One thing both the soccer and volleyball teams can agree on is that traveling on road trips brings them together as a team.
“What makes traveling enjoyable is being around the team,” sophomore Molly Atherton said. “You get to bond with everyone the whole time, whereas you might not get to when you’re at home in your own apartments or dorms.”
Senior Stephanie Riley said the volleyball team sees away games as a chance to get closer.
Playing 15 out of 28 games this season on the road can be tiresome for the volleyball team, but Riley said players get used to it over time.
“It’s hard at first, but as you gain experience and go through the grueling seasons, you get used to the routine,” Riley said.
The teams usually travel by bus to most of their away games. Atherton said the buses the soccer team travels on come equipped with Wi-Fi and DirecTV.
“The amenities make it a lot more comfortable,” Atherton said. “It’s actually not bad to travel.”
Atherton said the soccer team will fly on a commercial flight to a match against the University of San Diego on Friday.
“This is going to be my first time traveling like this with the team,” Atherton said. “I think it’s going to be a fun experience.”
The teams said they get to stay in nice hotels like The Hilton Garden Inn and The Marriott during away games.
“Normally, when we travel, the hotels we stay in are usually first class,” Atherton said. “It’s very enjoyable, and there aren’t a lot of distractions for the team.”
Both teams agreed that flying is easier on the teams because it’s fast and easy.
“I would prefer flying every time because it’s easier on our legs,” Atherton said. “I would fly to every trip if I could.”
The teams said they keep themselves entertained during the trips by listening to music, getting on their laptops, playing board games or watching movies while on the bus.
“We’ve brought Apples to Apples before with us, and we watch a lot of romantic comedies,” senior Shannon Lathrop said. “We also like to watch the seasons of ‘Glee.’”
The volleyball team is looking forward to experiencing their first road games of the season this week with their new head coach Ed Allen.
“Coach Allen is definitely a fan of the inspirational sports movies,” Riley said. “I definitely foresee a lot of those in our future.”
The teams said playing the opposing teams at their stadiums is one of their least favorite parts of traveling.
“I think playing away is always hard with the road crowds and the animosity, especially at places like Auburn and LSU, but it’s a fun challenge,” Riley said. “We like to go into other teams gyms and wipe up the floor with them.”
The teams said there are fun things they get to do while visiting other cities, even though playing away from home can be tough.
“My freshman and sophomore years, we had SEC Coaches Beach Volleyball Championships,” Riley said. “It was a lot of fun. There was no pressure, and it was a really fun thing to do. Most of the time, we got to eat a lot of good food and go shopping too, so that was a plus.”
While playing on the road can be fun, the teams said they miss playing in front of the home crowds.
“It’s good to get away for the weekend, but it’s always more comforting to play at home and harder to play on the road,” Lathrop said.
