FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Megan Burns,
Maddie Uilk and
Samantha Blasko, all members of the Nova Southeastern volleyball team, have been selected to improve their skills internationally this summer.
Burns and Uilk will travel to Europe to compete for the U22 BIP SE All Star Team while Blasko, along with head coach
Jennifer King, will travel to Brazil to play on the USA Div. II Black Volleyball Team. Coach King will also be coaching the Black Team consisting of 10 players.
"To have three of our athletes spending a part of their summer competing is a great opportunity not just for them, but for our team as well," explained King. "Sam, Maddie, and Megan are going to be playing against elite level athletes in new settings they're not familiar with, which will grow their confidence and volleyball IQ by leaps and bounds."
The USA Div. II Volleyball Tour will run from May 29 through June 7. The teams will begin with orientation in Orlando, Fla. on May 29 before departing for Sao Paulo, Brazil that evening. The teams will practice a day later in the city of Jundiai before matches on May 31 and June 1 versus one professional team and one club team. The teams will then travel to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on June 2, where the teams will be a part of an International Challenge. The International Challenge will be two matches versus club teams from the city of Rio de Janeiro. The two USA Div. II Volleyball teams will be competing against top U22, adult and professional club teams from the States of Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro while on the tour.
"I'm incredibly excited and honored to have been chosen to compete in the USA Div. II Volleyball Brazil Tour," explained Blasko. "Brazil has been on my bucket list of places I would like to travel to for a while, so it is pretty amazing that I not only get to travel and sightsee in Brazil, but also play competitive volleyball with some seriously talented athletes. It's definitively the best of both worlds and I'm excited to learn new skills from the people around me and bring them back to my play here at NSU!"
Burns and Uilk are two of 11 collegiate athletes that will compete as the U22 BIP SE All Star Team during a tour of Europe slated for July 5-16. The tour will begin in Munich, Germany, where the team will have an opportunity to sight-see, train and compete alongside the Munchen Club Teams. From Munich, the squad will travel to Salzburg, Austria for a day trip before heading to Bled, Slovenia for final tournament preparation before heading to Pula, Croatia for the 2017 European Global Challenge Opening Ceremonies. The four-day tournament is held July 11-15, and will feature national-select teams from the United States, as well as international teams from all across Europe.
"I am extremely excited to be representing NSU and America this summer in the European Global Challenge 2017!" said Uilk. "I've never been out of the country, but based on everything I've heard from my international teammates and classmates, it sounds incredible. It will be an experience of a lifetime, and I'm so blessed to be given this opportunity."
