Our Summer

Several Huskies globtrotted around the world this past summer, with volleyball serving as their passport.

By Washington Huskies

August 22^nd, 2019

Emma Calle

Emma traveled to Cambodia this summer on a service trip with other Husky student-athletes to build a sport court in a remote village outside the city of Siem Reap. She then toured Thailand before heading home.

"It was really fun to interact and communicate with them through sports to get past the language barrier," Emma says.

"One cool thing," says Emma, "the main sport in Cambodia is volleyball, which was super fun for me because I was the only volleyball player on the trip, so I got to jump in with the locals and play really good volleyball with them."

"What I found most interesting about visiting Asia for the first time was getting to live in it and learn by experiencing it rather than just reading about it in a book."

"It sounds cliché but it was a life-changing experience. It was so amazing. I’m planning on applying for the trip again next year, but I would recommend anyone to do it."

KARA BAJEMA, AVIE NIECE, AND COACH COOK

Kara and Avie both tried out and were selected for the USA Volleyball roster for the 2019 World University Games held in and around Naples, Italy. Coach Cook was the Head Coach for the American squad as well. The team won its final three matches to finish 9th overall.

"They are once-in-a-lifetime experiences, whether you're coaching or playing," said Coach Cook. "I just love seeing Kara and Avie represent their country. I was hoping for another chance to do it again myself."

"One of the big takeaways I got from this tournament was watching all the different countries' styles of play," said Kara. "I think it's very unique to see how people play according to personnel. This will be a great experience for all these girls because it's a good opportunity to play with girls you're unfamiliar with and learn from different coaches and be able to adapt in all sorts of different environments."

Avie says "Playing in Italy was an irreplaceable experience. Playing internationally with girls from other colleges was an opportunity I cherished. I loved learning about other programs and other girls' experiences."

Marin Grote

Marin took part in a student-athlete-based study-abroad class that took her to Amsterdam for 10 days after a spring quarter class.

"The class was based in Amsterdam but we also went to The Hague and Haarlem, just to talk to the government and city officials," says Marin. "The program had a focus on racial injustice with the government, and religious intolerance and the overarching main theme was tolerance in Amsterdam."

"Amsterdam is the city of tolerance, when you look at a brochure that’s what it calls itself. So our program was digesting that and picking it apart. We concluded that it’s not as tolerant as it would like to be. Similar to America it has injustice and protests and we talked to many people that were fighting for more equal rights."

"It was an incredible experience. It really did change how I think and how I see everything. I always tried to listen to what people say and how they’re feeling, but just seeing what happens when you don’t listen in a different country made me really realize that it’s my job to listen to what’s going on around me. It was my first time out of the country and I can’t wait to travel more."

Ella May Powell

Ella May earned a spot on the 12-woman U.S. Junior National Team as it competed in the prestigious FIVB U20 World Championships this July in Aguascalientes, Mexico.

The U.S. squad had wins over Mexico and Cuba en route to an eighth-place finish. Powell also celebrated her birthday while in Mexico.

"It was an amazing experience," said Ella. "Any time you get to put on anything USA is such an honor. The team I was with, not only were they one of the most physical teams I’ve ever been a part of, but it was the most fun I’ve ever had on a trip. Just having such amazing girls who are so good at volleyball made it a great experience. The level of volleyball was amazing but getting to learn the different speeds and styles from each country was something new every game."

"It was really humbling because there were probably 200 volunteers working the tournament and every single one of them was so grateful to be giving up their time for the sport of volleyball. It changed my perspective on a lot of things and made me really grateful to be wearing USA on my back. Everyone comes and asks for your autograph and everyone loves you but at the same time wants to beat you, so it was a really humbling experience."

"We actually had one of our very few off days on my birthday so it was really fun. We had a serve and pas sin the morning but we went and got to explore the downtown of Aguascalientes, which was really cool and had a bunch of shops and local foods. They got me a birthday cake and everyone was really sweet and excited for my birthday so it was really nice."

Samantha Drechsel, Lauren Sanders, and Ella May Powell

Prior to Ella May heading off with the U.S. Junior National Team, she also took part in the U.S. Collegiate National Team - Anaheim program back in June. A roster of 28 current collegiate players was chosen to train at the American Sports Centers in Anaheim from June 23-29. This was the second straight year on the CNT for Sanders, and the first for Drechsel and Powell.

Here is what Samantha had to say about the experience:

"We were there a week and got to watch the Women's National Team a bunch and had two practices a day. They'd take us to dinner afterwards and then repeat the next day. At the end we had an exhibition scrimmage between a Blue and a Red team and played five sets."

"It was super cool getting to play with a bunch of girls all across the country and see how good players from every team can come together and play together and figure it out."

"It was definitely nice having Ella there setting me, I'm high-fiving Lauren when we're on the same side of the court, so that helped out my comfort level."

"It was cool to learn from Karch Kiraly, the national team coach, because he would come talk to us. The coaches running our courts were from other schools so it was interesting to hear some of the same things I'd hear at UW mixed in with some different perspectives."