Noll and Hunter Recount European Cup Experience
6/21/2004 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
June 21, 2004
Mizzou volleyball players Lindsey Noll and Lindsey Hunter have returned to the United States after spending ten days in the Czech Republic, competing on the USA Select Team in the European Spring Cup.
The USA Select Team was comprised of top collegiate players, including many that are considered part of the USA Volleyball pipeline of potential National Team athletes.
Below both Noll and Hunter discuss their experience.
Lindsey Noll
Q: What was your reaction when you learned you had been selected to take part in the European Spring Cup?
A: I was very excited! My dream has been to play professional volleyball in Europe when I am done playing college volleyball, so being selected to play in the Spring Cup was a great opportunity for me to try to get my foot in the door in Europe.
Q: What was the best memory you will take away from the experience?
A: Getting to hang out with and meet so many new people. I loved all the girls on the team so much, we all really bonded very well and I will definitely stay in touch with them. My funniest memory from the trip was when we were in Brno and Rachel (VanMeter from Illinois), (MU teammate Lindsey) Hunter and I went up in the bell tower of the cathedral there. We were all standing inside the bell tower just looking around when all of a sudden the bells went off. They were so loud and scared us so bad that we all screamed and took off running! The best part, though, was that I got the whole thing on video!
Q: How do you feel this experience will help your volleyball game?
A: The competition in Europe was really tough; tall players, hard hitters, great blockers, and tough serves and defense. We had to play our absolute best for every point. Playing against the best of the best definitely has made me a better player because while I was there I had to see the blocker every time I went up to hit or they would stuff it back in my face. I also had to really read the hitters when I was blocking because they never just hit into your hand, and this was something that I was working on all spring.
Q: What was it like to have one of your MU teammates with you on the trip?
A: I am so happy that Hunter was on the trip with me. First, it was nice to have someone to travel with because it was a long trip and a little scary because we had to chance flights in Amsterdam. I think it also gave us an advantage on the court because we have played together now for 2 years so we did not have to worry about connecting on our sets/hits. Plus, we also know how each other plays and could help each other out on the court.
Q: What were some of your favorite places/sights you visited?
A: Well, while I was in Prague with the team my favorite things I saw were the Old Town Astrological Clock (a huge clock that tells time, days, months, and astrological signs. It is the only one like it in the world). I also loved the Prague Castle and the cathedral of St. Vitus inside the castle (the cathedral has the largest rosary stained glass window in Europe). I also went to Vienna, Salzburg, Innsbruck, and Rome on my own for vacation. Rome was my favorite and I loved the Roman forum, the Coliseum, and the Sistine Chapel!
Q: How was the food? Did you have anything interesting to eat?
A: The food, overall, was pretty good. A little greasier than I am used to but it was not bad. Prague had the best food but while we were in Brno we ate at the hotel so that food was not as good. The one thing I really missed while we were there was salad! They do not have lettuce, carrots, tomatoes, dressing, etc. They would just have cabbage and some other weird veggies and no dressing! The weirdest thing I ate was what they considered a hamburger, but what it was a piece of ground beef with an egg, sunny side up, on top of it and some interesting looking gravy! It did not taste too bad, but I was not a fan of the egg on top of the meat.
Q: Did it take long to adjust to playing with your new teammates?
A: I was surprised at how well we came together as a team. It seemed like we had been playing together for a while, when in reality we only practiced 3 times together before our 1st match.
Q: What was your reaction when you learned you have been selected to take part in the European Spring Cup?
A:I was excited because I knew I was going to have the chance to meet new people, play high level volleyball, and see a culture I had never seen before.
Q: What was the best memory you will take away from the experience?
A:The best memory was the people that I meet and the relationships I created.
Q: How do you feel this experience will help your volleyball game?
A:It was a good experience to play internationally because it is much different than the U.S. and it kind of gave me a better sense of the court.
Q: What was it like to have one of you MU teammates with you on the trip?
A:Lindsey and I had a lot of fun together in Czech and it was nice because I didn't have to adapt to her as a player like I did with all the other girls.
Q: What were some of your favorite places/sights you visited?
A:One my favorite places was St. Vitas' Cathedral in Prague. The architecture of the building was amazing and it was extremely beautiful.
Q: How was the food? Did you have anything interesting to eat?
A:The food wasn't too bad. Of course I couldn't wait to get home to American food again, but the traditional Czech food was very good. I was surprised to see that most of the food there is fried and there weren't very many overweight people at all. I think it's because the portions are much smaller than ours.
Q: Did it take long to adjust to playing with your new teammates?
A:Not really at all. We were around some very exceptional players and it was pretty easy for me to adjust.
