Former all-region outside hitter Molly Locke had the opportunity to represent the United States by playing volleyball in Europe with other players from around the region. The following is her reflection on her trip.
Recently I've had the privilege of traveling parts of Europe, but the best part is that I've been able to play the sport that has been a part of my life for so many years. I just graduated with only one year at Carson-Newman, but that doesn't limit the amount of opportunities it has given me.
My senior year gave me many memories, going to the Elite Eight the biggest and proudest one. That alone opened the door for one of the coolest experiences I have ever been blessed with. Without the hard work of our team this season, I never would have been an option to be a part of the BIP SE team. An organization called Bring it Promotions found several standouts in 2015-16 season from Division II and made a team to represent the USA in a tournament called the Global Challenge. The roster held several All-Americans, a Final Four participant, and 11 total girls with tremendous amount of talent. We got along instantly, which is shocking for most of us Eagles when I say that I had three Wingate girls on my team.
We got to travel from Budapest, Hungary, Maribor, Slovenia, Pula, Croatia and Venice, Italy. We went sightseeing and even got the chance to go alpine sledding on the Alps! We played in two friendly matches against Hungarian national teams and Slovenian national teams to prepare us for the tournament. Many countries were represented once we got to Pula, such as Russia, Italy, Hungary, Slovenia, Croatia, USA, England and China.
Nothing compares to the level I got to see in Europe! I got to play against current and future Olympians which was so cool! Almost every girl I played was over 6'2" which is frustrating when only standing at 5'8". The ball was harder to play with and the serving was incredible. It was such a different game than I've learned to play in the States. The hardest part was the lack of air conditioning. It was 90+ degrees, 80% humidity, and no air conditioning anywhere. It was challenging, mentally and physically.
My team made it to the championship bracket, and we placed 8th out of 16. USA's college national team won it all defeating China, so we can't be too mad about that. At the end of the tournament we had a huge pool party with a Slovenian DJ. Every girl that was a part of the tournament as well as the coaches. Where we came from didn't matter by the end of the night because we all hung out while singing Sorry by Justin Beiber.
While this trip came at the end of my career, it helped teach me a couple lessons. Playing is over for me, but I got to see what else is out there. I learned how to work with several other people and new coaches in a different environment, learned about different cultures, and got new angles on how to coach both offense and defense. My favorite part was gaining 10 new friends that have the same passion as me. I can't help but be amazed that the sport I love gave me the opportunity to do something so great! For everyone with a new opportunity, my advice is to jump! You never know what can come of it. Lastly, I can't help but say that without being a Carson-Newman Eagle, this experience would have never come. My coaches pushed me and my teammates supported me. I was proud to wear my C-N orange and blue overseas and will continue to be blessed to be an Eagle!! Talons up!
C-N
