Erin Deffenbaugh - Volleyball Season Diary #2

This is the second of a series of season diary installments of senior outside hitter Erin Deffenbaugh. Deffenbaugh was the 2002 AVCA Division II National Player of the Year as a junior, but suffered a knee injury that kept her out of the 2003 season. That may have been a blessing in disguise for her and the Bears team, who will face a full Division I schedule in 2004, arguably the toughest schedule the program has ever played. Deffenbaugh also has a chance to become the NCAA's all-time leader in career kills this season. She will share her thoughts with the readers of UNCBears.com to give some perspective into the season as she completes her outstanding career.

Diary #1

Diary #2 - Sept. 13, 2004

Wow! Much has happened for the UNC volleyball team since my last entry. We opened our season at New Mexico where we racked up a 2-1 record. The Lobo Invitational Tournament was a successful one for the Bears; our team took a second-place finish thanks to wins against Creighton and Montana after losing to New Mexico in a five-game thriller.

Our home opener showed what Bear Volleyball is all about as we swept Wyoming in straight sets. Our gym was packed and it was great to see so many fans in attendence. The entire match was a true team effort as all of our players performed well. With a rivalry developing between Wyoming and UNC, getting the win felt great.

The past weekend was a tough one for our team. We came home from the Portland State Invitational 1-2 (4-3 overall for the season), as we lost two tough matches on the road. On the plus side, we beat Portland State which is predicted to finish in the top three in the Big Sky Conference. I think we grew as a team in many ways through this adversity and we are looking for three big wins in the upcoming week.

Tuesday we play at the Air Force Acadmemy and head out on Thursday to face BYU and Utah. We are excited for the challenges that are ahead and feel prepared to go out and win!

We will see all you Bear fans back in Butler-Hancock on Tuesday, Sept. 21st as we face our in-state rivals Metro State at 7 p.m.

Good Luck to all the other UNC teams this week and GO BEARS!