Hello all! The last two weeks have been quite the whirlwind adventure!

I want to start off by thanking all of the people who made this trip possible: from the administration and coaches at the University of Illinois to Jessica Palermo and others that work in the Big Ten, this experience has been incredible. Every time I go abroad to play international volleyball it becomes easier, whether that is adjusting to travel, eating different food, having limited air-conditioning, and learning how to play with girls I have just met, I feel more comfortable with the change the more I do it. I have been very fortunate to have as many opportunities as I have had to play this incredible sport while also becoming enlightened by the various cultures.

The history within Europe is unmatched by the United States solely based on how young this country is comparatively and with that there is beauty in architecture that is unmatched by anything domestically. Thank you to all of the teammates I had over the course of the past 10 days, it was an honor to play beside you for the short time we did and I look forward to competing against each of you across the net this fall. Last, I would like to thank Steve Aird, our head coach for this trip, for coaching us not only in volleyball but also sharing his life experiences and memories with us. 

We had this saying for a large chunk of the trip, "all gas, no brakes" and initially it was relevant to going down the alpine slide and having the guts to not brake until the very end, but it transferred onto the court with the same message to be courageous and give everything you have, all the gas, into every point and every play.

All gas, no brakes. 

Jordyn Poulter

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