June 15, 2010
COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Senior outside hitter Julianna Klein (Keota, Iowa) is currently playing for the Bring It Promotions (BIP)/USA Developmental team in Sao Paulo, Brazil, along with 11 of the nation's top players. Recently, MUTigers.com caught up with Klein and talked with her about her experiences in Brazil. For more information on the BIP/USA Brazilian tour, click here and for the complete question and answer session, continue reading below. Also, you can follow BIP/USA on its tour through Brazil on Twitter.
Below is a question and answer session with Klein as she talks about her experience with BIP/USA and her time in Brazil.
Q: How did you get involved with the BIP/USA Development?
A: Tim Kelly from Bring It Promotions contacted Wayne (Kreklow) about players for the trip and Wayne got a hold of me to see if I was interested and I took the opportunity and ran with it.
Q: How have you enjoyed competing with some of the top Division I talent in the country on an international level, and how does that prepare you for the upcoming season?
A: I have had so much fun already and I have learned about other player's style. This group of players has connected well both on and off the court and has made the experience that much better.
I think it is beneficial to play with other girls who have different outlooks on the game and it has already helped me improve as a player. Being able to play here has given me a lot of chances to become a better player and prepare for this season.
Q: What has been the neatest thing that you have seen while in Brazil?
A: The coolest thing we've done so far in Brazil was going to the "Americana" rodeo. There were probably close to 50,000 people there and I would compare it to a state fair - but so much bigger.
They had games to play, food and drinks of all kinds, and even places to dance. We even got to see some of the rodeo where people from all over the world were competing for money. But that's not the most fun we've had yet. We will be going to see some soccer games and with the World Cup going on, there are crazy fans all over the city going nuts for the Brazilian team. Seeing this is all very cool.
Q: How is the volleyball in Brazil different from the volleyball being played in the states?
A: The volleyball here is a little bit different than college volleyball in the states. The players are very experienced and skilled and their strategy varies from team to team. Also it's fun because the players all differ in age from in their early 20s to late 30s, so some of the players have been playing for a very long time.
Q: Does playing at this level prepare you for a career in professional volleyball after college?
A: Playing at this level would definitely be a starting point to play professional ball after college. It's a good opportunity to get the feel of what international play is about and how the players play and what the lifestyle is like.
Q: Are you nervous at all to play other national teams?
A: More than anything I think we are all really excited to play the other national teams. We get better every day that we get to play together and playing high level teams is a lot of fun. It gives us the chance to just keep improving.
Q: How was the travel down to Brazil and had you ever been out of the country prior to going to Brazil?
A: Traveling down here wasn't too bad. I took the red eye so I slept most of the flight which was nice. I flew from Kansas City to Newark and from Newark to Sao Paulo. When I got to Newark I ended up meeting another girl on the trip while I was in line to board the plane, so it relieved both of us a little bit knowing that we weren't alone. Before this I had been to Mexico and Dominican Republic but I had never traveled internationally alone, so that was a good experience for me.
Q: How important is it to have Mizzou represented on the BIP roster?
A: Being able to represent Mizzou on this trip is very exciting for me and our team. I hope that my teammates can have the same opportunity to come on a trip like this so they can enjoy similar experiences to what I'm having right now. It's definitely a good opportunity for volleyball and just a good traveling experience in general. Being with a great group of people has made this trip exceptional and I don't think I would change anything about it .
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