The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Volleyball gameday with Juliann Faucette
11.05.2010 | Volleyball
Nov. 5, 2010
My alarm goes off at 7 a.m. I just lay there, waking up, thankful that I'm living. It's gameday, and I usually try and dress up on those days, just to give it a business feel. I have the same thing for breakfast every single morning -- oatmeal, scrambled eggs and coffee. I also put a little protein powder in my oatmeal.
Once I'm on campus, it's time for class and paying attention. But if I have any sort of break, I watch film and read the scouting report on that night's opponent. I can watch on my laptop, and make use of the entire campus to find a place where it's quiet and I can focus. I just want to be alone and really think about what's coming and what I need to do.
After class, I eat something small in the dining hall around 11:30 a.m. I don't need too much food because we'll have a pregame meal later. Then, there's some form of treatment on my body.
I always take a nap, always, for about an hour. I'm a really light sleeper, so I'm really just resting my eyes. My mind goes a million miles an hour, and during this time, I'm just trying to calm my mind. I "wake up," do some stretching and breathing and get ready to head to Gregory Gym.
Our pregame meal is at 2:30 p.m., or about four hours before our match. I like to have some sort of chicken, legumes, rice and a small salad. My favorite though is when we have pasta and chicken. It's a good carb meal for me to have before competing.
Then I just start the process of getting my body awake and warmed up for the match. I'll listen to music in the locker room, get some treatment, pass, serve and get loose. We will watch film as a team, and then have about an hour to get ready in the locker room.
For pregame, we turn off the lights in the locker room, and each of us has individual lights in our locker stall. When you turn on your locker light, that means you're ready for the game. I call my light switch the "Beast Mode" switch, and that's the mode I go into as soon as the light goes on. I can't sit down too much, so I'll do anything to stay active and moving so that I'm not thinking too much.
During warm-ups, it's my favorite thing to look across at the opponent and just see what they're doing, what the body language is like. Before the match, we always high five the opponent, and I make sure to look every single one of them in the eye.
After a match, we meet with media and with our fans on the court. Then, the coaches will bring us into the locker room and wrap up the match. Usually, it's business. If we win, we're still looking ahead to what we'll work on in practice the next day. We've created a culture that we're always going back to work.
When I get home, I really try and shut down my mind and gain closure over the match. I sometimes just replay the match in my mind. My memory is pretty thorough, and the plays are almost each like photographic memories. I just want to capture those images in my mind, so I know what still needs to be worked out. Then, I can leave that match behind and approach the next day fresh and ready to go.
