We were back on the road again, less than a week after our travel volleyball trip to Milwaukee, WI. Another volleyball weekend. Another hotel. Another set of gym chairs that somehow all look the same, no matter what city you are in.
This time it was Pontiac, Michigan. Only about two hours from Grand Rapids, which almost felt local compared to last weekend.
A Rare Friday Night at Home
We originally had a Friday night hotel booked, because that is just what you do with travel sports. You assume you will be leaving right after work and driving across the state in the dark.
Then we found out the girls did not play until Saturday afternoon.
That changed everything.
We canceled the hotel, stayed home, and ate homemade pizza that Ethan and Susie made from scratch. After enough weekends of eating out, you start to really appreciate a home-cooked meal. Eating out is fun until it becomes routine. Then pizza at your own table feels like a luxury.
Sleeping in our own beds Friday night meant a slow Saturday morning. Coffee in my own mug. Sitting at my desktop computer instead of balancing a Chromebook on a tiny hotel desk. No rush. Just knowing we had to leave around 11 and that was it.
The Drive East to Our Next Marriott Experience
The drive to Pontiac was almost suspiciously smooth. One quick rest area stop, then cruising around 80 miles per hour most of the way. No traffic backups. No heavy congestion. Nothing to complain about.
We arrived at the Marriott around 1:20. Elena needed to be at the UWM Sports Complex by 2:30, so we had plenty of time to check in, haul our bags upstairs, and grab a quick lunch at El Toro across the parking lot.
This Marriott was bigger than most we have stayed at so far. Eleven stories tall, three elevators all working, which felt like a small miracle after last weekend. The lobby had an old-fashioned elegance to it. You could tell the building had been around for decades, probably late 70s or early 80s, but it was clean and well-maintained.
Our room, on the sixth floor, was fully updated and modern. Two full-size beds this time. Susie and I shared one, and Elena got her own. That alone felt like a win.
Michiana Power League and Playing Up
This tournament was part of the Michiana Power League, which runs differently from a typical weekend event. Earlier weekends served as a way to measure teams against each other. Now this one was entirely bracket play, with guaranteed games both days.
Rise Academy is a top-tier program in West Michigan, so our 13-year-olds often end up playing against 14-year-old teams. That has become normal for us.
Grace was out with a fractured foot, and Kate was sick, which left Rise with only seven girls for the weekend. Elena stepped into Grace’s middle position. No easing into it. Just jump in and go.
Saturday ended with a 2-1 record. The loss came in three sets. We won the first set and maybe felt a little too comfortable. The other team turned up the heat, and we simply did not have enough in the tank to respond.
Still, 2-1 while short-handed and playing up is not terrible.
Earplugs, Earbuds, and Multi-Tasking
If you have never been inside one of these massive volleyball facilities, it is hard to explain the noise. Dozens of courts going at once. Whistles. Coaches and players yelling. Parents cheering. All of it echoing inside an enclosed space.
I bring earplugs now. The serenity that a simple pair of earplugs provides in that environment is unreal.
But at 6:30, Michigan versus Duke tipped off in Washington D.C. Michigan ranked #1 and Duke ranked #3 in the country. A non-conference game this late in the season between two top teams is rare. I have been a Michigan fan for as long as I can remember, so I wore my maize and blue to the gym.
As tipoff got closer, you could see dads all around the facility quietly pulling out their phones. One guy had a laptop open. The phone signal inside the building was terrible, but once I connected to the posted WiFi password, YouTube TV streamed perfectly.
I switched from earplugs to a new pair of over-the-ear style earbuds I got for Christmas. In theory, they were perfect. In reality, over-the-ear does not block out dozens of volleyball courts. I could barely hear the broadcast over the whistles and cheering.
Still, I heard enough. And I could still hear what I needed to hear for volleyball. That is what I call multitasking.
A Hotel Bar and a Tough Loss
Rise’s last Saturday game ended right around halftime. We hustled back to the hotel and grabbed seats in the lobby restaurant to catch the end of the game.
The restaurant surprised all of us. Large menu. Food that was genuinely good. Service that felt like a five-star experience. I never caught our waitress’s name, but she was outstanding.
We pushed four tables together. Parents at one end, some of the girls at the other end. A few of them migrated to a different table where some boys their age were sitting. It was one of those organic travel sports evenings where everyone just sort of blends together.
Charlie’s friend Marcus joined us. He and Charlie had been friends since high school and still keep in touch. Marcus stopped by to watch the final volleyball matches and ended up staying for dinner and drinks.
The Michigan game itself was close most of the night. Back and forth. Lead changes. In the end, Duke pulled away and handed Michigan just its second loss of the season, dropping them to 25-2.
As Michigan fans, we quickly reframed it as a wake-up call. Better to lose now than in March.
Silver Bracket Sunday
Sunday morning came early. The girls needed to be at the sports complex by 7:30.
Their Saturday finish placed them in the Silver bracket. They lost their first match in three sets, which eliminated any chance at a championship. They did not fold, though. They won their next two matches and secured third place in the Silver bracket.
Overall, 2-1 on Saturday and 2-1 on Sunday. Not their best weekend. Not their worst. Considering they were short-handed and playing older teams, nobody was disappointed.
An Olympic Interruption
The coolest moment of the entire weekend had nothing to do with volleyball.
When we walked into the sports complex on Sunday morning, coverage of the 2026 Winter Olympics gold medal hockey game was about to begin. USA versus Canada.
Even if you do not follow hockey closely, USA versus Canada for a gold medal is a big deal. The lobby had a couple of large TVs, and between matches, there was a steady crowd of volleyball parents, clearly more interested in hockey than anything happening on the courts.
The game was tied 1-1 at the end of regulation. Sudden death overtime. Next goal wins gold.
I kept bouncing between the gym and the lobby, checking on the match before Elena’s and then slipping back out to see the hockey game. As I rounded the corner heading toward the lobby one more time, the small crowd erupted.
USA scored!
I missed seeing the live goal by a few seconds, but I still felt the moment. I watched the NBC coverage showing the USA players celebrating. The Canadians were absolutely crushed. It took several minutes before they finally showed a replay.
Then it was back into the gym to watch our girls finish strong.
Art and Jake’s and East Lansing Traffic Math
After wrapping up the weekend, we decided to not coordinate dinner with anyone on the way home. We enjoy the other volleyball families, but after two straight weekends together, sometimes it is nice to just do our own thing.
We stopped at an Art & Jake’s along I-75 for a quiet meal. While we were finishing up, Michigan State versus Ohio State was on TV. The game was in East Lansing, and we needed to pass right through there on I-96 on our way home.
A quick mental calculation told me we would hit East Lansing right around the time the game was ending.
Sure enough, traffic thickened for a few miles near East Lansing. Nothing major. Just enough to confirm that sports traffic math is a real thing.
We stopped in Portland at Speedway for gas and coffee. I could have made it home without stopping, but Speedway has those bean-to-cup machines and Irish Cream creamer. That alone justified the stop.
The girls did not need the restroom, which was fortunate because the indoor restrooms were out of order. I used the porta-jon outside. No big deal for me.
We filled up Susie’s Expedition so she would be set for the week, grabbed coffee, and finished the drive home.
Another volleyball weekend complete.
At this point, they are starting to blur together. Just tell me where to be and at what time, and we will make it happen. Already looking forward to the next one.