As we our currently all working, working out, and doing school from the comfort of our homes during this time of quarantine, we decided it was a good time to bring back our volleyball blog. In the fifth edition of "Catching Up with Golden Eagle Volleyball", we hear from Sydney Kruisselbrink (Rochester, Minn.), Lauren Wallace (Bloomington, Minn.), and Bailey Mulcahy (Fertile, Minn.).

Sydney Kruisselbrink

Hi again everyone its Syd! Although it seems a lot in the world has changed, not much has changed for me personally since the last blog. I am still working full time as a Certified Nursing Assistant in Zumbrota, Minn. Although my job requires early mornings, a lot of hard work, and many many steps it is extremely rewarding. I am so grateful to be able to work with the elderly population and provide care and comfort in these difficult times. With finals approaching a bit quicker than I would like, the school/work/athlete balance has been especially difficult this week. I am currently finishing up semester projects, studying for upcoming tests, and preparing for final exams in addition to my full time job. On top of this, I am still an athlete so I am staying motivated to keep up my volleyball training by my teammates and coaches. We do team workouts every Wednesday and Friday and share our experiences. It is something I look forward to every week and is a great way to stay connected as a team.

I am looking forward to wrapping up this semester so I can gain a little bit more free time for my family and to enjoy the warm weather ahead. For anyone taking final exams, good luck! I know this semester has been challenging, but our hard work and ability to adapt will definitely pay off!

Until next time,
Syd

Lauren Wallace

Hi again! The days are oddly going by pretty fast, and it seems like I was just writing my last blog post – which was weeks ago. It's still a strange time and I don't think my dog, Skylar, has any clue what's going on either. The amount of schoolwork I have to do is increasing as we approach finals week. Luckily, a lot of my finals were in the form of a project that I already completed. I have a list of everything I need to do before the end of the semester, which is keeping me on track.

Looking Ahead
I'm looking forward to the transition into summer. I like to balance many things at once and although I have been able to do a lot of projects, it'll be nice not having something like a homework assignment in the back of my mind. I'm unsure of what the future holds, just as everyone else. It seems difficult to grasp how things will ever get back to normal, but that's why it's so important to lean on the people in my life. I'm grateful for my teammates and coaches who bring sanity and the remembrance of simpler times. I can't wait to get back on the court with them – or even in the same room.

New Faces
We recently started having smaller meetings with our incoming freshmen. A couple of the returners, an incoming freshman, and our coaches hop on Zoom and talk about a variety of things. From quarantine activities to preparing for the fall, these have been a great method for integrating the freshmen into the team (from my perspective, anyway).

Most Recent Project

About a week ago, my dad and I worked together to create a new storage piece for my room. I needed a better organizational system, so we got the white cube organizers and amped them up a little. I love how it's working out so far and now I'm just waiting for my felt storage cubes to get here from IKEA! I highly recommend rearranging your space, adding something new, or revamping something old in order to bring some new life and energy into your life.

Bailey Mulcahy

Hi everyone! I'm back again this week! 

Not much has changed. The biggest change has been the weather, it's been so nice outside. This allows me to spend most of my day outside enjoying the sun. The golf course in my town, Fertile, is open now, so most of my day consists of fishing and golfing.  I am basically done with all my classes, just have finals left, I've been preparing for them in my spare time. 

I still continue to do my volleyball workouts and my team meetings. We recently got to zoom video call with the incoming freshman to catch up with them and get to know them a little better. 

I am extremely excited for summer and lake days and hope that we are all allowed to enjoy that time. Hope you all are safe and healthy. Enjoy the weather and your summers! I am even more excited for next volleyball season! Wings up!