the second round of SSC play.

Early risers again!

A very solid win yesterday for the Lions against a talented West Florida. The Argo coaching staff had their blocking on point, fortunately Emily Calderon decided it was go time! 17 kills, .483 hitting percentage and 10digs!

Today the Lions will be heading to Winter Park, FL to take on visiting Harding University in our second of two regional crossover matches for the weekend. We will be streaming live again, make sure to check us out at 5:30pm in between all the football today!

Good Morning!

Good morning everyone! It is early and the Lions are up and ready for our rematch against the Argos of the University of West Florida. In the previous meeting on September 11th, the Lions came out with a very tight 3-1 victory, and we are ready for another battle!

Check www.saintleolions.com for the link to the live video feed. Who needs work? Just watch Saint Leo Volleyball!

10-12-09 News

20 Questions with Kaitlin McKenna

1. What is the main reason you chose Saint Leo University?
I chose Saint Leo because Michelle was the best setter that I had ever seen and I wanted to play volleyball with her. I also really enjoyed the people that I met on my recruiting trip and I really wanted to play for Coach Sam because he is a cool guy.

2. What has been your best college experience so far?
My best college experience has been living with my roommates—Michelle, Leah and Kim. They are the best friends a girl could have.

3. If you could recommend one 'must-have' for a dorm room, what is it and why?
My recommendation for a ‘must have’ for a dorm room is an extremely powerful stereo system. The louder the music, the more friends you will have and thus the more fun you will have dancing.

4. What do you do on your off days?
On my off days, I sleep, hang out with friends, go to the beach, dance, do homework, play kickball, go to Wal-Mart, listen to loud music, socialize.

5. Pick one cartoon character that matches your personality, who and why?
Plankton from Spongebob because he is funny. He tries to take over the world but always fails because he is so tiny. It cracks me up.

6. What other sports have you played?
In high school I played basketball, was on the golf team and I threw shot put and discus for the track team. I was on the summer swim team from when I was 4 years old until I was a sophomore in high school. Noncompetitively I snowboard, ski and water ski. But I’ve played almost every sport.

7. What is your favorite holiday? Why?
My favorite holiday is Christmas because I love being with my family and going home to see my friends. I also enjoy being around the snow for a month and having to bundle up to go outside. Giving and receiving presents is always a good time too. But mostly just that whole Christmas spirit is fun and warms my heart.

8. What song is most played on your iPod?
You may be Right by Billy Joel

9. What is your best asset as a member of SLU Volleyball?
I lead by example.

10. If you were a tree, what tree would you be and why?
I would be a pine tree in Northern Michigan, because they get to be outside all winter long and enjoy all of the snow.

11. Where are 3 places you would like to visit?
I want to visit the Amazon Rainforest, Argentina, and Thailand.

12. How many siblings do you have, and how old are they?
I have a brother who is 24 and a sister who is 22.

13. What is your favorite movie?
My favorite movie is The Grinch.

14. Who is your favorite athlete?
Chauncey Billups

15. Who is your hero?
My Mom is #1. But I have other heroes as well. Danielle Bletso is my hero because she makes me happy every day. Coach Sam is also my hero because he is so good at what he does and I aspire to be like him.

16. Pick one teammate and tell us a funny story...
One time Kim and I were in our kitchen and she decided to make cookies because I was busy doing homework. So she started baking away. After she mixed all of the ingredients together she tasted the batter. She said to me, “Why is this so salty?” So I went over to look at the recipe and read “2 teaspoons of salt.” Then I looked at the counter and the measuring spoon that had been used was the tablespoon. “Kim, you put 2 tablespoons of salt in and not 2 teaspoons.” So after we figured that out, Kim decided to just double everything to try and rescue her cookies. She ran out of brown sugar and replaced it with maple syrup. Needless to say, the cookies did not turn out well. But it was a good effort.

17. What is your favorite place you've gone with SLU Volleyball?
Colorado

18. Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
Working for some Accounting firm and working on my CPA and making lots of money.

19. What are you looking forward to most this year?
Winning. And living it up with my roommates.

20. How do you want people to remember you after you've graduated from Saint Leo?
I want to be remembered as a great Student Athlete that has the potential to do whatever I want.

Chris' Corner: Tricks of the trade from your friendly neighboorhod Certified Athletic Trainer

Welcome to another edition of Chris' Corner. This week I've decided to talk about one of the most essential principles in Athletic Training and one that I find quite interesting (then again I'm a medical geek so I find all this stuff interesting). What is this nugget of knowledge you ask? The injury response process. Knowing this process dictates how you take an athlete from injury to return to play. As I've mentioned before (see previous discussion on "Why ice?") with any injury there will be an associated inflammatory response. This inflammation represents the first phase of the injury response process. Basically the body tries to isolate the injury and clean up dead and damaged tissue. This phase lasts for about a week depending on the severity of the injury. The most important thing to remember during this phase is to not cause further harm. The focus is on protecting the injured tissue, application of therapeutic modalities (ice and electrical stimulation for example) and use of anti-inflammatory medication (ibuprofen) to limit swelling and pain. The next phase is called the proliferation phase. During this phase the body is laying down new tissue to repair the injury. Here the focus is on helping the body help itself. Again, therapeutic modalities (non-thermal ultrasound, massage) come into play, helping stimulate the repair process. Early therapeutic exercise is important here. Restoring range of motion and light strengthening exercise should be implemented. The proliferation phase lasts for about 3-4 weeks. The final phase in the injury response process is the maturation phase. This phase can last a year or more depending on the injury and the type of tissue involved. A really nifty thing occurs during this phase. As you place stress on the affected tissue through therapeutic exercise and athletic activity the body remodels the tissue to more closely resemble the original tissue! What an amazing thing our bodies are. Basically, when you boil it down as long as we don't get in the way of our own bodies (think doing too much too soon thereby returning to the inflammatory phase) our body heals itself. Incredible! Something to keep in mind during this process is that the time frames for each phase are not set in stone. The injury response process is very fluid and the phases tend to overlap. A skilled Certified Athletic Trainer recognizes this and plans an activity progression accordingly.

This week on the court saw the team get through the first round of conference play undefeated! Not too shabby. If you haven't gotten to a match or watched the web cast you need to do so, if for no other reason than to see #7 play. Quite simply Emily is just one heck of an athlete! In back-to-back matches over the weekend yours truly had a front row seat to two of the most amazing, athletic plays I've ever seen at a live sporting event. Truly SportsCenter specials. Like I need another reason to love working with this team.

In other news the rivalry with LP is back on! Between drills at practice LP wanted to test her considerable basketball prowess in a shooting contest with yours truly. Shooting volleyballs from downtown LP thought she had me licked until I drained one with the pressure on. Nothing but net. Score one for the has-been.

The injury report is still at zero, we're living large in conference play and I got to meet the Frickers (Mr. Fricker is a dedicated follower of Chris' Corner). Another pretty good week here in Shangri-La.

Ice, ice, ice, remember your phases of healing and we'll see you next week on Chris' Corner.

P.S. As I am writing 60 Minutes is doing a spot on MTBI (see last week's Chris' Corner). Maybe they follow the blog too!?

Sunday Funday

A win today against Bentley University gave playing time to all the Saint Leo Lions! Junior Kim Nuckols posted 3 kills, 2 assists and 2 blocks, senior Brittany Fuhr toed the service line for a large run in the third set, freshman Jaime Seda held down the right side defense in the second, and sophomore Jessica Bryant had 4 kills on a .375 hitting percentage in the third set. The play of the match, though, was freshman Lucy Fricker's monster serve in the third. She nearly blasted it into the opposite wall!

Monday will be off for the ladies and we'll be back to on Tuesday to prepare for an early match on Friday, a rematch with the University of West Florida Argos at 11:00am.

First Round Undefeated!

Another slow start, but talk about a huge finish! The Leo Lions Volleyball Team overcame a sleepy start to sweep Nova Southeastern and wrap up an undefeated first round of Sunshine State Conference matches, a definite first for the Saint Leo program.

All proceeds from today's match will be going to the Tampa Chapter of the Make-A-Wish Foundation, as will tomorrow's for our match vs. Bentley College. That match will be another Live Feed, so make sure to check out the Lions on a Sunday afternoon!

AVCA DII National Player of the Week

CONGRATULATIONS

TO BRUNA ROCHA!

AVCA DII NATIONAL

PLAYER OF THE WEEK

A Close Call!

With all the excitement of the past few days, the Saint Leo Lions were brought back to earth when a determined Florida Southern rolled into the Marion Bowman Activities Center. Despite winning the first set, the Mocs prevailed in sets 2 and 3, putting SLU in a 2-1 hole. Chelsea Armer and Bruna Rocha got the Lions back on track with their serving in the 4th set, and the momentum continued into the 5th as the Lions triumphed over FSC for the third consecutive match since the program's first victory against them a year ago.

The players of the match were Corey Ryan and Leah Perry. Corey's defense in the 4th set was a major spark for the Lions, as she collected 5 of her 10 digs in that set alone. Leah's blocking was phenomenal. She tied Kaitlin McKenna and Danielle Bletso with 4 blocks for the match, but more than that, her movement and recognition of where Southern's offense was moving helped our defense get set behind her. Well done ladies! 

...and p.s. 100 digs as a team!...

10-4-09 News

Proud to be a Lion

As the head coach of Saint Leo, I was blessed to be part of the best match in Saint Leo history as we upset the #4 Tampa Spartans last Saturday. There is an immense feeling of Lion Pride surrounding this team. My staff and I are very proud of our team. It's a great time to be a LION!!!!!!

Chris' Corner: Tricks of the trade from your friendly neighboorhod Certified Athletic Trainer

First things first on this weeks' edition of Chris' Corner.....A much deserved CONGRATULATIONS to the team for their exceptional play against Tampa! If watching that match didn't wind your clock I'm not sure what would.

Now on to education. This week I will discuss concussions, the proper medical term for which is Mild Traumatic Brain Injury (MTBI). It is important to know the medical jargon not just for the sake of geek knowledge but because it more clearly describes what has occurred. There is no such thing as getting ones' "bell rung" or being "out of it". A concussion represents an injury to the brain itself resulting in an impairment of brain function. The most common mechanism of injury is a direct blow to the head, think a football collision or hitting your head on the ground. If enough force is involved the brain strikes the skull on either the same or opposite side of impact. Signs and symptoms of such an injury include but are not limited to: confusion, headache, ringing in the ears, nausea, lack of coordination, blurred vision and unconsciousness. One of the biggest concerns with a MTBI is intracranial bleeding. This can be subdural or epidural. A subdural bleed involves venous bleeding. Venous bleeding is relatively slow. This is the tricky part. Because the bleeding is slow signs and symptoms may take days or even weeks to show themselves. An epidural bleed comes from arterial bleeding which is much faster. Signs and symptoms show themselves rapidly as pressure on the brain increases from the accumulating blood. This is an emergency situation. I'm not saying this to scare you, in most cases a MTBI results in transient neurological dysfunction which resolves itself with time and rest. I merely want to illustrate the seriousness of a MTBI. A second major concern relates to returning to play. If an athlete returns to play before all signs and symptoms have completely resolved and they have gone through an activity progression to ensure signs and symptoms don't return there is a risk of what's called Second Impact Syndrome (SIS). SIS can occur when an athlete who returns too quickly incurs a second MTBI before the previous one has healed. The second MTBI causes rapid swelling of the brain which disrupts essential brain functions. SIS carries a 50% mortality rate! Once again, I'm not trying to scare you, but you can never take a MTBI lightly. Any medical professional worth their salt will tell you, "When in doubt, sit them out!". I can tape your ankle but I can't tape your brain. No athlete's life is worth playing in the big game.

Back to the court. The injury list is at zero which is great. Not that I have nothing to do mind you. There are still plenty of athletes that require a little TLC to make sure they can go out and do what they did on Saturday. It's a good feeling not having anyone miss practice time or matches though. On a personal note, my wonderful parents will be rolling into town tomorrow to watch the Florida Southern match on Tuesday. My mother is particularly pleased that I work with an indoor sport right now. Hopefully they will have a chance to meet some of the staff and players so they can see what I'm always bragging about.

Thanks for tuning in. See you next week on Chris' Corner.

White Out!

WE WON!

Lead by Bruna Rocha's stellar performance of 21 kills without any errors,

SAINT LEO BEAT TAMPA TONIGHT!

Check www.saintleolions.com for the full write up coming soon, and we hope to see everyone at the Marion Bowman Activities Center on Tuesday, October 6th for our White Out against Florida Southern!