Pula, Croatia----The defending South Atlantic Conference champion Wingate University Bulldogs recently had five players return from Europe this week after competing in the 2022 Global Challenge. Two returning players in Shannon Kasprak and Maggie Mullen  played for the u23 team and were joined by three incoming freshmen in Sydney Moreland, Clare Sheedy and Maya Walker, who represented the u18 team. The five departed for Europe Wednesday, July 6 and participated in the Global Challenge July 11-15, then returned home July 17 following a day of sightseeing in Venice. Each student-athlete shared highlights of their experiences below.

Maggie Mullen | Rising Senior Libero/DS

For the beginning of the trip, players flew out of different states to meet up at the JFK airport in New York. From there we all flew into Copenhagen, Denmark. It was a big time change for us so that took some getting used to. We were tired from a long travel day, but it didn't matter because we were all so excited for this experience and to see the beautiful scenery! As soon as we landed we took a bus to do some sightseeing. We got to see so many cool places such as a palace, restaurants, shops and more. We then ate at a food court and were able to hang out with people from our team and other players that were in the tournament. 

That night after sightseeing Copenhagen, we took the bus to Halmsted, Sweden. We ate dinner at the hotel and went to bed. The next three days at Sweden we had practices and scrimmages as well as free time for us to walk around, explore, and sightsee! The practices were fun and helped us get to know our teammates and get used to playing with new people. While in Sweden the U23 team (Maggie and Shannon's team) was able to scrimmage the U18 team (Maya, Sydney, and Clare's team). The U23 team won in three sets going best out of five. It was a high level of playing during the match and it was so cool to be able to play with and against the Wingate girls. 

Sweden was so much fun to explore and to get into the gym. It was cool for us to experience the different style of international volleyball and get use to the new ball as well. I felt like we all adapted really well and were able to grow as players and people. It was the most amazing experience and it was only beginning when we were in Sweden.  

Maya Walker | Incoming Freshman Outside Hitter

Clearly, everyone who had the opportunity to be a part of such an incredible volleyball experience has a love for the game. But this trip in particular altered my whole way of thinking. From the unique perspectives of the way people live their lives, the impressive playing style that each country has, and the way of adaption to compete in a complete different environment. Initially I didn't know what to expect competition wise, but that was the cool part. Each team shared their differences within their style of play and energy, and you could've either used that for best or worst. Fortunately, that fueled my team and I to land in the finals and take second place.

The Global Challenge also allowed us athletes opportunities to take our volleyball careers to the pros in the future as well! The whole time I felt nothing but blessed to be able to form new relationships with coaches and other athletes, as well as being able to see different parts of the world. This experience as a whole has prepared me for Wingate Volleyball mentally and physically. It was so beneficial learning a different perspective of the game and I can't wait to take advantage of it going into my freshman year!

Shannon Kasprak | Graduate Student Setter

This was an amazing experience that I will never forget and I am so grateful to have been a part of it and so appreciative. The tournament was full of amazing competition and was a great learning experience. We played other USA teams and also played European teams that were incredible. The international game is different and one we had to adapt to but it made  me and others grow as players and was so fun to play and learn. Also never playing with the team before made me grow as a player and adapt to others playing styles physically and mentally which also helped me as a player. We took pictures with teams after each game and after the tournament we got to trade shirts with all of the European teams and talk with them which was such a cool experience. 

Sydney Morland | Incoming Freshman Middle Blocker

To travel to four countries in 10 days leaves an effect on how you see the world. In simple terms, it reminds you how big it is and how wonderful it could be. Of course, to be limited to just a few days in each country, we couldn't get a full grasp on it all. Nonetheless, every second was exhilarating and breathtaking. 

Starting in Copenhagen, the first cultural difference I noticed was the amazing architecture of some of the buildings, and the vibrant colors of the others. One of my greater first memories of the trip was in the square of the Queen's castle. The other players and I snuck over to the guards on duty to attempt to snap a picture with them. Of course their decked out uniforms and strict demeanor did not disappoint. We still politely asked to take a picture but we had to do so while they were walking around and we couldn't get too close. The whole experience was quite laughable, as we were holding a phone walking about 10 feet away from the guards and tripping over each other's feet to try and get in the picture all together. Yet, we prevailed and got a semi-decent photo with them. The teams especially enjoyed walking down Nyhavn, a street famously known for its row of colored buildings. It was a 'cameras out" moment, followed by long stares directed down the river that divided the street. The food there was also good, but the experience of eating and buying it was better. We found our lunch at a little square with a bunch of mini restaurants, similar to that of a food truck, with picnic tables and canopies shading us from the light showers. The air smelled amazing between the humidity and fog-like overcast, and we enjoyed ourselves, indulging in the food until we all parted ways to find dessert. Gelato was the choice the group I was with decided on, and we discovered a little shop to fulfill that craving. We took great notice of the shop itself because it was half underground, so we took about six steps down to discover the cutest little gelato shop we had ever seen. It was like it was out of a movie. 

Next, we made our way to Halmstad, Sweden. Of all the places we visited, the people here were exceptionally nice. One place that we visited regularly was a little cafe that had the interior decorating of what felt like a pink rainbow and a picture gallery all put together. It sounds odd but it was beautiful. Several shades of pink lined the walls and ceiling, and was pulled together by a checkered floor. There were gorgeous photographs on the walls and a little book nook in the corner. The food didn't disappoint either, between some of the most unique, yet delicious pastries and skillfully brewed coffee we sat and chatted contently in the little cafe. Unfortunately we didn't have a ton of time to go and sightsee here because we were practicing and scrimmaging a lot, but we were still embracing every second. We did end up walking to a beach, and though the beach in itself was pretty, the flower field next to it caught all of our eyes. There was a beautiful variety of wild flowers bordering the forest nearby. We also saw these little lifted bungalows, held up by four stilts, about 100 meters from the beach and they were the most fascinating discovery in the area. It was overall a great city with very pleasant people. 

Then, we ventured to Pula, Croatia. Our jaws all dropped as we saw one of the last standing colosseums in the world. It was magnificent in all its glory. It sounds cheesy, but that's the best way to describe it. The fact that something as complex and big as it is, was made so long ago was mind boggling. The next "jaw-drop" moment was when we made our way down to the beach. It was crystal clear in some areas and the places with algae gave off a gorgeous green hue. We spent a good amount of time all just floating next to each other the first day and admiring it all. One of our more humorous moments was when we were making our way into the water, slipping around on the rocks, since it was a pebble beach as opposed to sand. We also had to wear strap-on sandals due to the sea urchin population, and we were a tad timid in walking around at first, so we all looked pretty goofy stumbling into the water. The team was also given the chance to go cliff jumping and explore a cave in the area which was an amazing opportunity. On one of the days we went to town square, which has a super fascinating lay-out to it. There were hundreds of small shops lined up on this one street that went for at least a mile, and lively, charismatic people surrounded us. Each shop had the most amazing items in it and I was particularly fascinated by the jewelry shops that had pieces made from the ore mined locally. The food was also very fulfilling. A few of the girls and I almost regularly visited a little pizza place, close to the hotel. Their pies were more than delicious and we all individually finished a whole one by ourselves without issue. The whole Pula experience was one of the best of our lives which we could all easily agree on. 

Lastly, we spent a day in Venice, Italy. Though all the other cities had great architecture, this one took first. There were endless canals with venturing tourists gliding along on the gondola rides, and thousands of paths with more shops than we could count. We were pleasantly surprised by the amount of hand beaded jewelry shops and stores with locally blown glass items. However, the most fascinating shops were the ones selling the intricately detailed masks for the festivals held there. Every mask was different and stunning. The famous pasta, pizza, gelato, and cannoli's did not disappoint either. They were everything, people made them out to be. We giggled at the prospect of one store named, "The world's coolest bookstore." It was the most unique, yet marvelous little building. It was a great adventure to wander through such a remarkable city.

Overall, the entire trip was one of the best of our lives, and experiencing the culture in each city was extraordinary.
 
Clare Sheedy | Incoming Freshman Setter

Overall, this trip was one of the greatest experiences of my life. I had an amazing experience competing at such a high level, meeting people that I never would've otherwise, and just learning so much because of the sport I love. The last few days of the trip were some of the best. The BIP SE U18 team that Maya, Sydney, and I were on earned a silver medal in our division, only falling short to a great Italian team. The last two days of the tournament in Pula were highlighted by our team having to work really hard every set to make it to the championship match. Having to play two games, best of five sets, in one day, for two days in a row really challenged me as a player. After the championship matches, there was a closing ceremony in the arena we played in. All the teams lined up single file in a U shape around the center of the gym, which is where the podium for medaling teams was located. Since we placed second, we were lined up with the third place winning Hawaiian team to our left and the first place winning Italian team to our right. As we were standing in place waiting for the ceremony to start, all three teams got the opportunity to talk together which I thought was really cool. Then they began calling the teams forward one by one, starting with the 18s division, until it was just the three medaling teams left to be called up to take their places on the podium. As the Hawaiians, us, and the Italians all took our places on the podium we could feel the entire arena cheering for us and it was such a surreal experience.

After closing ceremonies there is a shirt exchange and whole tournament get together back at the hotel. Trading shirts with girls from other teams was so much fun. I ended up trading one of my warm up shirts and white jersey to two of the Italian players. It was then that I really got the chance to talk to multiple girls on their team. Furthermore, I didn't just get to meet and talk to girls from other teams. I also got the opportunity to friend foreign players on social media. To me that is so cool because it will allow me to continue to see and learn more about the lives of these girls at home. While meeting and connecting with players on other teams was so cool, getting the chance to play and bond with my future college teammates was even cooler. The amount of traveling and time in close quarters forces you to be around these people a lot, but it doesn't automatically make you connect. But connect we did. I hadn't met Maya or Sydney in person before this trip and now I feel like I've known them for years. I'm so grateful to Coach Collier and CJ Sherman from BIP SE for giving us this opportunity to connect before starting our college careers together. While I didn't spend as much time with Shannon and Maggie as they were on the U23 team, it was also a great opportunity to get to know them better before our college season begins. The experiences this trip allowed me hold so much value as they taught me to be a better volleyball player, better teammate, how to persevere, and so much more. It was the experience of a lifetime and I'd go again in a heartbeat.  

Wingate Volleyball International Experience:

Kasprak, Mullen, Morland, Sheedy, and Walker join a long list of Wingate players that have competed overseas in international competitions. Sophie Schaff and Anne Abernathy were selected to the BIP All Star squad in July of 2019, Phoebe Havenaar and Treslyn Ortiz were a part of the 2018 European Global Challenge. Kimberly Hovey was a part of the 2017 Global Challenge, while Rachel Lods, Rachael Cecka and Anna Holmquist competed in the 2016 tournament. Katie Bludau participated in the same event in 2015. Abby Saehler and Kori Adams have also played internationally in the past years. Alison Cooke and Anna Hilton both played for the AVCA All-American team that traveled to Costa Rica. Hilton, along with Iris Brewer, Shelly Stumpff, Lexi Potter, Susie Murach, Cory McGowan and Grace Krauser all were selected to USA teams that competed internationally.

Bring It Promotions (BIP)

Bring it Promotions (BIP) is a full service volleyball travel agency with partners and staff across the globe. BIP specializes in international volleyball tours and events as well as professional career development. BIP has been running volleyball tours of all lengths and abilities since 1996, offering club, university and "all-star" tours for both indoor and beach teams of all levels and ages.

Each tour combines competitive volleyball with sightseeing, unique cultural activities and travel to beautiful cities. BIP is the global leader in managing foreign volleyball tours and are now offering tours to more regions of the world than ever before.

Wingate University

Founded in 1896, Wingate University is a laboratory of difference-making that serves more than 3,400 students in North Carolina. Wingate offers 37 undergraduate majors as well as eight master's and five doctoral degrees. The University is home to the Cannon College of Arts and Sciences; the Levine College of Health Sciences; the Byrum School of Business; and the College of Professional Studies, which includes the Thayer School of Education and the School of Sport Sciences.

Wingate is a leader in healthcare education, and nearly one in five Wingate undergraduate students is preparing to be a pharmacist, physician assistant, physical therapist, occupational therapist or nurse. Student-athletes on Wingate's 25 teams compete in NCAA Division II and have brought home the SAC Echols Athletic Excellence Award for 14 years straight. The University's motto is "Faith, Knowledge, Service." View current news and videos at www.wingate.edu.