Volleyball Plays Club Italia And Heads to Venice

DAY THREE
The Cardinals returned to downtown Milan and since they had already toured Il Duomo, this time they hit the shops hard. Milan is one of the fashion hotspots in the world and UofL was there sampling the couture. Getting on the street car with all the bags was an adventure but Cards are tough.

MORGAN MILLER ON THE BLOG
"Today we went back to Duramo Square. It was nice to go back and do all the things we couldn't squeeze in the first day ... which mostly consisted of shopping, shopping and more shopping. We also visited our favorite Italian coffee shop called Arnold's which claims to give you the "Full American Coffee Experience". We haven't decided whether it tops Starbucks but it was definitely delicious. Before we left, we also stopped for gelato, it may have been our third bowl of hte day, but it was mouthwateringly good! Ciao!"

We got back to the Pallovallo Federation complex and took on Club Italia for the second time. We found out that two of their best players were out playing in some world qualifier or something prestigious. So that meant there were a total of seven players taller that our tallest. We just didn't have to deal with them. Word must have gotten out because there was standing room only for the match. The gym is about as big as UofL's Yum Practice Center floor, so not so many seats but some very volleyball savvy fans. This time the Cards fell 25-16, 25-14, 25-18 , 25-12 and 15-12. Less points but way more organization and better decision making. UofL interacted with a cute group of junior players after the match. The girls went to dinner on their own after the match.

After an early wake up call to head to the next stop on our tour, the Cardinals bussed three hours to Venice, dropped the luggage at the Radisson on a swanky golf resort about an hour outside Venice in Battaglia Terme. The facility is gorgeous and the rooms are lush and spacious with balconies overlooking gorgeous links and vinyards. There is a spa day scheduled for Monday and geothermal pools await the players beat up bodies. Shopping is no picnic in Italy, people! Either is playing against professional teams.

After the bus left, we went to the train station and rode into Venice, which is an island city consisting of a total of 117 islands at the mouth of the Po and Piave Rivers and was founded in 598 AD.

The Cardinals visited just two of the islands, Murano, the home of Venetian glass where they watched a glass blower make a vase and a horse. Then a quick lunch and off to Burano, another island know for its lace. The only way to get there is via water taxi or gondolas. Then the highlight was supposed to be a visit to San Marco Piazza (Saint Mark's Square) which is a target-rich environment for shopping like no other. Sadly, our time was cut short at San Marco because we had to catch the last train to Battaglia Terme. The players got to sprint THROUGH the square and then make a run for the train station. In dresses. Also unsensible but fashionable shoes. The walk normally takes about 40 minutes and the girls did it in about 15 at a flat out run. We have some time-lapse photography of The Run which we will post on our social media.

We made the train with dozens of seconds to spare and headed back to the hotel. We stopped and ate at a pizzeria before being shuttled in the fanciest, cleanest cabs on the face of the earth.

JASMINE BENNETT ON THE BLOG
"We left Milan for a four hour bus ride to Venice and we arrived at our beautiful resort after noon and got dressed in the luggage store room to go sightseeing since our rooms weren't ready yet. We were all looking forward to a full day of sightseeing in Venice and that is exactly what we had in store. We left the hotel and took a train into the city and then rode water taxis out to two different islands, one of which was known for blown glass and the other for lace. After visiting the two islands, we headed to Saint Mark's Square which was breathtaking. It turned to be literally breathtaking as we had to sprint at least a mile and a half or two in order to make the last train. Our legs were definitely suffering from running on cobblestone and up so many steps and over bridges. But we made it back in time. It was an amazing day in Venice and it was a great opportunity to share with my teammates who were down for adventure, and my wonderful coaching staff. Go Cards!"

The Cardinals head to Bled, Slovenia at noon tomorrow after a half day of spa living at this wonderful Radisson. Two more games on tap soon!

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