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Nov. 10, 2003

NEW ORLEANS, La. - When I am finished playing volleyball, I don't ever want to look back and talk about the goals our team "should" have achieved. I don't want to say we should have won a conference championship, but we didn't. I don't want to think that we had the chance to be great, but we weren't.

So when I look at these next two weeks ahead of us, I see a chance to still accomplish the goals we set out with at the beginning of the season. We already achieved our goal of being the best team in Louisiana by beating every state team that we faced. And unlike many teams, our two main goals of winning the Conference USA Tournament and making it to the NCAA Tournament are still within our reach.

Everyone knows last weekend was a huge match for our team and a very disappointing loss. But regardless, we must still realize the opportunity that we have ahead. Two wins this weekend will earn us a bye in the first round of our tournament and put us a step closer to where we want to be. That goal has become the focus of our team and fuels us to work even harder at practice and on the road this weekend.

When it is all said and done, I want to know that I gave everything I had to this team. I want to look back on my career and recall our accomplishments, not our shortcomings. If we continue to work hard, I won't ever have to talk about the "what-ifs" and the "should haves." The loss this weekend only motivates me to practice harder and focus on winning our final matches.

I hope that you all can make it next week to the conference tournament. This is the first time we've ever hosted it, and it will be fun to play in front of our home fans. Having a large, loud group of supporters gives us that much more of an edge, and it should be a great weekend for Tulane volleyball.

Roll Wave,
Karlyn