Feeling the Pain

I don’t want this post to be all about me but it’s going to be a lot about me.

Sunday night, the day after returning from the SCAC Tournament, I started feeling blah. Woke up Monday and knew that I was sick. Nothing serious. I took a home Covid test and was negative. It felt like a really bad sinus infection. Monday night was horrible. High fever, coughing and congestion. Still being immune compromised, I touched base with my oncologist as to when I should go to the emergency room. (There are guidelines for an ER visit when I was on chemo but I was unsure what the rules were now.) He sent me to get tested for influenza, RSV and Covid. Negative, negative, positive. I held out almost 2-years but I finally got it. Thankfully, my immune system should be strong enough to fight it. See all about me!

All of that to say that I’ve dropped the ball on my normal articles at this time. No Top 25 is the first one. I was working on my All-Region team but I’ve scrapped that. The AVCA All-Region teams should come out today from what I hear so no time to catch up on that. Maybe for the best as I’m not sure it was really needed. I expect the teams to filled with Trinity and CMS players and I don’t think anyone can really argue with that. Jenna Holmes (CMS) is my pick for Player of the Year, which probably generated about 5 seconds of debate before being approved in the real meeting. She plays both offense and defense and excels at both for the best team in the nation. Mya Ray (La Verne) would be my pick for Newcomer of the Year edging out Graycee Mosley (ETBU). One thing to remember with the AVCA selections is that they really value tough schedules. So, where Mosley may have better statistics in some areas, she did it against weaker opposition. Coach of the Year has to go to Kurt Vlasich and CMS. Undefeated is undefeated so where he may not have had to coach as much as others because his team was too good, he was the one that obtained the players and made them that good. I will say that I really struggled with the ASC and NWC players. Only UT-Dallas and a few teams from the NWC played a schedule that warrants selections. Everyone by now should know that I love Halle Hetzler (PLU) and with her being Player of the Year in their conference, she should be on a team. What worries me is that the NWC released their all-conference team after the all-region voting ended so the voters didn’t have that information to go off of. Back to CMS, expect to see Holmes, Carranza, McGovern, Ellis, Bell and Sawyer on one of the teams. I’m doing this from memory (my notebook is not in the quarantined area of the house) so forgive me if I forgot someone. From Trinity, expect Ellis, Fate, Flynn and Williammee. They may get another on there, too. Still some spots for others.

That all reminds me to update the Awards page with the NWC teams.

I’m hopeful that I’ll be well enough to get out the regional schedule for tomorrow. I’m getting an antibody and Paxlovid treatment later today so hopefully that will help. (Back to me again!)

The big bummer and I mean big was that I was going to fly out to Claremont today and be there for the regional. Flights looked good but obviously that will not happen. It means no trip to Pittsburg next week, either.

One last thing since we have a West Regional. You are obviously going to root for your team, but try to watch the other West teams and root for them, too. I guess the main ones are CMS and TLU since they are playing the interlopers. Sending both of those schools home early should be the plan. We can’t get two West teams into the Elite 8 this year but it’s mandatory that we get one in. Remember to root hard but to be considerate to the other fans and players.

OH. WAIT!!!! THIS IS IMPORTANT.

If you are going to bring a sign then you have to put “D3VbWest.Com” on the back! Then figure out where the camera is and sit between it and the court. If you do that, everyone will think you are so cool.

Update – I just noticed the All-Region Teams will come out tomorrow (11/10/22). My bad. I still didn’t have time to do mine. 🙂