My time here in the U.S. is beginning to wear thin; yet I have only three GMVA posts to show for it! Let me at least climb above the not so impressive one-post-per-year pace by filling you in on what has been another very Lope-esque season. 
Once again, promise and potential have not proven to be enough. The 2014/15 pre-season provided an unprecedented abundance of optimism. Wins against UCLA and Stanford put smiles on our faces and hope in our hearts. To fast-forward six months, free from elaboration, we find ourselves at the end of a disappointing season, with a losing record (14-17) and a very abrupt knock-out blow in the first round of conference play-offs to Lewis University; who went on to lose in the National Championship Final to Loyola University. With wins against nationally ranked teams Ohio State University, Ball State University and IPFW scattered throughout, it is difficult to pinpoint where things went wrong. I can only give my personal piece, with the only intention being - specifically for those of you who are interested in coming to the college scene - to describe some of the challenges that can arise. This is not to say that the season itself has been a negative one, only that we as a team did not find ourselves in the position we would have hoped. Fortunately, I have one more shot at it ahead of me. 
Coming into my Junior year, myself and the other nine upper-class athletes found ourselves surrounded by fresh faces. 'Fresh faces', here, is to be read both figuratively and literally; the young blood within them brought attention to my own age and subsequently, the new role that would need to be assumed. I was forced to lead by example. As far as work ethic and intensity goes, I am naturally inclined to give everything I have; this is not where I found any difficulty. The challenge arose when things were not going well, and our team would look to the upper-class members for an appropriate response. As a freshman and sophomore, it was easy to let myself be swept away by complaints and negativity. It's always possible to point the finger away from oneself, and often so much easier to do so. This year though, there was nowhere else to point; sadly I don't possess those wonderful attitudes of denial nor ignorance to such matters. See, I started 30 of 31 matches and played 120 of the 123 sets that our team competed in. This is where I struggled, in reconciling my evidently large role on the team with the disappointing results experienced. It was difficult to not feel personally responsible for any failures experienced as a team, and furthermore to continue showing positivity in the gym for those younger players - all of whom are eager to get their own chance out on the court in future years. And perhaps it is the manifestation of some inner defence mechanism that led me to my revelation, but I found solace in the fact that I am capable of growth and improvement. Not only capable, but I was reminded that this is primarily why I came to play NCAA volleyball; it's why I left all that I knew behind. If I had already made it, if I were already perfect, then what would be the point! Ha! What a great thing the mind is to manipulate failure into opportunity, but this is what I found myself doing.
Now, on reading the last paragraph, you might assume that I single-handedly blew it for the 'Lopes this season! This is not what I'm saying, I'm no martyr. I'm only trying to say that I found myself in a new role this season, and with it I was forced to hold myself more accountable than I was previously accustomed to. For those of you reading this, I offered a method of coping with such weight; to recognize the opportunity to improve in the environment that you are given. The result of one's season is such a flimsy and unpredictable thing that it's dangerous to live or die by it. Too many factors lie beyond the locus of control. Rather, put your focus into what you can determine - that is your own development and affect on your team-mates. This is by far the most important thing to come out of this season in my own personal development. As I write this, in a very sunny Prague apartment, I cannot wait for next season, and the new challenges that it will bring. 
For now though, it's time to rest and reboot. A true off-season proved to be the most beneficial use of a Summer in my career. I came back stronger than ever, and the desire to play was an at all-time high. I hope this post doesn't come across as preaching, it's merely the experience of one college volleyballer and hopefully it serves as useful to at least one of the handful of you who I might call my dedicated readers. Dedicated might be a stretch though, given the light load I've offered over the past three years!
Graduating a year from now, ever-closer to attaining that Psychology degree and reading minds, college life is as exciting as ever. I'll skip over the details, but I feel I have to mention that life is good. 
Keep up the hard work, I'm looking forward to that fateful day when I might return to see a larger than ever GMVA, but sadly I can't give a date - or even the year - as of yet. Listen to Luke, and get to training on time! ;)
Here's a video to keep you occupied for a little while, I saw Jordan Richards highlights video and knew that it was about time I made one of my own.
Gerrard

     The Women's NCAA Volleyball Final will be played in Seattle tomorrow night and as their season comes to an end, I can only be glad that the Men's season is yet to begin. This preseason has been a strong one; with the help of a new and incredibly dedicated strength coach, our team is moving in the right direction. However, as we disperse for a few weeks of Christmas break, one can only hope that things will return in the fine form that they left. The first semester of classes has finished and with it so too has the Fall preseason. While it could not be said that the preseason was a breeze by any stretch, the real challenge begins when we return in January. Perhaps it is fitting that on January 10th we will play our first match of the home & away season against fellow long-haired Australian: Thomas Hodges. Tom and the University of Pacific will host us on a Friday night and will kindly provide us with room, board and our first win of the season. I will be sure to post a link to the match on Facebook for those that are interested in watching some GMVA vs. GMVA action; American style.
      Now, forgive me, I will offer some words of warning to those that plan to take on the college volleyball pathway. The preseason is a fantastic opportunity to improve your body and volleyball. The number of hours that a team can practice each week is restricted, and as such there is an excessive amount of time to lift. Do not overdo it though! Unfortunately, I felt it was more important to improve my physical strength than to maintain a healthy body. Towards the beginning of the preseason, I lifted daily; on some days twice. The goal was simple: increase squat and clean maximums, improve core and shoulder strength and consequentially improve my vertical. This load, however, was putting increasing amounts of stress on my back, which could not continue. Eventually, I rolled my ankle two days before leaving for a preseason tournament. Naturally, I tried to play on it, with the help of strapping and ibuprofen, only to pull a muscle in my back during the first set. The message is this: be smart about your body, because if you're not - something's gotta give. While this may seem obvious, the intensity that often accompanies a high level of competition can lead people to strive for too much too quickly. The key is to be patient and disciplined in one's will to succeed, for naivety alone is not enough to attain success. Fortunately, my injury occurred during October, and the road to recovery is already well underway. However frustrating and painful it may have been, the lesson had to be, and has been, learned.
     Lastly, I want to wish the best of luck onto those GMVA athletes traveling to LA! This is an incredible opportunity  to become more than an unknown name in a coach's inbox. You'll get a chance to see some of the top college prospects within America, as well as proving your own spot amongst them. While this is an important opportunity for each of you on your path to college volleyball, it is also the beginning of a potentially long-standing relationship between GMVA and the American college system. Be proud of this responsibility and embrace it. As of right now, there are limited opportunities to play volleyball at a consistently high level in Australia. Furthermore, there are even fewer chances to experience something similar to the lifestyle of a full-time athlete. The college pathway is one of the closest things to this, not to mention it is a fantastic opportunity to get an education, travel and enjoy being young! So again, good luck to you all. My assistant coach will be at the tournament, keeping a close eye on the young team from Melbourne. 
     All in all, a fresh season awaits. I have already predicted it to be a successful one, yet this can only remain a prediction until it manifests itself over the coming months. With the promise of facing a familiar face, returning to a healthy body and seeing GMVA further its ties to the NCAA system, the 2014 season certainly has a lot in store. 

Merry Christmas Aus,
Gerrard

The difference between the first and second season of college cannot be overstated. The anxious - but ambitious - teenager that left for GCU a year ago is lost and yet has found a familiar home. On returning to college, I was met by old friends, coaches and familiar places. We strolled through the campus as though we'd never left; like proud children that had crowned themselves kings of the playground. The weights room, practice courts, arena and even grass that we had walked a thousand times seemed to shine brighter than ever before. Perhaps this was the result of the unspoken excitement we each felt towards this dangerously promising season, but it was apparent in all of us. 
      In a year, the university has doubled its on-campus population - it is an exciting time for the college. The basketball program, and other athletic teams, have made the move to the WAC conference; a division I region of colleges. Ultimately this can only attract further growth and improvement within the college as our athletic teams compete on ESPN and other networks. Who knows, we might not be met with "Where even is Grand Canyon University?" as often (though it's not nearly as common as being asked if I'm from The Outback, or if the death of Steve Irwin was the most defining moment in Australian history). Yet with the growth in population, the school has had to expand. During the four months I spent in Australia, two brand new, five-story housing complexes have been built. Along with that, the student cafeteria has added three stories - one of which houses the second largest Starbucks cafe in North America. If that doesn't impress you - which is likely - our practice courts have been refurbished and designed into a volleyball-specific center. The aesthetic changes to the campus are fantastic, but they are not what is providing the buzz within our team. 
      Since GCU has such a young volleyball program, there is not a lot of history or tradition. This is why our victory over Ohio State in the conference finals was a big deal - it was the first real taste of success within the program. Success breeds success, and this is obvious in how our team has prepared over the American Summer. It seems as though everyone has come back in better form and fitness than ever - this was not the case last season. I remember the first open gym practice that I was invited to last season. The guys were rusty from not touching a volleyball in weeks, or even months. Yet this year there has been no digression and it looks as though it's only going to improve from here. At the end of this season, six of our squad will graduate. With this staring them in the face, this season has taken on another dimension and it's exciting to see. Though I am speaking on behalf of my team, and remarkably prematurely, I am calling this season early: it's gonna be a big one! Anyone reading can hold me accountable to that. 
Thanks, 
Gerrard Lipscombe
      

Travelling with flu symptoms was my first mistake - 14 hours to LA without breathing through your nose, or wanting to eat, is not ideal. However, my travelling woes were relieved as I arrived in sunny Phoenix; where a Junior outside-hitter from the team picked me up in his brand new truck (private school kids). He took me straight to our assistant coach who then joined us on a tour of the campus - wow. Prime conditioned beach courts by a resort-style pool. Brand new dorm-room and class-room/ lab facilities. Palm trees guiding you along the walkway to a 5,000 seat arena for college volleyball and basketball events. Add to that Phoenix's most comprehensive weights and training rooms and you are starting to get an idea what we are dealing with. 
This morning I had my first meeting with the coach - it was an introductory session for the freshman (First year of NCAA Eligibility) students. Thanks to NCAA's persistent efforts to keep the sport 'fair', there are very strict limitations on how much face-time we can have with our head and assistant coaches. For example, for these first three weeks we are not allowed ANY MORE than two hours of on-court practice with our coach - which is going to be scrimmage session each Thursday. Along with this, we can have 3 team 'lifting' sessions in the weights room. Now, I have already had three workouts with a few guys from the team this week, and I can have more since they were not official 'team' workouts and our coach wasn't present. The same thing goes for training. The team's setter and I have been in the gym each day getting reps - they have a serving machine here so passing reps are very easy to make up quickly. These are just some of things that I have learned thus far about the NCAA - but from what I've gathered there are many more restrictions to come.
I also had my first classes and dining hall experience today. It's hard to gauge a level of difficulty from today's introductory session - but I have some enthusiastic teachers and great class-sizes. The dining hall is unbelievable; not in the typical American fashion either. Healthy options are finally available! Salads and brown rice, as well as the junk that is always on offer - your hamburgers, fries, pizza, ice-cream. Unlimited servings as well, I might add. You simply swipe your student card, and it subtracts a meal from your plan - my meal plan for example is 14 per week, but with the amount that the team travels I will essentially store up three meals a day for while I am on campus. Perfect!
Other than that, I cannot say a bad thing about the people here - the transition could not have been smoother. They are all incredibly welcoming and I feel that this isn't special to my university - there seems to be a genuine respect and love of the game, thus to be on the team is to join a family. We walk around the campus and are worshiped as athletes, to be on an NCAA team is a very big deal over here. 
That's it from me today, I'll try to keep a weekly post going - details of match practices are to come. 
Thanks,
Gerrard