Luke team kicks sand with AVP pros

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Christopher Hatch
  • 56th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
LUKE AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. --  In honor of Military Appreciation Month, Luke members were teamed with members of the Association of Volleyball Professionals in an exhibition game Saturday at Westgate City Center in Glendale. 

"This is our first time involving the military," said Meg Bruno, event coordinator. "It's not very often you get to compete in a professional stadium," she said. As part of the event one of the pros took a tour of the base and then the Luke volleyball team was able to join the pros on the sand. 

As part of the military appreciation event, the Luke team played split up into two teams, each team getting an AVP member. 

"It was really fun," said Misty May-Treanor, AVP member. "We didn't know what to expect, but during warm-ups we could see they could hit hard. They are intense. It was neat to spend time with people that aren't professional athletes but who are serving our country. They're the real heroes out here," she said. 

This was a great opportunity for the Luke team to play with the pros, said Col. Timothy Strawther, 56th Operations Group commander, and participant in the volleyball game. 

"The Luke team has at least two members who had played for the Air Force Academy and Staff Sgt. Shawn Manning, 309th Aircraft Maintenance Unit crew chief, who was selected to play on the Air Force team," Colonel Strawther said. 

The pros had never played with any military teams and said they were happy to have the opportunity.
 
"I was nervous at the beginning," said Brook Hanson AVP member, who played with the Luke team. "We didn't know if they had ever played volleyball before, but we saw them warming up and they were pretty good," she said Building a relationship with Westgate and the Community around Luke is good for both, said Colonel Strawther. "It's nice with the AVP tournament out here, that we got a chance to come out and
knock the ball around a little bit and have some fun," he said. 

After the game, one of the pros expressed gratitude to the military. "Thank you for all you do," Hanson said. "It was awesome and I'm glad we could provide some fun."