In Eckleburg's Eyes - 11/17/2008, Part 3

On Sunday afternoon, JTH, ANDR, PCR, and I attended the Tennessee volleyball team’s last home game of the season at Thompson-Boling Arena.

The game was designated “Senior Night” (despite beginning at 1:30), honoring the team’s three seniors: Milan Clarke, Mindy Flynn, and Laurén LaFlamme. It is through LaFlamme that we began attending the games as she once worked with PCR at PacSun.

More importantly, the game marked trading card day. Lady Vol volleyball trading cards were distributed to the first fans to arrive. We resisted the urge to camp out for the cards. Thankfully, they had not run out when we arrived.

The game was very lengthy and highly competitive. In the end, the Lady Vols defeated South Carolina in five sets: 25-27, 25-22, 26-28 (a net violation cost us the set) 25-16, 15-10. We reached game point in each set but South Carolina played remarkably well with their backs against the wall, rallying two win two sets. The game was replayed at 3:30 on FSN South.

As always, we sat in visiting section. We sat by this guy. I theorized that he had been exiled from the other South Carolina fans due to his behavior. The die hard volleyball afficionado cracked us up. He had three comments in his arsenal: “Side Out”, “Pass It Up” , and an annoying high pitched whistle that could have cracked glass. These things expressions were repeated ad nauseam for the better part of three hours.

There was a “name that tune” segment. They played the Spanish version of “Under the Sea” from the Little Mermaid. I was convinced it was “Cotton Eye “. Are these two songs even a little similar?

Despite neither of us having eaten all day, I convinced JTH to stay after the game, the postgame stretching ritual (which I do not understand), and the deflating and rolling up of the notorious 30-foot Smokey (which JTH insists weighs hundreds of pounds). It was fan appreciation day and the team stayed afterwards to sign the trading cards that had been provided before the game. The people who stayed were comprised of family, friends, and us. I stayed for one reason: to get my picture taken with Chloe Goldman, who was honored earlier in the week as the SEC’s Defensive Player of the Week for the third time this season. It is no secret that she is my favorite player. She was incredibly gracious and sweet. Despite this being an incredibly unflattering picture of myself, I love it as she looks great. Yes, she looks gorgeous immediately after playing five sets.

Unfortunately there will be no more home games this season as the remaining two games will be played on the road.

Finally, does anyone know if volleyball player Farren Powe is related to former Vol fullback Rock Powe (who flunked out before the 1992 season)? He is one of my all-time favorite players.