Stanford Women's Volleyball Team playing for National Championship!

I got to watch Stanford's epic 5-game win over USC last night. I haven't seen a college volleyball game on TV in a long time, and so it was refreshing to be able to view this classic match unfold before my eyes. Read the great ESPN article below to learn about the heart and talent of the Stanford team. I especially like the term "out of system" to describe improvising spontaneously in the midst of chaos. The ability to flow confidently "out of system," to create opportunities for victory, requires intimate teamwork. It consists of deep trust between the team members, with each person knowing each other's roles, giftings, strengths, and weaknesses, and being able to cover for one another even during mistakes, falls (it is common for volleyball players to dive to the ground to save a ball), and emotional up's-and-down's during the course of a match.
Such is also a picture of what the church is to be like, of what a group of friends in Christ should be, in doing the work of the kingdom. There will be plenty of times when the opposition (the enemy) throws us "out of system" during our daily lives or ministry times, and all of us, working together, have more than enough Christ-ability within us to turn around any circumstance into a victory for the King!
As you read the article, take note of how the Stanford coach and players talk about each other, and the team as a whole, and how each player contributed significantly, from the least experienced (freshmen) to the most seasoned (seniors). Even if you know nothing about volleyball, this report is still a joy to read. May our ministry teams and churches be nothing less than spectacular when we are "out of system," and rise up as champions of Christ.

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Stanford's depth, talent give the Cardinal an edge in semifinal

By Mark KreidlerSpecial to ESPN.com(Archive)
Updated: December 14, 2007, 2:35 AM ET

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- They have a phrase for it in volleyball, a weirdly clinical way to identify the approaching chaos. The term is "out of system," and what it means, broadly, is that you're about to run a broken play.
And for many teams, that is that. Out of system means it's time to scramble, that the passes on offense have been too high or too off the mark to run the play the way it was designed to be run. When that happens to the rank and file in NCAA volleyball, something unhappy is often the result.
But as Bryn Kehoe, Stanford's superior setter, looked around her on the court at Arco Arena on Thursday night, she sensed not chaos, but opportunity.
"I still had all these options, even when we were out of system. Especially then," Kehoe said with a smile.
From such options are a national champion sometimes forged.

The Cardinal will get that chance on Saturday against Penn State, thanks to their ability to scramble their way past tenacious USC, 3-2 (23-30, 30-20,30-25, 20-30, 16-14) in a thrilling semifinal at the NCAA Division I Volleyball Championship. Facing elimination in the final game, down 14-13, the Cardinal capitalized on a huge break -- a serve by USC star Asia Kaczor that landed long by a scant few inches -- and reeled off three quick points for the victory.
Beyond that, though, Stanford's advance rested significantly on the fact that, even when things break down a little, Kehoe still finds herself with options to create offense. That'll happen when you've got five players reaching double figures in kills, as the Cardinal did against the Trojans.
"I think this is like a dream come true for Bryn, because of all the hitters she has on that team," said Stanford coach John Dunning, whose team will be looking to atone for last year's loss to Nebraska in the national championship game. "She loves to distribute the offense. She loves the fact that she has five hitters she can go out and deal to."
Cynthia Barboza, the emotional engine of the team, punctuated the victory by getting the final point of the match, a shot off a beautiful set from Kehoe that USC blocked out of bounds for Barboza's 17th kill of the match. Barboza also came up huge on the play before, rising alongside teammate Franci Girard to block Kaczor's shot to give Stanford a 15-14 lead.
But this was no one-woman show. Kehoe also found herself turning to freshman Alix Klineman, who had 14 kills, or to Girard, who had 12, or even Erin Waller, who logged 10.
More to the point of the win, USC had no answer early, late or in between for Stanford junior Foluke Akinradewo, who continued an almost magical season by recording 26 kills and a .523 hitting percentage (Stanford averaged .265 for the match, USC .246).
"She just has so much drive and determination that when it comes crunch time, I know she's going to do it," said Kehoe, a senior from Ohio who spent this season aiming for another shot at the NCAA title after losing to Nebraska in a close match last year.
"We've been in so many situations like the one we were just in that we came back and won," Kehoe said. "I just knew I could go to her."
Akinradewo, who hit over .500 during the regular season, was Stanford's heavyweight on this night, trading kills with USC's Kaczor, who finished with 29 but only a .250 hitting percentage. In the final game, both coaches put their big hitters on the front line, letting the crowd of 13,048 watch the 6-foot-3 Akinradewo and the 6-4 Kaczor each try to win it on her own. The difference was that, when Akinradewo was taken out of a busted play, Kehoe still had plenty of places to turn.
"I think Stanford is a pretty great team," said USC coach Mick Haley. "I think we did about everything that you can do to them to try to win this match. We even guessed right a couple of times. They have a lot of weapons."
Akinradewo, a junior from Plantation, Fla., appeared slightly amazed by her own production, saying, "I would never have guessed that the stats would say now that I did what I did, because I didn't really feel that way. But it was great, and our team really pulled through and everyone played their role."
That includes the group of deep and talented hitters who surround Bryn Kehoe every time she steps on the court. All of which may explain how, around Stanford, out of system can still put them in the money.