St. Louis Volleyball in the Heart of NCAA March Madness
We left Grand Rapids on Thursday morning thinking this would be a pretty standard travel volleyball weekend. Three days of games, a different city, and hopefully some decent weather. By the time we got back home Sunday night, it felt more like a mini spring break mixed with volleyball, college basketball madness, a questionable hotel experience, and one meal that stood out more than anything else.
It was just me, Susie, and Elena on this trip. Elenaâs team, Rise Academy, was playing in the Nike Mideast Qualifier in St. Louis. We took a couple days off work, she missed a couple days of school, and Thursday turned into one of those no-rush travel days where you just let the drive unfold.
Chicago did what Chicago always does... slowed us down just enough to remind you whoâs in charge. Once we got past that and dropped onto I-55, everything opened up. Traffic lightened, speeds picked up, and the drive actually became enjoyable again. We even swapped drivers so I could knock out a little work on the Chromebook without feeling like we were racing a clock.
The first thing we saw getting off the highway in St. Louis was a full tent city right off the ramp. Not a couple tents... a full setup with tarps, scattered belongings, and a port-a-john sitting in the middle of it all. That was our welcome to St. Louis.
Right behind that... 70-plus degrees and climbing. We had just left 38-degree Michigan weather, so it felt like we accidentally booked a trip a month too early and somehow got lucky.
We got to the hotel, circled once, and somehow found a free street parking spot. That ended up being huge. Parking in the area was running anywhere from $25 to $75 a day, so we made the decision right then the car wasnât moving all weekend.
This was one of those stay-to-play tournaments, which is still complete bullshit. Youâre required to book certain hotels just to participate, and somehow you end up paying more for worse options. We usually stay at Marriott properties, but this time we were at a Radisson in the middle of renovations.
After checking in and grabbing our spectator passes, we went looking for food and ended up at a place called Sauce on the Side. Itâs basically all calzones, tons of options, and you order at the counter and grab a seat.
Yes... named after George Costanza. And Iâm not exaggerating when I say it was the best calzone Iâve ever had. Not even close. That alone couldâve justified the trip.
Friday started early with an 8:00 am match, but the walk to the convention center was short, which helped. The courts were set up inside the dome where the Rams used to play, which was pretty cool to take in while watching club volleyball.
The girls played great. Won all their sets and wrapped up before noon, which left us with an entire free afternoon.
Susie and Elena headed to a teammateâs hotel to hang out by the pool. I went across the street to the casino.
Walking in felt like stepping back in time. Indoor smoking everywhere, which we donât have back home. I messed around on video poker for a bit before grabbing a seat at a blackjack table.
And thatâs where I had one of those moments where you realize you missed something obvious. The table was paying 6 to 5 on blackjack. I knew better. Every decent player knows to avoid it. I just didnât notice until I was already in.
Still managed to grind my way back and walk out up $20 overall, which felt like a win considering the mistake.
That night we ended up near Busch Stadium with a bunch of volleyball families. There was a big outdoor area with games, music, and kids playing pickup basketball. It already had a great vibe, and then out of nowhere it turned into a full Mizzou pep rally.
Band, cheerleaders, stage... the whole thing. We were sitting right next to it without even realizing what was about to happen. Not Mizzou fans, but it was one of those moments you just sit back and enjoy.
The NCAA tournament was everywhere all weekend. Every bar, every restaurant, every TV. It added a whole extra layer to the trip. Saturday I was walking around in Michigan gear while they handled St. Louis University, which made it even better.
Saturday volleyball was another solid day. The girls went 2-1 and made the Gold bracket, which is the highest level for their division. Probably the lowest seed, but they were in, and thatâs what mattered.
We had some time to kill later, so we tried Putt Shack, which is basically high-tech mini golf. The balls track your score automatically, and every hole has something interactive going on. It sounded gimmicky, but it was actually a blast.
Sunday morning was bracket play. Win and move on, lose and go home. The team we faced looked tough right away. Bigger, more serious, undefeated. Rise came out strong but couldnât hold them off, and just like that, the weekend was over.
We were proud of them. They played well and proved they belonged there.
Before leaving, itâs worth mentioning the hotel never improved. We had to ask multiple times for basic things like towels and coffee, housekeeping was basically nonexistent, and one night we got woken up by loud neighbors with no real help from the front desk. They did comp one night at checkout, which helped, but it didnât exactly change the experience.
We hit the road Sunday and made a stop at Wallyâs, which is like a smaller Buc-eeâs. Clean bathrooms, good food, and exactly what you want halfway through a drive. I grabbed a giant fish sandwich and enough caffeine to carry me the rest of the way home.
The weather flipped fast. Mid-80s in St. Louis turned into 50s and cloudy heading north, and by the time we got back to Grand Rapids it was 45 degrees.
Three days of warm weather, volleyball, March Madness energy everywhere, a random pep rally, a smoky casino session, and one ridiculous calzone.
Felt like a mini spring break wrapped around a tournament weekend.
And honestly... weâd probably do it all over again.
If you want the full version with everything included, itâs here:
https://ramblingfever.com/st-louis-volleyball-in-the-heart-of-ncaa-march-madness/