#MGoEurope Travel Log: Friday, June 29
6/29/2018 5:59:00 PM | Volleyball
• Michigan Volleyball in Europe 2018
The University of Michigan volleyball program is on a 10-day trip to Europe (June 22-July 1) with stops in Italy and Slovenia. Follow the Wolverines on social media (#MGoEurope) and with a daily travel log on MGoBlue.com.
Friday, June 29
The University of Michigan volleyball team continued its #MGoEurope journey on Thursday (June 27) with practice, sightseeing, and a match in Maribor followed by an evening trip into the Alps for dinner.8 a.m. -- Michigan rose early for breakfast at the hotel before heading into the on-site facility for a short practice.
9 a.m. -- With a match scheduled for later in the day, practice lasted just one hour and consisted of pepper and a long stretching routine. The Wolverines also have a match scheduled for Saturday and stretching the tired muscles is important for a long trip like this one.
10:30 p.m. -- Following practice, the team departs for the local bike rental shop to gather some bikes and head into town. It's been a while since many of the girls have ridden a bike, so they practice riding in a nearby park before getting on the road and making the 45-minute ride into the city.
11:30 p.m. -- The team arrives to the downtown area of Maribor, slightly tired after the bike ride, but ready for lunch. With a long ride back and a match scheduled for the late afternoon, Michigan will only be in the area for an hour and a half, so the girls find lunch quickly before meeting back in the main square.
1 p.m. -- The Wolverines meet back in the main square downtown and grab their bikes before making the ride back to the sport hotel. The ride back is a lot tougher than the ride in, due to the fact that Michigan will have to ride uphill at the very end.
1:45 p.m. -- Michigan arrives back at the sport hotel and the girls have time for a quick nap before the afternoon's match.
3 p.m. -- The team meets on the court in the on-site facility and warms up for the match against ZOK Mladost -- a team from Croatia. The warmup time is shorter than the Wolverines normally have to prepare for a match, due to the European-style of match timing.
Match against ZOK Mladost of Croatia -- The University of Michigan volleyball team swept its third match of the European foreign tour on Friday (June 29) with a 4-0 win (25-17, 25-17, 25-20, 25-19) over ZOK Mladost of Croatia. Michigan trailed just twice in the contest with early deficits in sets two and four, but used a .291 team hitting percentage to execute the four-set sweep. Senior Carly Skjodt guided the offense with 16 kills, while redshirt junior Cori Crocker posted a team-best .600 attack percentage with eight kills on the day. Crocker also recorded five blocks, while sophomore Kiara Shannon added a career-best nine kills and three blocks. From the back row, senior libero Jenna Lerg led all players with 16 digs, and Skjodt added 10 digs for her second-straight kill-dig double-double.
6:45 p.m. -- Following post-match stretches and showers, the team makes the short walk to the local ski lift for a ride up the mountain to grab dinner. The lift is connected to the Maribor Pohorje Ski Resort -- the largest ski resort in Slovenia -- and the team must make the ride up into the Alps in groups of three to six. Once Michigan reaches the top of the mountain, the team heads to a nearby restaurant where the views are breathtaking. Dinner is the typical Slovenian fare, with lots of meat to go with rice, beans, and bread.
9 p.m. -- With full stomachs, the team heads to the ski lift for the ride down and makes the short walk back to the hotel. Once inside, the team meets to go over the next day's itinerary, which is packed full as it will be the last full day of the foreign tour. It will be an early morning for the Wolverines followed by the last match of the trip and some sightseeing, so the team is sent to bed for a good night's rest.
• Previous Travel Logs: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6
