Inside Volley Board

When, where and why did you start to play volleyball? That's something you have ever dreamed of?
I started playing volleyball at the age of 14, for my school team. I played because most girls in my school played (there were only 14 girls my age in my class at my school). I liked playing volleyball, but swimming was the sport I loved. I had been swimming with a competitive team for 4 years, and thought that was the sport I would continue in. However, my high school didn't have a competitive team, so I continued playing volleyball and basketball there. By the time I finished high school, I loved the sport, and found out I could pay for my college education by playing a sport I loved!

When did you realize volleyball could be a job for you?
I never really saw volleyball as something that would be a job for me. I thought after college if I could play for a couple of years and earn some money, that would be about all I could do. That was 7 years ago, and I am still loving playing. To think that I've been able to earn a living from it still surprises me sometimes!

A lot of coaches say that it’s hard to set up the block for a left-handed player. What’s your opinion on that? Do you think that being left-handed brings some advantage when you’re going to attack?
I think most good teams have faced a left-handed player pretty regularly, so most players are able to adjust for blocking me to be in the right position, so I don't think it's much of an advantage that way.

This years you'll be 30. Can you make an assessment of your career?
Well, it has been longer than I thought it would be. When I finished college, I thought I would try to make the 2004 Olympic team (3 years away) and play the seasons until then. But I thought that after the 2004 Olympics, I would quit playing and move on to another job. However at that time, I decided I still loved playing and wanted to continue. Playing volleyball has also helped my husband and I to start a business in Nebraska, where we live, so this has opened doors for us outside of the volleyball world.



What do you think about the level of volleyball played in the Turkish League?
In the Turkish League, there are probably 4 or 5 teams that are all very good. This league has a limit of 3 foreign players per team, so the level is not as high as a league like Italy, where they are allowed many more foreign players. But the competition between the teams in this league is very difficult among the top teams.

You were nearly having a terrible accident in Diyarbakır a few months ago... How that event affected you and the team?
What happened in Diyarbakir didn't really affect our team. Turkey (as a country) is continually attacking the Kurds in Iraq in response to the attacks the Kurds do to the Turkish people in that region. So for our Turkish girls, once their families knew that they were alright, it wasn't that big of a deal to them. For us, it was a little bit scary, because we are not used to being in a region that is so unstable. We learn to be careful when we are overseas because of animosity (bad feelings) towards Americans, but that attack wasn't even about anything American, we were just in a place that was attacked. So that made it pretty scary for us as Americans.

Do you think USA has some chance of winning OG? What teams do you consider to be favorites?
I think 6 teams all have a good chance to win the Olympic Games in 2008. The USA definitely has a chance, but Cuba is always strong in the Olympic year. Italy has a very good team right now. China is very good and will be playing at home, so they will fight harder for victory. Brazil is always a very good national team as well. Russia is very good if they are playing well. There are several teams from Europe that can surprise people by playing very well. There will definitely be very good competition at the Olympics!

Do you have any superstitions (related to matches)?
I don't do anything because of superstition, but I have my own routine that I follow before games. I think routine is important to help your mind be ready when you step on the court.



Do you have any problems because of being tall?
The only problem I have is finding clothes that fit right, because my arms and legs are very long, and my feet are very big!

What are your next goals?
Right now, my next goal is to help my team in Turkey win the Championship for this league!


Thanks USOC and Nancy Metcalf for the pictures.