University of Tennessee Athletics
FORMER LADY VOL VOLLEYBALL PLAYERS COMPETING IN EUROPE
June 29, 2006 | Volleyball
June 29, 2006
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - A pair of former University of Tennessee volleyball players, setter Julie Knytych (LaGrange Park, Ill.) and libero Amy Morris (Michigan City, Ind.), are in the process of trying their hand at European competition. The two helped lead the Lady Vols to the NCAA National Semifinals in their senior season of 2005 and to the school's first berth in the Regional Semifinals in 20 years the season before.
Knytych recently signed with Clamart Volley-Ball in France, a team which finished second in 2005-06 in the N1 (National 1) league. She will begin play with the team for the 2006-07 campaign.
Morris is set to try out for VfB Suhl in the Germany Bundesliga this July. The squad finished fifth in the league competition in 2005-06.
The pair participated in the Seventh Annual January European Exposure Tour, organized by Bring It Promotions, earlier this year. The players paid for travel costs and some meals, while all other expenses were covered.
The tour allowed former college players to sample the European version of the sport and the culture of the continent, while also giving themselves exposure to those teams, as the group played a number of contests against European competition. This year, the American players spent 11 days traveling through the Czech Republic, Austria, Slovenia and Germany.
"Participating in the European Exposure Tour was fun, and it gave me a chance to see a lot of different places over there," Morris said. "I learned a lot about myself and how independent I am and that I really do want to go play overseas."
The style of play was very different from what the Americans were used to in the United States.
"They don't really use the middles," Morris said. '(The style of play) is mainly just setting the outsides. The offensive tempo is also very different, as it is a lot slower."
Knytych noticed a significant difference, as well.
"They do not block a lot," Knytych said. "One match we saw had two stuff blocks the entire match, and they were by a former Georgia player (Rashinda Reed). Also, depending on the coach and the club, they set the ball higher."
The two players were able to watch VBG Salzburg and former Lady Vol outside hitter Michelle Piantadosi (Boca Raton, Fla.) play. The trip to watch the team play and practice showed the American players what it was like to have a coach who did not speak any English (the team uses a translator and the non-native speaking players and the coaches try to speak in the other's language as well as they can).
"It was great to see Amy and Julie and to have all the Americans here," Piantadosi said. "We felt at home with all of them. It was really cool to be able to show Amy and Julie my life here. I brought them to practice and they saw how different the game is. It was funny to see them try to adjust; it reminded me of how I was when I first got here."
A 2004 senior, Piantadosi played for the team last season, as it finished third in Austria, before deciding not to return for the upcoming campaign. She placed fourth in the league in scoring, behind three Austrian players.
The main difference that she saw between the American and European styles of play is that the game is much slower in Europe and there is a much bigger emphasis on power hitting and much less on defense. Defense is not practiced as much, while hitting is worked on every day.
"In general, it has been a great experience," Piantadosi said. "It was hard trying to adjust to a completely different lifestyle along with a whole different style of volleyball and training, which is less intense and there is not a lot of variety. Of course, not knowing a word of German, was tough trying to learn and adjust to that."
Piantadosi also spoke on how much more free time there is as compared to when she was a Division I player at Tennessee.
"Here it is way different," Piantadosi said. "I trained in the mornings a few days a week and another practice at night between 7 and 8 and that was all my life really entailed. I spent a lot of time alone. I read a lot and watched all of my DVDs about three million times.
"It has been hard at times being away from my family and friends, but overall I had a great experience. I'm glad that I did it. Being here gave me an opportunity to develop my game all the way around, and I'm playing at a higher level now."
