SE: K-State Volleyball Eager to Grow on Nine-Day Brazil Tour
May 28, 2019 | Volleyball, Sports Extra
By Corbin McGuire
For those good enough, the hope of athletics opening the door to international travel grows with age. For K-State's volleyball team, that hope becomes reality this week as the Wildcats begin a nine-day trip (May 29-June 6) in Brazil.
Now, the Wildcats look to grow from it.
"We'll get to see a lot of different teams and a lot of different styles of volleyball," redshirt sophomore Brooke Heyne said of the international trip, allowed once every four years by the NCAA. "I think it'll be a big learning experience, especially for such a young team."
Young might be an understatement.
K-State's roster holds 13 underclassmen and three upperclassmen. This added even more value to the extra 10 days of practices the Wildcats got to prepare for the trip. The same will apply for the five matches and additional training sessions they will get in Brazil.
"It's definitely going to help just because it gives us a lot more time to be able to train with the coaches and have that guidance, and then to be able to do it in a different country is a really cool and unique experience," Heyne said. "That just brings people together more. It's fun for any team, but I think it'll be an advantage for a youthful group."
Outside hitter Brynn Carlson said she recognizes the team's youth but also pointed out the experience and talent within it. She's one of four redshirt sophomores on the team. True sophomore Gloria Mutiri was the AVCA Midwest Freshman of the Year last season. Plus, K-State's five true freshmen were slotted as the No. 20 recruiting class in the country, according to PrepVolleyball.com.
"A lot of us have court experience. A lot of us don't have court experience," Carlson said. "So, being able to get out those initial nerves, for those who may not have played at this level before, is going to be great before we get into (the fall). For the rest of us who are returning and who have been through the grind, it's going to be good to continue to play together and work together to figure out what kind of team we're going to be in the fall."
The Wildcats will start their trip in Rio de Janeiro for three days of training with the Brazilian U20 National Team at its national training center in Saquarema. This stop will also include an exhibition match against the professional club U21 Fluminense.
From there, the Wildcats will travel to Sao Paulo for matches against clubs U21 Esporte Clube Pinheiros and Sao Caetano.
For those unfamiliar with international volleyball, Brazil is considered one of the best countries in the world. Brazil won the gold medal at the 2008 and 2012 Olympics, only the third country ever to repeat as champions in the event. Both gold medals also came against the United States.
"Brazil is super well known for their volleyball. They're very successful on the international level," Carlson said. "They're going to do things differently than us, so I'm hoping we can learn from them and also grow as a team and get better together."
Throughout the trip, the Wildcats will also be immersed in a different culture. Fortunately, they will have a very familiar pseudo tour guide with them for every step in Carla Bernardes, K-State's graduate manager for the 2017-18 seasons. Bernardes grew up in Sao Paulo and lives in Brazil currently.
"I'm really, really excited to see her again," Carlson said. "We just FaceTimed with her (the other day), and she went over some Brazilian things that we need to know, some words in Portuguese, some things to do, some things not to do. So, she's going to be a really good resource to have, someone who has lived there for most of her life, who knows the cities, knows the country. I think we're going to be able to get a lot of really unique local experiences because of her, which is something I'm really excited about. We're not going to get the typical touristy-type trip."
For those good enough, the hope of athletics opening the door to international travel grows with age. For K-State's volleyball team, that hope becomes reality this week as the Wildcats begin a nine-day trip (May 29-June 6) in Brazil.
Now, the Wildcats look to grow from it.
"We'll get to see a lot of different teams and a lot of different styles of volleyball," redshirt sophomore Brooke Heyne said of the international trip, allowed once every four years by the NCAA. "I think it'll be a big learning experience, especially for such a young team."
Young might be an understatement.
K-State's roster holds 13 underclassmen and three upperclassmen. This added even more value to the extra 10 days of practices the Wildcats got to prepare for the trip. The same will apply for the five matches and additional training sessions they will get in Brazil.
"It's definitely going to help just because it gives us a lot more time to be able to train with the coaches and have that guidance, and then to be able to do it in a different country is a really cool and unique experience," Heyne said. "That just brings people together more. It's fun for any team, but I think it'll be an advantage for a youthful group."
Outside hitter Brynn Carlson said she recognizes the team's youth but also pointed out the experience and talent within it. She's one of four redshirt sophomores on the team. True sophomore Gloria Mutiri was the AVCA Midwest Freshman of the Year last season. Plus, K-State's five true freshmen were slotted as the No. 20 recruiting class in the country, according to PrepVolleyball.com.
"A lot of us have court experience. A lot of us don't have court experience," Carlson said. "So, being able to get out those initial nerves, for those who may not have played at this level before, is going to be great before we get into (the fall). For the rest of us who are returning and who have been through the grind, it's going to be good to continue to play together and work together to figure out what kind of team we're going to be in the fall."
The Wildcats will start their trip in Rio de Janeiro for three days of training with the Brazilian U20 National Team at its national training center in Saquarema. This stop will also include an exhibition match against the professional club U21 Fluminense.
From there, the Wildcats will travel to Sao Paulo for matches against clubs U21 Esporte Clube Pinheiros and Sao Caetano.
For those unfamiliar with international volleyball, Brazil is considered one of the best countries in the world. Brazil won the gold medal at the 2008 and 2012 Olympics, only the third country ever to repeat as champions in the event. Both gold medals also came against the United States.
"Brazil is super well known for their volleyball. They're very successful on the international level," Carlson said. "They're going to do things differently than us, so I'm hoping we can learn from them and also grow as a team and get better together."
Throughout the trip, the Wildcats will also be immersed in a different culture. Fortunately, they will have a very familiar pseudo tour guide with them for every step in Carla Bernardes, K-State's graduate manager for the 2017-18 seasons. Bernardes grew up in Sao Paulo and lives in Brazil currently.
"I'm really, really excited to see her again," Carlson said. "We just FaceTimed with her (the other day), and she went over some Brazilian things that we need to know, some words in Portuguese, some things to do, some things not to do. So, she's going to be a really good resource to have, someone who has lived there for most of her life, who knows the cities, knows the country. I think we're going to be able to get a lot of really unique local experiences because of her, which is something I'm really excited about. We're not going to get the typical touristy-type trip."
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