H-Town Takeover with Jordan Thompson and Micha Hancock

00:00:06
Speaker 1: Normally we have Cat Bell here.

00:00:08
Speaker 2: Obviously she's not here today, and she starts it off with a rap. As you know from your guys' first time being on a while ago, would either of you care to take a stab at that?

00:00:19
Speaker 3: Jordan definitely lay some down. My name is Jeorde, My friends are here. We're about to be on this podcast. Hope you can.

00:00:30
Speaker 4: Hear Mike job.

00:00:49
Speaker 2: On serving pancakes. We have Micah Hancock and Jordan Thompson. I'm just gonna list out your guys accolades quick. It only take me about an hour. Okay, Mike ye back to back national champion in twenty thirteen twenty fourteen at Penn State. We are health Team USA win the program's first gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics and silver at Paris Olympics. Also, Jordan will just tag team you onto that because you did that as well.

00:01:13
Speaker 1: Congrats to you guys.

00:01:16
Speaker 2: Micah was MVP and best Center for twenty seventeen Pan American Cup, three consecutive gold medals, Nations League. You played in Italy, Puerto Rico, Poland, and you are a fashion icon.

00:01:28
Speaker 1: And then Jordan all time.

00:01:30
Speaker 2: Kill leader at University of Cincy go Bearcats, gold medalists, silver medalists two times BNL gold medals, played in Turkey and Italy.

00:01:41
Speaker 1: Is that it?

00:01:44
Speaker 2: And you were the twenty twenty five Love Opposite of the year, You are leading the league this year and kills even offensive player twice and you were recently engaged period. Okay, wait, can you tell us a little bit about your engagement and one's wedding and I get to be the flower girl or the ring bearer or both.

00:02:08
Speaker 3: You can pass out drinks. Tender tender tis No, truly, I would love. We got engaged in December and it was very cute and very us All the plans fell through, basically excellent and we had to pivot.

00:02:30
Speaker 4: But it was really, uh just special because it was just the two of us.

00:02:34
Speaker 2: So yeah, just the two of you in Russia casually exactly amazing. Well, congratulations, we are so happy for you, and.

00:02:45
Speaker 1: We'll just like pivot to volleyball. Mikey back in the action, sister, how are we feeling? Do you want to maybe.

00:02:53
Speaker 2: Like discuss your what's been going on, like your journey back and then how it felt being back in this week?

00:03:00
Speaker 1: Sure? Yeah, I mean it's just weird.

00:03:02
Speaker 5: I you know, I'm an older player, so like being out and being like.

00:03:07
Speaker 1: Okay, how's this gonna work? Yeah?

00:03:09
Speaker 5: And the set no, I guess, Like, yeah, being injured it's a weird thing. And I think a lot of a lot of athletes obviously go through that at some point in their journey, but like on the later half of me, it's just interesting, right, Like mentally physically, You're like if I'm out longer, like what's it going to be like when I come back? But I think we found a good rhythm and now that I'm back, I'm like ready to rip and obviously managed, but it was so cool to step on the court and like just feel the energy of a crowd again and like I don't know, I haven't played with you yet dat, but like just being on the floor again was like, oh, yeah, this is why I've been working so hard. Kind of in the shadows so.

00:03:48
Speaker 6: Truly, and it targets in the shadow.

00:03:52
Speaker 2: I feel like people don't realize that you're like still in there every day doing stuff, but like you don't get to be on in six on six fully, and it's got to be like so frustrating obviously. So how do you feel like you like mentally have been doing with all of that, and then like what programs have you been doing?

00:04:07
Speaker 1: It's for your neck if everyone doesn't know Mike has some issues.

00:04:12
Speaker 5: Yeah, I think it's it's been obviously, like you said, frustrating, but it's more like focusing on what you can control, which is like rest, which is really hard for early athletes, and then like what can I crush and petea, like how can I like step up with my supplements or eating or sleeping, Like what can I really control and latch onto that? And so I think that really helped me mentally, because otherwise I think I would have spiraled. Yeah, and then like once I can put like more load on my body with like setting or like more jumps, and just focusing on like the positives like Okay, today I got to do all these things and I felt good and tomorrow I'll probably be able to add. So that was just like what I focused on mentally, yeah, which really helped.

00:04:55
Speaker 1: Yeah.

00:04:55
Speaker 2: Were you anxious about like going back on the court at all this week or you feel like you've built up to the so you felt ready.

00:05:01
Speaker 5: I mean it's always like I don't know, it's weird because I'm like well, I have the much time, but I'm like, it's also just.

00:05:09
Speaker 1: Like you do it.

00:05:10
Speaker 5: You get on a bike and you can remember, you know. So I think that was cool for me to just hop back in and be like cool, I'm I'm doing that thing that I love to do.

00:05:18
Speaker 2: So yeah, and honestly, it's been really cool to see you like off the court too and like more and not like a coaching role, but in an essence kind of like helping Maddie and Kaiser like do their thing. I think that that's been really beneficial for everybody this season. Do you feel like you've learned a little bit more being out and like having a different perspective of.

00:05:39
Speaker 5: Course, I think, like not only just about volleyball, but like about our team in general and seeing like what's working well, what can we get better at? And maybe sometimes like I always want to be cautious to you if I'm sharing feedback, like you know, you know how it is there days you don't want to hear anything. You're like, I'm just trying to do the thing and survive it and okay, and so I'm like I can just tell in a certain places are like not in mood. So I'm like we'll just talk tomorrow maybe you know, like I'll find another time. But otherwise I really do enjoy like that feedback loop. So that's been fun, different, different vantage point for me.

00:06:12
Speaker 2: Yeah, that's awesome. So everything is good. We're feeling good going forward.

00:06:17
Speaker 1: We are in it. At the beginning, that was tough. The like.

00:06:26
Speaker 2: I remember you telling me that you were like driving to practice and to switch lanes you had to fully like look like.

00:06:32
Speaker 1: This in your car. It was kind of scary.

00:06:35
Speaker 5: I'm like hoping no one's over there, just kidding, and geez.

00:06:42
Speaker 2: Oh man, I know that's terrifying because everyone's a bully on the road today. Today, I actually cut off a this is by accident, but I cut off not an ambulance but a fire truck, and like they used they used the big horn on me. They went and I was like, oh my gosh. And then I literally was looking at every mirror like sorry, my my bed, sorry, sorry, like apologizing to them because I was like that scared the life out of me. So anyway east in traffic as well.

00:07:14
Speaker 5: If you just see a pickup check, you're like you have the right away because otherwise they're taking it.

00:07:17
Speaker 2: Anyway, So No, it's like a monster truck rally on the freeway.

00:07:20
Speaker 1: They're running me over. And I've said this before.

00:07:23
Speaker 2: I think because I have California plates that I am being targeted.

00:07:27
Speaker 1: They're like, mm, yeah, we're running you off the road.

00:07:31
Speaker 4: It's just gonna be blurred.

00:07:33
Speaker 1: Yeah, they can sell whatever you want. Productions will blur this out. Thank you.

00:07:37
Speaker 2: I'm the wild Things saying wild things. Speaking of wild things. Our game against Austin, Jordan Thompson had that microphone out that it was a hot mic. Maybe we just talked a little bit about the game and we just like clear the air and tell people we do know how to rotate.

00:08:00
Speaker 3: Okay, yeah, first of all, we are professionals and so on are our coaches.

00:08:06
Speaker 4: But I would just like the exactly. I would just like to set the record straight.

00:08:13
Speaker 3: There are these iPads that we have that our coaches have on each bench, okay, and the ref has.

00:08:20
Speaker 4: One on his little stand.

00:08:22
Speaker 3: The iPad was not correct, so it was glitching. It was glitching. So basically we asked, like, you know, are we in the right rotation? They said yes, Austin served at us and then immediately we're like called out of rotation. We're like, what's going on? We literally just asked you, and so I said, I went up to the ref. I said, okay, what row are we in? And he said, Maddie, number nine is in six. I said, okay, cool, we're all going back and forth. Sonia's like, but the iPad changed like once he told us we were in the right thing and then immediately after it switched, and then he called you guys out of rotation. So I go up to him again, I said, so, what rotation are we in? And he said number nine, Maddie, she's in one. I said, you just told me she was in six anyways, So it was just like a whole thing.

00:09:10
Speaker 2: Yeah, So basically getting was saying something different than the ref's iPad.

00:09:15
Speaker 4: They were both glitched.

00:09:16
Speaker 2: They were both wrong glitch yes, okay, and then only if.

00:09:21
Speaker 6: You ask the ref, they tell you where you're at and then it's done.

00:09:24
Speaker 3: Yeah, Because also we have these media timeouts that are super long, so you kind of forget, like you're talking about the game plan and what's going on, what you're going to do next, and sometimes you forget what row you're in.

00:09:35
Speaker 4: So that's why we asked before of like, oh yeah, Okay, we're in this row. And then he was like no, after he told us that's where we were.

00:09:43
Speaker 2: Yes, so I'm like, we were out of rotation. And then but then when so like Skinner was serving at me when we were like whatever, out of rotation, and then we rotated back to the correct rotation, and she still she still goes back to serve again. So technically also Austin was out of rotation. Whatever, if we're going to talk about all of it, you better talk about.

00:10:04
Speaker 1: All of it, okay.

00:10:05
Speaker 2: So anyway, so we will speak our piece and that is that, and we know our rotations except for last match when we technically were out of rotation.

00:10:15
Speaker 1: And I was like, this isn't looking good, you guys. No, really, after that happened in the game.

00:10:21
Speaker 2: I looked at Jordan and I was like, I'm so mad because now it's like we're always out of rotation.

00:10:26
Speaker 6: Yeah.

00:10:26
Speaker 3: But literally when that happened, we held the tuttle tuttle for a really long time and the ref was blowing your whistle at me and looking at me, and I was like what and she was like, go to your rotation.

00:10:40
Speaker 4: I was like, okay, we're getting there.

00:10:42
Speaker 1: You just start like dancing.

00:10:44
Speaker 3: I was like, but then I was looking at our middle and our middle was walking back like we were in a different row, and like we row six, and I was like, we're in row one, and I'm looking at Sonia and I'm like, wait, what's going on?

00:10:59
Speaker 2: And then by the time but the whistle blew immediately, like I was looking at you guys like no, and they're blowing the whistle and I was like wait because trying to keep that. Also, the rate of play is like fast, like they are on that whistle. I think that that's been something that they're really trying to move us quickly. And so then if you walk back, you're like you're out of rotation, you know, And sometimes your mind is just like woa. Because Kaisa was standing in rotation one, you guys were in roads.

00:11:26
Speaker 1: It was just a mess.

00:11:27
Speaker 2: Anyway, we do know our rotations, so for we are human also, Yeah.

00:11:32
Speaker 4: And you have to make mistakes or cuss at our coach, like when.

00:11:38
Speaker 2: Okay, okay, let's clear that too, because you weren't cussing at her.

00:11:41
Speaker 4: Yeah.

00:11:41
Speaker 1: No.

00:11:42
Speaker 3: First of all, I would just like to say me and Sonya have worked together previously.

00:11:45
Speaker 6: Relationships, so we were all tighting.

00:11:47
Speaker 3: Her like this, Okay, we go together, we go together.

00:11:54
Speaker 4: No, Like, Sonya is my girl.

00:11:55
Speaker 3: I love her and I would never doesn't matter if I like my coach or not. I'm not going to ever cuss at my coach. I'm just not that kind of person. I don't even like confrontation like that. And so I was getting frustrated because one we're in the Texas Showdown, like we're trying to win, we're trying to own this day, and it's a heated game. It's like a tight set, like we're you know, and anyways, so I was just saying, I was saying, not at Sonia, but just at the situation, like what the f is going on?

00:12:26
Speaker 2: And well, because truly, what the f was actually going on? It was it was chaos. And then like asking, Sonya said, she asked some of the people that were behind the ref stand after or behind the score table.

00:12:36
Speaker 1: And they were like, we didn't even know what was going on. So, you know, it was.

00:12:40
Speaker 2: Just kind of chaotic that day. Yeah, but hey, that's okay, it happens. And then you scored thirty one points. That was like the thirty two thirty one kills, thirty two points carry the one at the you know, thirty.

00:12:56
Speaker 4: Two exactly, I'm seventy nine.

00:12:59
Speaker 1: Yeah, okay, record breaking performance. Yeah dude, I love that.

00:13:07
Speaker 2: So basically, we know our rotations and it's important to know them. And if you don't know volleyball, I mean we we know our rotations. So for like the average watcher, we're really sorry if like that's really that's happened. But usually I would say, out of the whole season, ninety nine point nine percent of the time we're in the correct one.

00:13:29
Speaker 5: Yeah, so that's something unfortunate. The unfortunate fiasco last year against Nebraska. You guys remember that, no what happened, but that it wasn't It wasn't really like us. It was just like, uh, Massmo or whoever put the rotations in wrong.

00:13:46
Speaker 1: Outside and we were.

00:13:47
Speaker 4: Like, yes, the back row.

00:13:50
Speaker 2: I looked at my right and me and Jess are both in the back row at the same time, and I was actually like, what what's going on?

00:13:57
Speaker 3: Okay, I'll play outside for oneation and then once our outside comes back front row, then I'll stand over here, but then I'll run over there and then our set will come. And I was literally like trying to do math, like.

00:14:10
Speaker 6: I was so messed up that we would go.

00:14:12
Speaker 2: We would a huddle and I remember somebody saying, just play volleyball, and I was like, in this moment, I simply can't because there's two outsides right here in six right now, and I don't. We're holding hands trying to play the right. It makes sense.

00:14:25
Speaker 6: You're like, we'll both playing six perfect.

00:14:27
Speaker 1: We got this. That was so funny. I forgot about that. I remember hearing Jordan Laurs go we have just let him play. Was like, oh, it's that bad.

00:14:40
Speaker 4: It's like, oh my gosh.

00:14:43
Speaker 1: That was around TV. That's awful.

00:14:45
Speaker 4: Yeah, I got subbed out. I remember.

00:14:48
Speaker 3: I think they were like, just put an outside in like my position and then it would be easier. Then I don't have to pass and one.

00:14:55
Speaker 1: Of them in the rotation. Though when you were playing outside, okay, good.

00:15:00
Speaker 4: No, I was okay.

00:15:03
Speaker 3: First of all, I actually did pass for one entire season in Turkey, So.

00:15:07
Speaker 2: Oh yeah, okay, ladist you who won?

00:15:13
Speaker 1: Probably you, I don't know, because your team was pretty good. That was.

00:15:20
Speaker 2: Oh when I was at asaug Oh yeah, whoa yeah yeah.

00:15:29
Speaker 1: So what was your favorite country to play in?

00:15:33
Speaker 4: Micah?

00:15:34
Speaker 6: Definitely Italy yeah. I mean I was there for seven years.

00:15:36
Speaker 3: So I feel like it's hard to choose between Turkey and Italy because they're so different, but there's so many good things about both.

00:15:47
Speaker 2: What about you, Maddy, my favorite country? Yeah, I would say Turkey. I liked Italy, but it was just like much more structured.

00:15:57
Speaker 1: I don't know.

00:15:57
Speaker 2: I just felt like I didn't have like a lot of life outside of all we finished a match, I couldn't just leave and like go do what I wanted or hang out with my friends. It was always like, okay, we have team dinner and then whatever. They really wanted to hang out with me all the time or like make sure I was with the team, and I was like, let me be free.

00:16:17
Speaker 5: Yeah, there's definitely less independence, I feel like in Italy.

00:16:22
Speaker 2: Yeah, but Italy is where Jordan and I like kind of met for the first time on the national team. Jordan was my first national Oh my gosh, Jordan's first roomate on the national team was me.

00:16:33
Speaker 1: So you just got really lucky.

00:16:35
Speaker 3: Well, I did get bullied, and it was something that we had to talk to the staff about because it was incessant.

00:16:41
Speaker 2: And yeah, when you were having but you you had night terrors and you would like get up in the middle of the night, you would like scream.

00:16:52
Speaker 4: Actually was somebody on the team. I don't remember who, but somebody.

00:16:55
Speaker 1: I won't out them, but it was one of my roommates. I told you. Anyway, So they keeping banging on the wall, punching me across the face and I'm just kidding.

00:17:04
Speaker 2: It was like like some screaming, but that was Yeah.

00:17:09
Speaker 1: That was literal night terrors that they were having. Anyway.

00:17:13
Speaker 5: Yeah, did you guys do like face next masks that night?

00:17:17
Speaker 1: You guys did, like probably we were bonding.

00:17:19
Speaker 4: Oh yes.

00:17:22
Speaker 2: And then I would always give Jordan ship for not having the key. And then was this I lost the key, but I said that your key was mine and.

00:17:30
Speaker 4: Then you stole my key said that I yes, yes, but.

00:17:35
Speaker 2: Really three years later, I'm going through an old backpack and I find the key from our room Italy, and then I texted you.

00:17:42
Speaker 5: I was like, I'm so sorry, Like I do in fact, I have that key.

00:17:47
Speaker 1: We can go back in our room now.

00:17:49
Speaker 2: Oh my gosh, what do you guys? How do you guys feel like practice is going and our team flow is kind of going these days?

00:18:00
Speaker 1: Yeah, how was your guys practice today. Good, good, bad? Okay.

00:18:08
Speaker 4: Oh I kind of remember.

00:18:09
Speaker 6: I'm like, yeah, you guys did it because you were it was just two of you.

00:18:12
Speaker 5: Yeah, they were doing like first ball and then like getting the tip and transitioning out of it, and.

00:18:17
Speaker 1: It was just like a lot but it was fun. Okay.

00:18:24
Speaker 3: I feel like at this point in the season too, like you know, you're not gonna just you're not trying to reinvent the wheel, but it's like, okay, how can we fine tune and maybe like add little pieces here or there.

00:18:36
Speaker 4: And so I think that's fun because.

00:18:40
Speaker 3: You're not going to make these huge changes, but like how can we tweak little things and then prove like our weaknesses. And at this point, like we all know each other really well in the gym, so it gets harder to score, it gets harder to like all this stuff, and I think it makes it. I think we just are like we challenge each other in practice, and that's really fun just being able to compete.

00:19:01
Speaker 2: Yeah, I feel like we've kind of hit like a not to I mean, I know, we just like had a questionnaire about this, but I feel like we've reached kind of like a flow state with our team where like we kind of know what to expect and then like when we deviate from that, it's really frustrating. Now, but like knowing our capability as a team is really cool, and I feel like we're like still reaching that, but we're getting there, and it's really just the small little plays at this point.

00:19:27
Speaker 1: Well, it's that urgency we talk about too, right, Like.

00:19:31
Speaker 5: When we now that we've kind of gotten like the confidence in the team and what we can do, it's like, okay, well, like if we're in control of these things, let's step on the court with those in mind and still obviously get better at the things we can tweak.

00:19:43
Speaker 1: Right, For the most.

00:19:44
Speaker 6: Season, I've been like, heck, yeah.

00:19:46
Speaker 2: I know, you've been such a good cheerleader and now you got to get back into it.

00:19:50
Speaker 1: You got to find a sense of urgency.

00:19:51
Speaker 2: Has kind of been our I guess motto through the through the whole season.

00:19:57
Speaker 1: But I think it's been really helpful.

00:19:59
Speaker 2: I mean it definitely reminds us to check back in and lock in when we need to.

00:20:04
Speaker 1: Yeah, hopefully from the beginning.

00:20:09
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00:20:11
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00:20:13
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00:20:14
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00:20:18
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00:20:23
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00:20:29
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00:20:43
Speaker 2: Another question on here says, what was your impressions of each other before we got to Houston.

00:20:50
Speaker 1: We all kind of knew each other.

00:20:51
Speaker 5: Though, Yeah we had We've had a.

00:20:57
Speaker 2: Lot of years together Micah for like a decade now. Time Mike and I met in twenty sixteen, isn't that Corey, We used to go.

00:21:10
Speaker 1: I won't. I'll say it. I used to go to the bar like every single day. Yeah we will.

00:21:15
Speaker 5: Twenty sixteen weekends it was our first time with national team, and then on the weekends we just go up to hermosains like have a great time, play beach, volleyball, play beach.

00:21:25
Speaker 1: Yeah, I would go.

00:21:26
Speaker 2: I would literally go from playing volleyball, race home and then go to the beach and play volleyball all day. Yes, and now if I tried to do that, my legs would break in half.

00:21:35
Speaker 3: Yeah, especially after national team practices, like because you're not you're lifting, getting like a good hour hour and team minute lift in and then practicing.

00:21:47
Speaker 4: For like three hours like it's very intense.

00:21:50
Speaker 1: There's no way we'd recover. Yeah, my body'd be dead. Yeah.

00:21:54
Speaker 2: I would just like be walking around on the beach like my legs would be in.

00:21:57
Speaker 1: So much pain.

00:21:58
Speaker 2: But I was like, oh, I get to go play beach five all. Just do it, and then I would wake up and do it again. The next day. I was like, how am I functioning? Oh I'm twenty three.

00:22:06
Speaker 1: Yeah, I don't feel anything.

00:22:08
Speaker 2: I feel nothing. Yeah, I'm totally fine. Yeah, thirty two hits a little bit different. Yeah, Jordan, you'll get there.

00:22:20
Speaker 1: How's it? And the call? Truly? Wait?

00:22:24
Speaker 2: How do you in my early twenty Oh I thought you were thirty.

00:22:29
Speaker 4: No mean literally twenty four?

00:22:31
Speaker 2: So okay, how do you feel after scoring after like a.

00:22:38
Speaker 1: Thirty point match?

00:22:40
Speaker 4: Right?

00:22:40
Speaker 1: I've ever asked you that? Are you like after Yeah?

00:22:46
Speaker 3: I will say after the Austin match, my shoulder was sore, and I feel like usually my shoulder doesn't get sore or tight, Like I feel like, I don't know. Yeah, you take a lot of attempts I think to like be like okay, wow, so.

00:23:01
Speaker 1: We could give you more if you want, my god.

00:23:06
Speaker 3: Yeah no, but I mean I feel like, honestly, the reason I'm the most tired after matches is because of the talking, like after place during rallies, like trying to communicate like that, yes, that's exhausting.

00:23:24
Speaker 1: It's not a rotation exactly, my coach, It's like it takes a lot out of us exactly.

00:23:38
Speaker 2: That part is really hard though, because I feel like it's mentally draining to be talking every rotation. We know also our rotations, but we also know what the other what the rotations the other team is in, Like we go through scouting, we have to know all their stuff and we know what's going on on the other side and what rotation they should be in they should have pulled us, what rotation we should have been.

00:24:04
Speaker 3: The rotation that they're in, but what they like are most likely going to set, or like what their tendencies are, like the amount of information that's going on in our brains during a game. I think it's like, what's so cool about volleyball is there's so many different layers to it.

00:24:18
Speaker 4: Like the first first learning, you're.

00:24:19
Speaker 3: Like, oh, three touches, boom, SIT's bike and then you're like, whoa rotations, setter's back round, setter's.

00:24:24
Speaker 4: Front row, six two five one, like like there serve.

00:24:28
Speaker 3: Yeah, Like there's so many levels to it, And I think that's what's I mean sports in general, I think you can always find that, but I think volleyball is there's so much going on that the casual viewer probably has no idea about.

00:24:41
Speaker 2: Right, and it's all happening in like very very split seconds.

00:24:45
Speaker 5: And the moment, like the momentum shifts that happen in volleyball, it's huge for our game.

00:24:51
Speaker 2: Yeah, and then like the out of rotations I started to beat it dead horse, but like that is such a momentum shift like that could do that.

00:24:57
Speaker 1: I think that kind.

00:24:58
Speaker 2: Of like catapulted us to like play even harder in the Austin game because we were just pissed off, like, oh, you're gonna call us out of rotation when like we didn't feel like we were in the wrong in the moment, but like technically, I guess we kind of I don't know, but those are like infuriating moments that people don't realize. I think that that could like kind of make or break you. Like you could be like, oh, damn, we're out of rotation. We lost the point, like shoot, we needed that, or like, okay, you call us out of rotation. Now I'm angry at the rest and now we're staring people down and now I'm getting thirty two points of whatever. But yeah, I think it is like a lot of little nuances that people don't necessarily notice, which is so fun.

00:25:39
Speaker 1: It's all our little secrets.

00:25:44
Speaker 2: So favorite things about having each other on the team.

00:25:51
Speaker 1: You guys can tell me.

00:25:56
Speaker 2: I was gonna say, like, I love playing skydow at the airport with you guys. It's like one of my favorite sky joke. Could sponsor us, that would be really great because we do play that a lot. No, I think that. I mean, Mike, you I think we talked about it. No, we didn't talk about this the other day. But like, Mike, you're not even been on the court as much with us. But I feel like Jordan, it's been really fun and like a lot of pressure off of me to have you on the court this season, just because I feel like we're both kind of in that leadership role and so it's like nice to be able to share the weight of that. And Mike, You're just always a great time And I think that having you on the sideline has been really cool. Just to see you help Kaisa and Maddie walk has been awesome, and like seeing you kind of being a coaching role and still involved even though what you've been dealing with I know has been like very challenging. So I'm really proud of both of you.

00:26:48
Speaker 6: Thank you.

00:26:49
Speaker 1: Yeah, Mattie, I told you that. I told you that yesterday, just like.

00:26:52
Speaker 5: Watching you, you know, we didn't have the best start to season, but like you were trying to find like Okay, I'm going to be more ball handily, I'm going to do the thing and like lead and I think like after that game like game three we lost, you just like turn it around, and I like think that's huge for our team. Like, yeah, JT, you're carrying a really heavy scoring load, but like we needed some balance and I think you guys found a really good like equilibrium there.

00:27:18
Speaker 1: So watching you guys do that.

00:27:20
Speaker 4: It's been really just like cool elevating. You know, yeah, we're just elevate guys.

00:27:26
Speaker 5: Okay, I'm gonna tell the story. It's one of my first practices back and I like set Jess on a pipe and I don't know why, but I like felt like being fruity and I like ran through said the pipe and I was like, yes, elevate and like I swear time flow.

00:27:46
Speaker 1: She was like what did you just say? And I was like, don't make me say it again. Now it's a whole joke.

00:27:51
Speaker 6: The whole team is like what, Like, I'm just gonna give you guys on your toes.

00:27:56
Speaker 2: Yeah, it's like now we're time. Every time someone goes up to hit, I want to be like elevator.

00:28:02
Speaker 1: Instead of being like, yeah, okay, crush its elevate, go get it. I was like I need I need some variety. I've never heard anyone say that, and it's just like so uniquely you.

00:28:15
Speaker 5: I would say, like, also, in addition to working with both of you, it doesn't feel like work, and I think that's really rare, Like it feels heavy, Yeah, to have friends who like can compete at a level like we do. And also like you get each other off the court. It's just really special, so doesn't feel like work.

00:28:35
Speaker 3: I feel like we just have so much fun, and I think it's like really cool that we.

00:28:41
Speaker 4: Can have so much fun while we're playing.

00:28:44
Speaker 3: I think find that balance of like joking around but also being like super intentional and like staying locked in. And I think when you are playing at a high level and you have the experience that like you guys do it just I don't know, it's really fun to be teammate and joke around and whatever, but then like at the same time have each other's back on the court, and I think that's really special. But sometimes I'm like, Okay, I feel like I do have to check myself because I just love having fun and giggling.

00:29:16
Speaker 4: Sometimes I'm like okay.

00:29:17
Speaker 2: Because yeah, sometimes though, like okay, the three of us, I feel like we can get away with it because like, Okay, I can joke and then I know how to like when I need to do my job.

00:29:27
Speaker 1: Also, you guys like I can lock in and do my job.

00:29:30
Speaker 2: But then you have some teammates who like if you get too silly, then they're like, oh, I can get silly, and then you're like, no, now the whole practice is sloppy and silly or game like. Yeah, it's just gotten too out of hand. So there's a fine line, and I think we walk it nicely most days. Some days are a little unhinged, but.

00:29:50
Speaker 1: You're found to like one.

00:29:53
Speaker 2: Yeah, do you guys have any special routines like travel, favorite team meal that you have too, so that you can.

00:30:00
Speaker 1: Share nap coffee? Nap coffee, Jordan, you eat a lot of salmon? I know that.

00:30:08
Speaker 4: Yes, I'm a big salmon and rice girl.

00:30:11
Speaker 2: Is that how you get the flex so like big, yes, strong exactly.

00:30:15
Speaker 4: So like a lot of people have been asking what.

00:30:17
Speaker 3: My meal preth is for these big old bus schools and all protein.

00:30:22
Speaker 4: Yeah, it's all this album.

00:30:24
Speaker 1: It's not all that sound dang. And then the people want to.

00:30:27
Speaker 2: Know what is our group chat called big say six Big sex Thies. Yeah, I don't remember how, but our group track is called Big Sexies. And who's on the background photo is it? I can't remember either, I think it. Let me look at Big Sexies really quick. Oh yeah it's Amber And she's really.

00:30:50
Speaker 1: Like she's got a who's your guys' favorite roommate? On the road. Well, can we both see you? Okay, basically, I mean if people really want to know, we all usually.

00:31:10
Speaker 2: Are not roommates together, but like it'll be two of us because two of us will be together and then one will be singular, so we all actually get to hang out the extra which is really fun. And you guys are great sleepers, both quiet, both respectful and organized.

00:31:29
Speaker 1: I've had the.

00:31:30
Speaker 2: Worst roommates that have had nighttairs, so that's true, and you guys are great.

00:31:35
Speaker 1: That was I know.

00:31:37
Speaker 2: Exactly who it is, but I cannot publicly yeah them because I'm nice at night terairs are crazy. Okay, Well, I'm just gonna do a little look around the league.

00:31:54
Speaker 1: We have us in first place.

00:31:57
Speaker 2: We have Salt Lake City, then Atlanta, Austin, Nebraska, and Madison, Nebraska is making.

00:32:03
Speaker 1: A little run for it.

00:32:06
Speaker 2: We wanna, we wanna speculate on what's gonna happen, or we just want to let it ride.

00:32:11
Speaker 1: I do you think we keep our eye on him? We're watching you.

00:32:17
Speaker 3: We are looking at you, Nebraska, and we're seeing Gonna.

00:32:21
Speaker 1: We'll be watching and also every.

00:32:24
Speaker 2: Other single team because they're all good and they can all beat us on any day and we have to lay the SmackDown.

00:32:31
Speaker 4: Oh yeah, all right.

00:32:41
Speaker 2: Jordan Thompson, who is here with us, remains on beast mode.

00:32:45
Speaker 1: That's you, Jeordane, keep doing your thing. Mica is back in action, sitting in bowls.

00:32:51
Speaker 2: And then we're at We're at Madison on Saturday, So make sure everybody tunes into that because it's because it's US. So you're gonna want to watch that, and you're gonna want to see you and you might see Micah again.

00:33:05
Speaker 1: So uh, who's to say?

00:33:13
Speaker 2: We have also Atlanta versus Nebraska on Wednesday. Saturday is US versus Madison and Salt Lake. Oh, Salt Lake versus Atlanta.

00:33:23
Speaker 6: Mm hm.

00:33:25
Speaker 1: Cool?

00:33:26
Speaker 2: All right, And so now I'm gonna wrap it up. This has been serving pancakes. I'm Mattie Rischel, I'm Mikey Hancock.

00:33:35
Speaker 4: I'm Jordan Thompson.

00:33:40
Speaker 1: Clock and there we go.

00:33:43
Speaker 2: I'm clocking and this has been serving pancakes.

00:33:48
Speaker 7: Serving Pancakes is an iHeart women's sports production and partnership with Deep Blue Sports Entertainment. You can find us on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcast or wherever.

00:33:57
Speaker 1: You get your podcast.

00:33:59
Speaker 7: Production by the League One Volleyball, We're your hosts Cat Fell and Mattie Rochelle.

00:34:03
Speaker 6: See you on the flip side.