Volleyball Europe trip headline image

Volleyball

A trip of a lifetime

Badger volleyball heads to Europe from June 5-17

Volleyball

A trip of a lifetime

Badger volleyball heads to Europe from June 5-17

96961
ANDY BAGGOT
Insider

BY ANDY BAGGOT
UWBadgers.com Insider

Kelly Sheffield was 22 when he embarked on an odyssey that forever altered the course of his life.

On little more than a whim, he and his younger brother Shaun jammed all they could fit into one backpack apiece, converted their summer job earnings into American Express travelers' checks and hopped a transatlantic flight that deposited them in Stuttgart, Germany.

"We had no plan,'' Kelly recalled. "We just went from city to city. Spend a few days in a place and when we were tired of that place we'd go to the train station and see what was on the (departure) board.''

It was October of 1992 and the Sheffield Boys from Muncie, Indiana, were spreading their wings.

"We got off the plane and stood there thinking, 'Now what?''' Kelly remembered.

The brothers ultimately took a bus downtown and ran into some other 20-somethings sporting backpacks. They were headed for the annual Oktoberfest celebration in Munich. The Sheffield Boys joined them and their three-month adventure was officially underway.

Kelly and Shaun traveled together for a month before splitting up for a month and then reuniting for the final weeks of their excursion. They stayed in hostels while visiting Belgium, Denmark, France, Poland, Spain and the Czech Republic as well as Germany. They had fun. They met new people. They became closer as brothers, celebrating Shaun's 21st birthday along the way. They became more aware. They grew up.

"It was life-changing,'' Kelly said.

Sheffield, now the Wisconsin volleyball coach, is telling this story from a seat a few feet from the Field House floor where his players were deep into a spirited 2-hour practice one late May morning.

He was reminiscing about his long-ago trip because another is on deck, one more formal, expansive and well-organized. The Badgers will spend June 5-17 on a tour of Europe that features six matches, includes stops in Austria, the Czech Republic, Italy and Slovenia and, hopefully, will generate a lot of important growth as teammates, student-athletes and citizens of the world.

"I was about these guys' age,'' Sheffield said of his brotherly enterprise while nodding toward his players on the floor.

"I was the center of my universe going into that. You get outside your bubble of Muncie, Indiana, and you see what else is out there. The good. The bad. It changed my perspective on life going forward.''

In preparing for his seventh season as Wisconsin coach, Sheffield hopes the same seismic impact will be felt by his players, only four of who have been to Europe and only eight who have been outside of the U.S., and have not seen the iconic sites they'll see on this journey.

"There are so many great things that could come out of this that can change their lives in ways they'll never know,'' he said.
The process has already begun.

Coaches and players have taken part in two hour-long introductory lectures that outline the history, language, food and culture of the regions they'll visit. The first focused on the Czech Republic, specifically the city of Prague. The second was on Italy, which isolated stops in Milan, Rome and Venice.

As for their matches, all against elite-level club teams, the Badgers have been practicing with international-style balls, which have a pebbled texture compared to the smoother surface of the one sanctioned by the NCAA. The grainy feature makes the international balls more apt to dip, curve and wobble.

Asked to identify his priority for the trip, Sheffield had a curious answer.

"I think the priority is maxing it out,'' he said.

It's important that the players bond on the court as well as off it. There are six newcomers – setter Izzy Ashburn, middle blocker Courtney Gorum, outside hitter Liz Gregorski, libero Anna MacDonald and libero Emma Whitehead are freshmen, while libero Lauren Barnes, a junior, is a transfer from Minnesota – who are eager to get up to speed.

"A big aspect of starting this early and being able to take this trip with the team is also getting to know the coaches and them getting to know us,'' said Ashburn, a two-time all-state selection from Dayton, Minnesota. "I think it's already starting to come together.''

Senior setter Mallory Dixon, from Manitowoc, is one of 13 upperclassmen who know the Wisconsin experience inside and out.

"Traveling and spending so much time together builds so much camaraderie,'' she said. "The trust between everyone is going to be so much stronger afterwards.''

The Badgers have been practicing since May 20, which means a good chunk have taken place without the added burden of going to class.

"Normally in the summer we don't get any contact with the coaches, so a lot of it is player-driven,'' said redshirt senior outside hitter Madison Duello, from Kansas City, Missouri. "This is getting experience with the coaches teaching techniques as well as the (newcomers) getting to meet and to know them.''

It's vital, too, that the Badgers get better as players. The process of creating chemistry for the upcoming season – the pursuit of a NCAA championship – starts in the extra practices and extends to the matches versus the likes of the Czech Federation, Olymp Praha, Italy JNT and Volleyro.

"You've got an opportunity to play some elite teams,'' Sheffield said.

It's important that the student-athletes – from Arizona, Illinois, Indiana, Georgia, Missouri, Virginia as well as Minnesota and Wisconsin – embrace the historic and cultural aspects of what could very well be a once-in-a-lifetime trip.

Seeing da Vinci's "Last Supper'' mural in Milan, staring up at the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in Rome, strolling the streets of Vienna where Mozart, Beethoven and Freud lived and walking the Charles Bridge, built in 1402, in Prague are true bucket list items.

Ashburn and Dixon are among those going overseas for the first time, so they're getting packing tips and checking out various travel and translation apps. Dixon has some obvious items atop her to-do list, but is looking forward to the complete experience.

"Obviously to play some good volleyball and get better,'' she said of her priorities, "but Kelly's also made a big emphasis on broadening our horizons and stepping out of our comfort zones whether that be with food or seeing different things or learning about different things.''

Sheffield said the approach to playing matches will be different than the regular season.

"We're not going to sit around the hotel and get rested up for a game like we normally do,'' he said. "We're going to be out hiking or seeing the sights, waiting in lines, something like that.''

When it comes to stepping on the court and competing, "we'll try to be the best that we can be,'' Sheffield said.

Woven into the European experience are some individual excursions.

Two-time all-America middle blocker Dana Rettke, a junior from Riverside, Illinois, has been training and competing with the U.S. National Team since mid-May. She will remain with the team through June 6 as the U.S. returns to Lincoln, Nebraska, to play Korea, Germany and Brazil as part of the FIVB Volleyball Nations League. Rettke is expected to rejoin the Badgers in Slovenia.

Nicole Shanahan, a junior middle blocker from Oconomowoc, will join a Big Ten Conference-sponsored tour of Japan. She'll join the group June 17.

Barnes, meanwhile, has been chosen to play for the U.S. in the World University Games in Italy starting June 30.

Recalling his three-month sojourn to Europe, Sheffield said he had his belongings stolen four days into the trip and, at one point, rode a subway with a man brandishing a handgun and boom box.

To save money, Sheffield would occasionally wash dishes or do odd jobs in exchange for a night's stay in a youth hostel. 
"You learn a lot of things,'' he said.

Things that will change your life, creating memories that will live forever.
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Players Mentioned

Mallory Dixon

#6 Mallory Dixon

S
5' 9"
Junior
Manitowoc, Wis.
Madison Duello

#14 Madison Duello

OH
6' 3"
Redshirt Junior
Kansas City, Mo.
Dana Rettke

#16 Dana Rettke

MB
6' 8"
Sophomore
Nicole Shanahan

#12 Nicole Shanahan

MB
6' 2"
Sophomore
Lauren Barnes

#1 Lauren Barnes

L/DS
5' 6"
Junior
Anna MacDonald

#3 Anna MacDonald

L/DS
5' 8"
Freshman
Liz Gregorski

#4 Liz Gregorski

OH
5' 11"
Freshman
Emma Whitehead

#7 Emma Whitehead

L/DS
5' 3"
Freshman
Courtney Gorum

#9 Courtney Gorum

MB
6' 3"
Freshman
Izzy Ashburn

#11 Izzy Ashburn

S
5' 11"
Freshman

Players Mentioned

Mallory Dixon

#6 Mallory Dixon

5' 9"
Junior
Manitowoc, Wis.
S
Madison Duello

#14 Madison Duello

6' 3"
Redshirt Junior
Kansas City, Mo.
OH
Dana Rettke

#16 Dana Rettke

6' 8"
Sophomore
MB
Nicole Shanahan

#12 Nicole Shanahan

6' 2"
Sophomore
MB
Lauren Barnes

#1 Lauren Barnes

5' 6"
Junior
L/DS
Anna MacDonald

#3 Anna MacDonald

5' 8"
Freshman
L/DS
Liz Gregorski

#4 Liz Gregorski

5' 11"
Freshman
OH
Emma Whitehead

#7 Emma Whitehead

5' 3"
Freshman
L/DS
Courtney Gorum

#9 Courtney Gorum

6' 3"
Freshman
MB
Izzy Ashburn

#11 Izzy Ashburn

5' 11"
Freshman
S