2010 Team Trip To Spain

Head Coach Paco Labrador and Wittenberg University's nationally ranked volleyball team headed overseas for the third time in the last seven years recently for a 12-day trip to Spain. Fourteen current Tiger players, Labrador, assistant coach Laura Jensen and team manager Lauren Henry flew to Madrid on May 24, and over the next two weeks they posted a 3-0 record against semi-pro teams, while losing a close match to the Spanish junior national team.

Along the way, members of the travelling party absorbed a wide range of educational opportunities and cultural experiences. The players were exposed to different kinds of food, customs and traditions, in addition to sightseeing trips to such sites as El Prado Museum in Madrid, the Roman Cathedral in Toledo and the famous Alcazar of Segovia.

What follows are several first-person accounts and three photos from their trip.

"Being a Spanish major, the two weeks we spent in Spain was a great opportunity to practice with native speakers. Most people knew little to no English. It was an amazing experience that I could never find in the classroom, being able to use my Spanish to get directions, order food, and even have conversations."

"It was interesting to see how different their culture was from ours and to be able to experience it for two weeks. It was fun to meet Spanish volleyball players, see how they train and even exchange practice t-shirts!"

"Thanks to our trip to Spain, my legs are probably in the best shape of my life. After walking an average of nine miles a day, climbing two hundred stairs to the top of a castle in Segovia, and playing volleyball in the evening, I am now ready for anything next season."

"This Spain trip was the chance of a lifetime. Spending ten days with my thirteen best friends in a foreign country playing volleyball is a memory I'm never going to forget."

"The trip to Spain was a great experience to be able to be with my teammates for two weeks in such a different culture. We grew a lot closer. It also helped the team to be exposed to the Spanish teams' style of play and allowed us to have a lot of extra time on the court practicing and competing this off-season."