Bring It Live

INTERVIEWS

Learn what playing volleyball internationally is all about. From coaches reflections on foreign tours to player interviews about their overseas playing experience, there's nothing more powerful than a personal testimony from somebody who has been there before.

In this section we interview players and coaches about what it's like to play volleyball against foreign teams on tour and in international leagues around the world. Browse through the interviews below and be sure to read the Coaches Testimonials to get more feedback from coaches.

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Highlights from the University of Tennessee European Tour

The University of Tennesee Women’s Volleyball team traveled to France and Italy with BIP May 14-25, 2019. Check out this video to catch trip highlights and reflections from the staff and team as they look back upon their experience in Europe.

“The trip to Europe was fantastic for everybody, for the staff, the support staff and the players. From a cultural perspective it was an amazing opportunity for us to go. From a volleyball standpoint we got a lot of out of it. We got to train a little bit longer, we got extra practices, we obviously got extra competition against some really high level teams. I was impressed with the level our team was able to play at.” – Eve Rackham, Head Volleyball Coach

“Europe was incredible. It was great on a team bonding perspective to be that far away from home with our teammates for that period of time, but also just the international volleyball experience. European volleyball is definitely different than American volleyball so it was great to have that different caliber of play to start getting us ready for this upcoming season.” -Alyssa Andreno, 2-MB-SR

“We played a lot of volleyball in Europe. We played 6 matches out of 9 days. It was really good for us to be in the gym that often, especially with the caliber of teams that we played. It helped us prepare for the season.”-Sedona Hansen, 11-S-SR

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Highlights from Stanford Tour


The Stanford Women’s volleyball team traveled to Austria, Slovenia, Croatia and Italy with BIP this summer. As Stanford approaches the 2018 season ranked #1 in the AVCA preseason coaches poll, head volleyball coach Kevin Hambly reflects upon the purpose and impact of the trip.

“It was significant in several ways”, Hambly reflects, “first, it was exciting to get the freshmen involved. It’s a good step for them to get around the team and get integrated socially, but also volleyball-wise for team bonding in general. You always grow closer as a team when you travel. And to have this extended amount of time, it was great for the team to be around each other and grow closer.”

“The competition I thought was also very good”, explains Hambly,  “it was nice to play without worrying about winning and losing on some level because we could play a lot of players that haven’t really gotten the chance to play a lot. We did two separate teams.”

For the players it was a trip of many first experiences.  It was the first time traveling outside of the United States for some.  For many it was the first time playing volleyball in Europe. Getting to see new countries, experience a variety of cultures and get exposed to a very different style of volleyball were all listed among the team’s highlights. Getting to play the national teams of each country was the experience of a lifetime.

Watch the full highlight video of Stanford Women’s Volleyball tour to Europe below.

 

 

 

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Texas Volleyball European Tour

The University of Texas Women’s volleyball team traveled to Slovenia and Italy this summer to play volleyball against top European professional clubs, bond as a team with their incoming freshmen and expand their world view through exposure to different cultures.  In this video the Longhorns reflect upon their team trip to Europe, its value and how it prepared them for their upcoming season.

“We use this trip also to connect, to build trust, to learn lines of communication and to establish our culture and make it stronger. They played against a bunch of national teams with some older players that have played this game a lot longer than they have. To see the different styles of volleyball, the different speeds of volleyball, really is a huge benefit to our program. Also for them [the freshmen] to be able to interact and get some of the nerves out, to understand the intensity of the game, the speed of the game and to build that trust with our captains in knowing that they’re an important facet to this year’s success is priceless.” – Jerritt Elliott, University of Texas Volleyball Head Coach.

“Being able to play the pro teams there was something that was really unique for all of us and I think it gave us a different type of challenge.” – Ashley Shook, Sophomore Setter

“It’s really nice to get put in uncomfortable situations very early so we can see how we respond to them. Being able to go play European teams that play a lot differently than teams in the US was very helpful.”- Yaasmeen Bedart-Ghani, Senior Outside Hitter

 

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MVP Recaps Lessons Learned from International Play

The U.S. Collegiate National Team-Europe swept the 13th European Global Challenge title, with a 6-0 overall record beating out teams from Italy, Slovenia, Croatia and the Czech Republic. The CNT captured the gold medal match against the Mountain West Conference All Star team in a 3-0 upset (25-15, 25-15, 25-13).

The Collegiate National Team was led by Outside hitter Courtney Schwan from the University of Washington. Schwan was named most valuable player of the tournament in the U23 division. We interviewed Schwan after the championship match to recap her lessons learned from her first experience of international competition. Watch the full interview below. [Read more…] about MVP Recaps Lessons Learned from International Play

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Deitre Collins-Parker Explains the Value of International Experience

The Mountain West Conference All-Star team finished runner up to the US College National Team at the 13th Global Challenge in Pula, Croatia July of 2017. To advance to the finals, the Mountain West All-Stars beat out top teams from Croatia, Slovenia and Italy. The squad was lead by head coach Deitre Collins-Parker,.

Deitre is no stranger to international play. In fact, it would be difficult to find a more qualified coach for the occasion. As a member of the 1988 Olympic team and an alternate for the 1992 Olympic team, she’s played in over 130 international volleyball matches.

During her college career in the United States, she was awarded two-time national collegiate player of the year.  She’s an AVCA Hall of Fame member and the head coach of San Diego State University Lady Aztecs.

Before the U23 finals of her second Global Challenge appearance, Deitre Collins-Parker explained why playing internationally can teach players how to improve their all around game. Watch the full interview below and read more interviews and reflections from the Global Challenge. [Read more…] about Deitre Collins-Parker Explains the Value of International Experience

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Global Challenge Veteran Molly Alvey Returns to Coach CNT

photo credit // Melanie Gorter

Molly Alvey, the Head Coach of the University of Cincinnati volleyball women’s volleyball team was named to the coaching staff of this year’s College National Team for competition in Europe at the Global Challenge. During the team’s pre-tour in Maribor, Slovenia, we interviewed her to get her perspective on the advantage of getting international playing experience.

Alvey points out that the tough serving from European teams and overall level of international competition is excellent preparation for American players as they head back into their college seasons this fall.

Watch the full interview below as Alvey highlights the differences between US and International volleyball. You can also check tournament results and watch matches of this year’s College National Team on the Global Challenge website. [Read more…] about Global Challenge Veteran Molly Alvey Returns to Coach CNT