Volleyball team headed for European tour

Europe has seen its fair share of despots, conquerors and bloody wars, but now it will face its greatest challenge yet: the K-State volleyball team.

This summer, the team will go on a whirlwind tour across the pond, playing in Hungary, Slovenia and Italy. Head coach Suzie Fritz said her team is looking forward to the trip.

"It's just really exciting for them," Fritz said. "I think it's a great opportunity for them."

Two years ago, the volleyball team was packed and ready to take China by storm, but the day before its departure, the group backing the trip declared bankruptcy, and the team had to cancel its plans. ESPN's Outside the Lines ran a feature on the conundrum, which caught the eye of a new benefactor.

William Edington read the piece and decided to right the wrong. With his non-profit organization, USA Athletes International, that sends young teams to play against international competition, Edington donated the money to send the Wildcats abroad.

"We've very thankful, because USA Athletes International is basically providing this trip for us, and, in essence, trying to make it right for our China trip that fell through," Fritz said. "If it wasn't for them, we wouldn't have this opportunity."

Leaving spring semester, the team will spend most of its time in Hungary and Slovenia on its 10-day tour, hitting Italy for a quick stop before coming home. Fritz said this will be a good chance to learn from different volleyball teams.

"Playing at an international level of competition and having an opportunity to play some different styles and some different things, I think, is always very valuable," Fritz said. "We're pretty young, and we need as much match experience as we can get right now."

The team will release match outcomes and post pictures of its travels daily on kstatesports.com, and one player will update fans every other day on the experience.