The Kent State volleyball team will kickoff preseason
practice for the 2014 campaign Saturday morning at the M.A.C. Center. Several
of the Golden Flashes stuck around campus and took summer courses over the past
few months.
Sophomore Drew Norberg was not among those players, however.
The 6-0 middle blocker was awarded the opportunity to travel and compete at the
European Global Challenge in Pula, Croatia last month. The South Lake Tahoe, Calif. native was one of nine
student-athletes selected to represent the Northern California VolleyballAssociation (NCVA).
“I was so excited because I’ve always wanted to go to Europe,”
Norberg said. “I got a text from my club coach. He said they were in need of a
middle and told them about me.”
While the competition lasted just four days (July 14-17),
Norberg and her NCVA teammates were able to take advantage of this opportunity
and spent nearly two weeks in Europe.
The team flew to Milan, Italy, where it spent a few days
training and sightseeing. Then it was on to Lovere, Italy to spend time in the
Alps in addition to more sightseeing and practicing against the Italian Youth
National Team. Following the end of competition in Pula, the team spent a few
days in Venice, Italy before heading back to the U.S.
“Venice was probably my favorite
place that we visited. It was just unbelievable almost with all of the water
and everything. It was just so beautiful over there. All of the cultures were different and it was a really good
experience.”
On the court, the NCVA team finished 7th out of 12 teams competing
in the U22 division of the event. The nine-player roster included just two
middles, which provided Norberg with a lot of on-court action to continue
improving her game.
“I was pleased with how I played overall and think I improved
really well in blocking and serves. I didn’t get that much offensive stuff in,
but I definitely got to work on other things that I had wanted to.”
The experience also allowed her a first-hand glimpse at the
way the sport is played at the international level.
“The main difference is the tempo over there is a lot slower because
they focus more on placing the ball and taking smart shots. They try to
outsmart their opponents instead of just trying to beat them and be faster than
them.”
When she wasn’t traveling abroad, Norberg spent much of her time
back home working out and focusing on preparing for her sophomore
season. Despite not seeing much court time throughout the year, Norberg
continued working hard and came through with her best performance against Ohio
in the quarterfinals of the Mid-American Conference Tournament, totaling 4
kills and a .667 attack percentage. She received the team’s Most Improved Award
following the season.
“A lot of girls come in
thinking they’re the best. They were the best at their high school, and I had
that mentality as well coming into last year. I didn’t realize how much that I
had to learn and how much I really needed to just start over. It was hard, but now I understand what the coaches want and how
much I still have to learn and to improve on.”
“I played a lot of volleyball, so I’m in good playing shape. Blocking
was a big thing for me. I know Coach Gromala wants me become a better blocker
and has talked about working on my footwork in my approach and my block. So I
worked on that a lot with my coaches back in California.
Kent State made great strides in 2013, doubling both its overall
and conference win totals from the previous season, in addition to qualifying
for the MAC Tournament for the first time since 2010. A national Top 100
recruiting class joins a team that lost just three players from a season ago,
providing great optimism for the program.
“I definitely want to make
it to the MAC Tournament again and wins a few matches. I’m looking forward to a
really good, positive year and hope to give our seniors something to go out
with. I was excited to see everyone when I got into town and can’t wait to get
back into it."
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