University of Pittsburgh Athletics
Photo by: Alex Mowrey/Pitt Athletics
Mariah Bell: My Final Goodbye
1/8/2018 11:00:00 AM | Volleyball
I never thought the day would come. The day that every athlete dreads. The day that would mark an end to one thing, and a beginning to another. The day that would impact my life more than I ever thought it would. The day that I play my last volleyball game.
As most athletes hope, I wanted to be recruited, go on visits, fall in love and attend the school that would be my home for the next four years. That time came later in high school when I went on an unofficial visit to the University of Pittsburgh.
I was nervous; being from California I didn't know what Pittsburgh would have to offer to me. I was at the school for three days – it snowed one day, rained the next and was sunny the day after. But, the second I walked on to campus, I looked at my parents and I said, "I feel at home." I knew that Pitt was the place for me.
Fast forward four years later.
Going in to my senior season, I was so sure that this team would accomplish something we had never done before. I could look at every girl in the eye and say "today I am playing for you," and I knew they would know I meant it. I have never felt so close to a group of girls than I had this last season.
On November 25, I woke up from my pregame nap and looked at my fellow senior Alex Rosignol and thought, "Today is the day we take the ACC title." A day that not only would my team remember forever, but a day that, as seniors, we would cherish for a lifetime. I had so much belief that this team could make it happen, but it wasn't something I thought about constantly. I thought one game at a time, one win at a time. But this day, I knew we were going to win.
Holding the ACC Champions trophy high above my head after our win over Virginia, I began to realize that my volleyball career was coming to a close. It was in this moment that I knew I made my mark at Pitt. The volleyball program had vastly improved and we had set a new standard.
The following day, we were back at Pitt and saw "PITTSBURGH" on the TV during the 2017 NCAA selection show. We had made the NCAA tournament back-to-back years. I will forever remember holding the hands of my best friends smiling, crying and knowing that we were making history.
Waking up the day after we had beat VCU in the first round, I felt different. I felt nervous. Everyone was smiling and still on a high of winning in the opening round, but I sat there reminiscing about the past 17 years of playing the sport that I fell in love with, as we were scheduled to play one of the top teams in the nation that night. I knew that that day could potentially be the last day I wore number 10 on my back and the final time that I represented Pitt on the court.
I look back on my last 17 years of volleyball and can't thank my family, teammates, coaches and friends enough for supporting me through it all. It is still so hard for me to believe that my volleyball career is over, that my knee pads and ankle braces will never be touched again, that I'll never have to worry about another court burn for the rest of my life and that the words "get on the line" will never be said to me again.
A huge thanks to volleyball. This sport has taught me more in life than I ever thought it could have and it has brought the most important people into my life.
With that, I must say goodbye to the sport that I will forever be passionate about and love very much.
As always, hail to Pitt!
Mariah Bell
As most athletes hope, I wanted to be recruited, go on visits, fall in love and attend the school that would be my home for the next four years. That time came later in high school when I went on an unofficial visit to the University of Pittsburgh.
I was nervous; being from California I didn't know what Pittsburgh would have to offer to me. I was at the school for three days – it snowed one day, rained the next and was sunny the day after. But, the second I walked on to campus, I looked at my parents and I said, "I feel at home." I knew that Pitt was the place for me.
Fast forward four years later.
Going in to my senior season, I was so sure that this team would accomplish something we had never done before. I could look at every girl in the eye and say "today I am playing for you," and I knew they would know I meant it. I have never felt so close to a group of girls than I had this last season.
On November 25, I woke up from my pregame nap and looked at my fellow senior Alex Rosignol and thought, "Today is the day we take the ACC title." A day that not only would my team remember forever, but a day that, as seniors, we would cherish for a lifetime. I had so much belief that this team could make it happen, but it wasn't something I thought about constantly. I thought one game at a time, one win at a time. But this day, I knew we were going to win.
Holding the ACC Champions trophy high above my head after our win over Virginia, I began to realize that my volleyball career was coming to a close. It was in this moment that I knew I made my mark at Pitt. The volleyball program had vastly improved and we had set a new standard.
The following day, we were back at Pitt and saw "PITTSBURGH" on the TV during the 2017 NCAA selection show. We had made the NCAA tournament back-to-back years. I will forever remember holding the hands of my best friends smiling, crying and knowing that we were making history.
Waking up the day after we had beat VCU in the first round, I felt different. I felt nervous. Everyone was smiling and still on a high of winning in the opening round, but I sat there reminiscing about the past 17 years of playing the sport that I fell in love with, as we were scheduled to play one of the top teams in the nation that night. I knew that that day could potentially be the last day I wore number 10 on my back and the final time that I represented Pitt on the court.
I look back on my last 17 years of volleyball and can't thank my family, teammates, coaches and friends enough for supporting me through it all. It is still so hard for me to believe that my volleyball career is over, that my knee pads and ankle braces will never be touched again, that I'll never have to worry about another court burn for the rest of my life and that the words "get on the line" will never be said to me again.
A huge thanks to volleyball. This sport has taught me more in life than I ever thought it could have and it has brought the most important people into my life.
With that, I must say goodbye to the sport that I will forever be passionate about and love very much.
As always, hail to Pitt!
Mariah Bell
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