The Quiet Power of Sarah Wilhite Parsons

00:00:02
Speaker 1: Hi, I'm timany Oshinsky, and this is Serving Pancakes NOE. Not a podcast about food. This is a podcast about volleyball and more to you. A pancake is a fluffy, syrup drenched breakfast food, but in volleyball, a pancake is a high effort move when a player flattens her hand against the ground to keep the ball in play. And that's us digging into high efforts that are moving sports forward. Listen in as I talk with people making the biggest impacts on global volleyball and women's sports perspectives, insights, and behind the scenes stories, all with the side of pancakes. Today's episode features the University of Minnesota's first ever AVCA Player of the Year, Sarah Willheide Parsons. Born and raised in the North Star State, Sarah was named Minnesota's Gatorade Player of the Year, not once, but twice. She's been a member of the US women's national team since twenty seventeen, and we'll be calling Madison, Wisconsin her home when the love season starts. Hi, Sarah, so good to see. Thanks for coming over and having some pancakes and chat.

00:01:15
Speaker 2: Yeah.

00:01:15
Speaker 1: So we got to start with obviously, the pancakes.

00:01:18
Speaker 2: Are you a pancakesan big fan?

00:01:20
Speaker 1: Yeah?

00:01:20
Speaker 2: So what's your go to? I would say chocolate chip?

00:01:23
Speaker 1: Well, we have chocolate chips. Do you ever create chocolate chip pancakes and design faces or something with the chocolate chips while you're making them?

00:01:29
Speaker 2: No? But I would make like mini mouse growing a little really yeah, oh that's so not with the chocolate chips.

00:01:36
Speaker 1: With the actual pancakes, did you use like a cookie cutter thing or did you just do like big glob little.

00:01:43
Speaker 2: No, I grew up with like a like a mini mouse. Actually, pancake for I guess wallfull for but pancakes.

00:01:51
Speaker 1: They're all almost the same, but pretty close.

00:01:56
Speaker 2: Yeah, pretty close.

00:01:57
Speaker 1: So, Sarah, I like to start with this question, what did you want to be when you grew up before you knew about volleyball?

00:02:05
Speaker 2: Well, I think I always grew up wanting to be a mom first, right, Yeah, so sweet. I grew up with a younger sister who's ten years younger than me. Oh and so like, throughout high school everything, I just was really excited to be a mom. Of course, not in that time. I was looking forward to it the most. I feel like that's what when I'm asked what my dream job is. I always say being a mom.

00:02:25
Speaker 1: That's amazing. So since you were ten years older, did you find yourself babysitting her?

00:02:29
Speaker 2: A lot? Whicheah, a lot babysitting. And also she was just around all the time, Like I would be hanging out with my friends downstairs and Caroline was behind the couch, like you know, always creep the did you ever get annoyed?

00:02:40
Speaker 1: So my sister is six years older than me, so there were many times where were the one behind the couches where a little tiff would come in when she was with her boyfriend or whatever it was.

00:02:51
Speaker 2: Yeah, we had those moments too, but it's I mean, now she's eighteen, and it's fun to see her grow up too, because I feel I'll always remember her as like ten year old Caroline. Or she was actually the ballgirl for my college team, and so she I would like dive on the floor and kind of sweat and she would come and wipe it up and she'd be like, hey, good job. Then run on so sweet. A lot of sweet memories together.

00:03:15
Speaker 1: Oh oh my gosh. Yeah did she play?

00:03:17
Speaker 2: She did a little bit in high school, but not not beyond that.

00:03:21
Speaker 1: Just didn't follow my sister's footsteps. No, that's all right, that's okay.

00:03:25
Speaker 2: We do it for fun. Still that matters, I guess.

00:03:28
Speaker 1: So when did you get into volleyball?

00:03:30
Speaker 2: Then? Oh, I started when I was in fourth grade. I was probably ten years old when I really got into it.

00:03:35
Speaker 1: How did you get introduced to it? Was it something that your school did or was it something that someone said would be good at this?

00:03:41
Speaker 2: I moved from Arizona Minnesota, and all the outdoor sports I was doing in Arizona couldn't really translate to Minnesota weather.

00:03:49
Speaker 1: So which sports did you do in Arizona?

00:03:51
Speaker 2: I was like, I mean, I was pretty young, so I was in almost all the like soccer, swimming, tennis, most of the outdoor sports. I didn't play volleyball there. And then I moved to Minnesota and my older sister started playing. She's two years older than me, and I just kind of followed in her footsteps and started playing, And that's how I got into it. Nobody in my family, like my mom, didn't play. My dad didn't play, but fell in love with it really quick when I was young. My dad actually was a huge reason I played as much like or in fell in love with the sport. We would play for hours on our driveway and he would create drills for because me and my sister were really close in age, and so we would just play all the time. And even I'd come home from practice and I'd be like, let's go out and play like I just loved it. That's so sweet. Do you still play with your dad, I mean on vacations and stuff. I don't. I'm not around as much because they're still in Minnesota. But yeah, we'll always bring a ball to the beach if we're on vacation or kind of mess around. He's not moving as well anymore.

00:04:48
Speaker 1: Well, well, let's be honest, right, you are one of the top players in the nation. Right, you can pass it perfectly to him and anytime you need to.

00:04:58
Speaker 2: Well, last time I played with him actually accidentally. We were playing on the beach and I served a bottom and he like went up to take it and and came off and was like, I broke my finger. His finger was like yeah, taking a little breaks, Yeah, that's good. Forever memory ran to get surgery to actually get it fixed. Wow. I was like, sorry, I think it's only right that leave my mark. Somehow, I always remember it.

00:05:27
Speaker 1: Yeah, so when did you know that volleyball was going to be your sport, that you were above average and better than a lot of other good question.

00:05:37
Speaker 2: I think in high school I was pushed a lot. Even my freshman year of high school, the varsity coach came up to me and was like, you know, you could really help us on varsity. And I was like what Because I had just played with my little city or my city wasn't little, but I wasn't in club yet or anything. So I just didn't really know. I guess my potential because I didn't have a lot to like compare it to basically, So he put a lot of confidence in me, and I made varsity my freshman year and then played my four years there. But I still was like, oh, I don't know if I want to go Division one like I was. I don't know why, but I had it in my head that I would like lose my college experience if I played Division one volleyball, which in some ways it affects or it changes your experience, but it doesn't like make it go away. So it wasn't until my sophomore year of high school where I started looking at colleges and I was like, Oh, I can actually do this. And I went on a couple of visits, so it was like not just a I didn't know my potential right in one moment. It definitely took some time.

00:06:35
Speaker 1: So what DIDJI then decide on Minnesota?

00:06:38
Speaker 2: Well, I'm from Minnesota, but I actually have kind of a unique recruiting experience.

00:06:42
Speaker 1: I was the.

00:06:43
Speaker 2: Tea I was committed to Wisconsin. I committed there the summer after my sophomore year of high school. At the time, Minnesota never really recruited me because they had someone my year my position on scholarship, so I didn't even go and look because they didn't have scholarship available and that was a goal of mine, was to try to get a scholarship. So I didn't even look at Minnesota. And I toured Wisconsin and loved that school and it's a beautiful school. The volleyball program was definitely growing, and I knew a lot of the girls that were there, and so it seemed like a good fit. I have a lot of family in Madison also, so then I committed there. But then about a year and a half later, something happened with the girl that was committed there, and she decided not to go to Minnesota anymore. And it was one of those situations where I was like, I don't want to regret not even looking, just because Minnesota is my home and my family's all there, and for sure, through high school, I was really getting close with my family, not that I wasn't before, but it just felt like the right thing to do to at least go and visit. So it was a little bit of a unique experience to then have to go to my Wisconsin coach and be like, I'm not ready to sign to commit full ye, And those are hard conversations to have, and I remember my dad helped me through it a lot because I was like, I don't don't know how to sell you handle it. Yeah, I was like sixteen or something making a huge decision, and I knew it was affecting other people if I like decommitted, and so it was just really heavy emotionally. But then, yeah, I went to Minnesota and it was one of those things where I just like knew when I got there that this is where I was meant to be. Then I decommitted from Wisconsin and committed to Minnesota, and those are like rivals.

00:08:17
Speaker 1: Yeah, hey guys, it's me with a fun fact about the rivalry between Minnesota and Wisconsin, which dates back to nineteen seventy five. Since the rivalry started, Minnesota has been the dominant program, winning fifty three of their ninety one total matches, But since Sarah graduated in twenty sixteen, the Gophers have not been as effective, winning only one match over their last nine. But definitely check out those matches when we can. All right back to Sarah, before you got to Minnesota, you played on Northern Lights club team and your team was really good. Yeah, like one of the best in the country. So what was it like playing at that level? Did it help you when it came to eventually moving to the college level.

00:09:06
Speaker 2: Definitely. And I had girls on my team, Yeah, a lot of Division one girls were committed and a lot of them were actually committed to Minnesota, And so that was a fun experience to then go into my freshman year, like, Okay, I knew two of my three roommates. I knew girls that were coming in also the year after me. And there's a lot of comfort in that too, as like you step into this new, huge experience to have, like some familiarity and some friends, and the level of volleyball also was You're playing some of the best high school teams, but still some of the best like athletes at the club level. So definitely helped me move on.

00:09:43
Speaker 1: And I saw that your club team got to play in Italy. So what was that experience like because you were what seventeen eighteen.

00:09:52
Speaker 2: Yeah, that was my first I that was one of my first times abroad, and I think all the other times I was with like my parents, So that was just a different experience going with some of your best friends. And it's crazy to think about now because I've played like so many years overseas and I've really been able to actually live over there, not just visit. But in that moment, I was like, I don't know, stunned and shocked the whole time looking around at that side of the world because I had never been outside of the States, and so it was a cool experience also to go through it like we were going for volleyball, which again, like volleyball has brought me so many places in the world, but to try new foods, to talk with people who don't speak English, like, it was just a really good learning experience. Also for someone in high school and a privilege. I don't think a lot of people get that chance, so I was thankful for it.

00:10:38
Speaker 1: Well, your team actually won that tournament, and I saw it was only like the second American team to ever win at that tournament, which is insane. So what was going through your mind being in another country and dominating. Was it kind of shocking to you or did you ladies go and being like now I got this.

00:10:58
Speaker 2: Honestly, I feel like we didn't know we were getting ourselves into. Like I just remember showing up like, oh, we're playing all these teams. We didn't know the quality of the teams or the athletes that were there necessarily, But I think that's a good way to go into a tournament where you're just you don't have any expectations and then you are really just worrying about your side of the net. You're not worrying so much about who was on the other side. There was I remember one of the first teams we played just really brought it to us, like they were a really strong team, but it took that moment to them. Okay, we regrouped, and I think we came back stronger in like the playoff games and things like that ended up winning. So it was a good learning experience and the first little taste of like overseas volleyball, international volleyballs.

00:11:49
Speaker 1: Now, when you got to Minnesota, I've read that you sort of started off kind of like a lamb, but you left as a lion.

00:11:58
Speaker 2: See it.

00:12:03
Speaker 1: I wanted to ask, you, know, how did you go from kind of being quiet and shy to becoming a leader for your team.

00:12:11
Speaker 2: I think it goes back to that potential question. Like I feel like when I got there my freshman year, I didn't know what I could do really and I had definitely a perfectionist mindset going into college. But then you get humbled really quick one here in that environment because there's girls Like I was used to playing club with girls who were all the same age as me, and then stepping into a Division I program where you're playing with seniors who have three years of experience and there are these like big names and they've really grown up and helped the program achieve what it's achieved in the past. It was like a lot to walk into. So I had a lot of fear around competition. I think I was wanting to always, yeah, be perfect and that's just not realistic. And I think as I got older and matured, and also my coach was really good technically, like he taught me a lot about like we broke down my approach, footwork, we broke down my arms swing, and I had never really had that kind of coaching when I was young. So I think by my senior year, things really clicked into place and I played with a lot more freedom. I remember there were games when I was young, my first couple of years, where if my warm ups weren't good, I knew that, like my match was going to be bad, just based off of like feeling, Whereas I feel like now if I wit in warm ups, I'm like, oh, warm ups are for warm ups, you know, like they're not going to define I'm not going to define the whole game. But that was Yeah, a lot of it was because I was young, but also just naive, like I didn't know, I hadn't experienced it. So yeah, I got better at fears went on.

00:13:37
Speaker 1: Do you still consider yourself soft spoken, a little more reserved.

00:13:41
Speaker 2: Yes, definitely. I would say I've realized I'm more of an extrovert than an introvert. In the last years, like I think, just being overseas, we spent a lot of time alone and it's hard to be alone all the time, and so I think, Yeah, as I've gotten older, I just I mean it's like my people, like I love being around my people, Like an introvert extrovert.

00:14:01
Speaker 1: I would say, I can see that I'm an extroverted introvert, which would is kind of weird to think because I'm you know, hosting this, But I do consider myself a bit of an extroverted introvert. I do like my space. I am an inside cat as they call it. So for people like you who are seft spoken and don't always tend to gravitate towards that leadership position, what kind of advice do you have for them? For the girls who you know are going through the sport, or any athlete going through a sport like that.

00:14:35
Speaker 2: Yeah, I feel like like I would tell my freshman self that I don't need to be anyone different than me, And for me, it's a lot of like I'm someone who might lead by example more than I'm going to be leading by like words or hoah, Like I'm going to really focus on working my hardest and focusing on the things that I can control. And my senior year, I was a leader on the team, but I still wasn't that like vocal leader, but I was able to lead in my own way. And so just embracing who you are. I know it's not easy, especially when you're young. You want to maybe step into roles that are and it's good to be pushed out of your comfort zone, of course. But when I get in my flow, when I'm competing, it's definitely when I'm just being who I am. I'm more leading by example than the hoorrah. I like the pep talk in the timeout kind of player.

00:15:20
Speaker 1: So, speaking of leading by example, you look at your college stats and they're absolutely amazing, and you are a six rotation player. You know you can serve, you can dig, you can hit everything. So what was your favorite thing to do on the court?

00:15:34
Speaker 2: Surprisingly, I actually loved blocking and I still do.

00:15:39
Speaker 1: All right, a brief break for those of you who might not be as familiar with volleyball terminology, I'm going to give you a quick explanation of blocking, also called the stuff, blocking is a defensive skill where a player jumps and reaches over the net to block an attack from their opponent. Sometimes it can be a single or a double block if one or two players go up. Sometimes all three front row players will go up for a triple block. But to earn credit for a block, the ball has to fall on the opponent's side and result in a point or side out for good measure. Sarah graduated from Minnesota with two hundred and forty six total blocks. And now back to Sarah talking about why she loves blocking.

00:16:24
Speaker 2: Yeah, I remember there were games in college where I was just really able to like positively influence our team by having good block touches and getting some stuffs. That's like one of the parts of the game that's a huge momentum shift because it's like we get the point, but then also it's usually on an error from their attack or someone, so it can really shift the momentum and I loved that part of it. I also just love attacking. Minnesota, we ran a super fast offense, and with the USA national team, we also run a really fast offense, and it's just fun to find unique ways to score.

00:16:53
Speaker 1: Laza five foot three and a quarter person. Blocking is not my specialty, but I didn't love attacking when I had a chance to play outs. That was my favorite. Now, so before I get into your professional career a little bit, and you know post college, you met your husband in college, correct, So how did that come about.

00:17:15
Speaker 2: We met through a ministry called Athletes in Action and I went to University Minnesota and he went to a Division II school like an hour and a half away, and there was this camp about like learning to apply your faith to your sport. That's where I met him. We just like got to know each other and then we stayed in touch through that ministry and started dating like a year and a half later. He was a huge part of my senior year. I feel like he was at every almost every game. It was also his senior year and he played football, but his games were on Saturdays and a lot of our games were like Saturday nights, so he would come to the games, and yeah, he was super supportive my senior year. I had a really strong senior year and I credit a lot of that to my faith and learning to like navigate where my identity was. And I think the first couple of years, my identity was definitely in my sport. Like I was saying earlier, I just needed to be perfect. But then once that shifted and I knew that I'm Sarah, I'm not necessarily Sarah the volleyball player. Like that was really freeing to me, and I think Jamison, my husband, helped a lot.

00:18:12
Speaker 1: What was going through his mind when you decided that you were going to go play professionally overseas.

00:18:17
Speaker 2: It was a big conversation for us because he was pursuing football a little bit professionally. We had some pro camps and things like that, but we knew that we wanted to be together and we were engaged, and I was in Italy my first year, and kind of halfway through that year, he was like, I think I'm going to stop pursuing football. And that was a huge deal for him and for us because he really really loved like he loved sports and he loved being an athlete. He kind of switched gears and then went into the support role and learned to love volleyball too. So then we decided that my job was a little bit more stable, like Ey had contracts and I knew where I was going to be for the year, whereas professional football as you could be anywhere and you could be changing like every month. It's just especially when first starting out it can be really chaotic. So for us, we decided it was best for him to stop pursuing and then he came with me for our first three years of marriage.

00:19:08
Speaker 1: That's so nice. So it's nice that you had the support system because a lot of the girls I talked to about playing abroad talk about this culture shock about you know, being in another country, most of them alone. So I'm going to cut myself off real quick, because I'm not sure how many people understand how many athletes travel abroad to play volleyball. Before options like League One Volleyball existed, US players have had to travel overseas to go pro. So to give you an idea of how many women leave the States. For the twenty twenty twenty one season, USA Volleyball processed about two hundred and thirty international certificates for players to go overseas and play in twenty seven different countries. When Sarah played internationally, she played for teams in Italy, Germany, Brazil, and Japan. So let's get back to the interview and hear how Sarah handled her international professional career. So did you find that having him kind of limited that culture shock or did you both kind of still experience that.

00:20:07
Speaker 2: So my first year we were a part and that's when I experienced the culture shock. Especially like the time change is really what would get me because it would be four in the afternoon and I would just be saying good morning to Jamison or like my family, and so I would spend basically all day without talking to anybody. And as I'm like transitioning from college to professional, it's just a different style of play. It's a lot more intense, and when you don't have like school or anything else to worry about, it's really like you're just playing your sport. That can also be a really hard mental shift. I think you have a lot of outlets in college. You have your friends, your family, of school, like there's a lot of distractions that kind of take you away from the sport. But then when you're playing professionally and you're overseas by yourself, it's like you and the sport. Basically you're like in the gym where you're in your apartment. So I did experience a culture shock. But then when Jameson came with me, we were in Germany, and I think that it's a little bit easier to live in Germany and like a lot of people speak English. We were in Stuttgart, a big city. Jamison actually was able to like coach help coach an American football team, and so he got involved in some ways, and then that helped him a lot too. He had something, oh, because I had volleyball. So sometimes it was honestly more hard for him because he didn't like he was there for me, but he didn't have a full time job or something over there. So that helped. And we always just got plugged in a little bit with the community or a church or whatever it was, and that helped the transition a lot. My first year in Japan, that was kind of during COVID and so he wasn't ever allowed into the country, and so it was hard because I have a six seventh month season. I got to come home for like four days over Christmas, but then that was the only time I saw him all season, so that part was hard.

00:21:43
Speaker 1: So what did you do to pass the time?

00:21:45
Speaker 2: Then? Well, I was like twenty minutes outside of Tokyo when I was in Japan, which was awesome. So I would a lot of times find like on an off day or an off afternoon, I would go into Tokyo and find like a cafe and bring my kindle. It was a lot of alone time, but it was actually nice to feel that and like learn how to be okay on my own I guess, but that was like my thing. I probably went to a new cafe every single time I went into Tokyo, because Tokyo is huge.

00:22:10
Speaker 1: What kind of books do you read?

00:22:11
Speaker 2: I really read every genre, well, mostly fiction, so not a lot of non fiction, which I should probably spink learn something.

00:22:22
Speaker 1: Historical fiction, right, I mean in the.

00:22:24
Speaker 2: Summer, I'm such like a beach read type of person, especially when I'm traveling. It's I probably read a couple of books every time I'm on an away trip. Ors like when we're traveling with a national team for ten days, there's always a couple of girls who bring books and so we kind of rotate them around.

00:22:40
Speaker 1: Just said that, like the unofficial book club that you guys have going on, We have done some We've done.

00:22:46
Speaker 2: Some really fun book clubs too, where we talk about like hot topics and things like that, and it's a good way to just bring the team together but also learn something too.

00:23:08
Speaker 1: Well for team. You say, there's a lot of girls your age and around your age which is amazing. So do you feel that there's just un said kinship because of the experience that you girls kind of went through college around the same time, kind of have played each other, know each other a little bit because I feel looking at social media there's so much love.

00:23:28
Speaker 2: With you guys.

00:23:29
Speaker 1: So you guys are always hanging out. So do you kind of feel that just being together has just brought you together better and made you more of a team because of your age and everything.

00:23:38
Speaker 2: Yeah, I would definitely say so. You still remember walking to the gym my first summer and it was after college, and there's familiar faces like Annie Drew's is at Purdue and I played against her, Lauren CARLINI, Justine. We were all in the Big Ten and we played against each other. So it was really sweet to see those worlds collide a little bit and learn them not only as vital players, but then learn them as people and then even over like we play against each other. I played against Jordan Thompson a lot this year, Ali Franti, like all of these great players, and it's just so nice when you're in an over like when you're in another country and you see a familiar face, it's like you almost immediately start crying because you just can't, like you're just it's a piece of home. And then we all come together in the summers and it's so fun because we do understand what, like how hard this lifestyle is, and like you said, there's a level of kinship and just deep care for each other because of those experiences.

00:24:30
Speaker 1: I gotta ask because I'm curious. I haven't asked anybody else this, but it just came to my brain. Since you graduated in twenty eighteen, you're fairly recent on the team, but like Jordan Larson had been there for a while.

00:24:42
Speaker 2: Yeah, like the.

00:24:43
Speaker 1: Governor, one of the greatest volleyball players. Were you starstruck at all?

00:24:46
Speaker 2: Oh, totally, like Luca, Like, there's a lot of big, big players that I'm like, oh my gosh, I watched you when you were in college and definitely starstruck, little intimidated, like oh, I don't know how to pass badishing and I think I'm horrible or like little things like that. But then also they're just such good people that I feel like that stage passed pretty quickly, and I got to know Jordan Larsen pretty well. We play cards. I love playing card games. Oh and one of the first tournaments I traveled on, she always was playing this card game and I really got to know her playing it. And it's like a four person game. What is it? I actually don't even know who created it. I think it's called fignette. It's like a I don't know how to explain it. Really, it's been a long time normal playing cards. Yeah, playing cards. It's like kind of like Yuker or like hearts. It's like a trick game, not like a trick, like a magic trick.

00:25:43
Speaker 1: Right, Like, no, I know what you're saying. Yeah, yeah, interesting.

00:25:46
Speaker 2: Yeah, Actually that's also a thing we do on the road a lot is play cards. And so yeah, it was nice. It's just nice to learn about these people off the court who you look up to for so many years on the court.

00:25:56
Speaker 1: Are you secretly like a hustler at cards? Like?

00:26:00
Speaker 2: Actually? Am pretty good?

00:26:01
Speaker 1: Really?

00:26:02
Speaker 2: My husband we always play like cribbage. That's such an old person game. But yeah, really get that's when we get in fights. Card.

00:26:17
Speaker 1: Have you taken your hand to Vegas and luck I have not?

00:26:23
Speaker 2: Maybe some day.

00:26:24
Speaker 1: That's amazing. So when I was little little, I was dominant the game spit do you remember that game you never played Spit. That's like a little tough to explain, and it's like it's just two people. No, you don't spit. You say spit when you like flip the card over like spit, you turn on. It's like Solitaire. You have to put the cards on and then when your your side is any, slap the shortest pile. And the idea is to lose all your cards. But I dominated at that game and rummy five hundred, Oh my god, you and I should play Runny five D. I never lose.

00:27:04
Speaker 2: I do love Rubbie though, so I think this is.

00:27:06
Speaker 1: Some good competition on the next episode of Pancakes. So looking at your social media, I feel like there's volleyball on there. But you're someone actually who has a lot more photos and things about you as a person. So what do you like to do in your off time?

00:27:28
Speaker 2: A lot of it is just spending time with people I love, especially in the summer times. I'm like soaking up to the moments that now where I'm not going overseas anymore, But in the years that I was going overseas, this summer was like so valuable in my little moments of being at home with my family, Like I love documenting little things and getting created in that way, and like obviously a volleyball player, but I feel like a reason why maybe I'm not so like I'm not always posting about it is I feel like I'm just so much more than a volleyball player. And that's kind of where I like going more my creative route on like social media things like that. Are you a scrap booker? No, but I feel like I want to be.

00:28:05
Speaker 1: I mean, but it's like mom vibes amazingly, you are meant to do this. I can feel like you're gonna have the best scrap You're gonna be like Leslie. Nope, but with scrap books.

00:28:15
Speaker 2: Yeah, I do love documenting like moments, and I feel like when I look back on my pictures from overseas and things, it's a lot of like the people that I'm with, not so much like when I'm doing it on the court or like my successes or things like that. I just love documenting the people and because that's I know, when I look back on this whole journey, that's what I'm gonna remember the most. And volleyball is what got me there, which is amazing, and I obviously love the sports so much, but I'm going to remember the people and just all the relationships.

00:28:43
Speaker 1: Well, now that you get to play in the States, what are you looking forward to the most.

00:28:47
Speaker 2: Well, I'm four hours from Minnesota Albion the Madison team. My grandparents live in Madison. Like, there's so much just families surrounding me and excited to like be able to come and watch a live game. I had a lot of family able to visit when I was overseas, but that's like one or two games. So just the opportunity to play in front of family and friends again in Madison. Also, I feel like it's a full circle moment for me because I was committed there and call like to go there in college and now I'm going to be there and my grandparents are really excited. So that's probably what I'm most excited for. And just women's sports right now in the US is just taking off, and I feel like the timing of this league is so perfect for that and to be a part of that and to see how volleyball specifically can grow, but also just women's sports in general, it's going to be really really cool to see it take off because I have a feeling that it will.

00:29:37
Speaker 1: Oh for sure. I mean looking out from when you started club college to where we are now, did you see that coming or was it sort of like, Wow, I can't believe that this is happening, but I'm so glad it is.

00:29:50
Speaker 2: Yeah, definitely the ladder. Like I had heard of people who have tried to start a league, but it's everyone's always like, oh, it's like one year and done. Usually, even in my first years overseas, I was like, it's just not going to happen. And then I started hearing little chitter chatter of things like being brewed up, and it was almost like I was almost skeptical. I was almost like, well, I'll believe it when I see it, I think, But then it just Yeah. When I was sitting in my apartment in Turkey in December and I was like deciding if I wanted to do it or not, I was like, this, it would be crazy if I said no. Just being a part of one of the first leagues in the States is such a unique thing to be able to say and do, and so it was like an easy yes for me once I really sat down and thought about it.

00:30:30
Speaker 1: I love it. Yeah, So once it's all said and done, once you know you decide to be a mom, even if you decide to come back after being a mom, what do you hope your legacy is going to be.

00:30:40
Speaker 2: I really want to look back on my career and just know that like I put everything into it and going back to the relationships piece, Like, I want to also grow the sport for the next generation. And I think that's what's so cool about love is they're really partnering with like these young club players and they'll have the opportunity to grow up and do what we're doing. And so I'm really looking forward to those connections with the next generation and sharing with them my heart and then me hearing their heart and like helping in anywhere I can to continue to grow the sport but also grow personal just individuals journeys.

00:31:18
Speaker 1: If you could go back and tell your twelve year old self something, what would you tell her?

00:31:23
Speaker 2: I would tell myself to really be present in the little moments like even talking with you here and going back to like how I did feel in high school where I didn't know what my potential was. Then again in college, I again had that moment where I'm like, oh am I good? Or like how good can I be? And then just like being proud of those little moments along the way. And that's what I would tell also the young players now, is enjoy the moment that you're in. For example, in high school, you're never going to play with your best friends that you grew up with again. And then you get to college and you're like the people you're like that are your year and those experiences you're never gonna have that again. So just like stay present and enjoy and be proud of that and then move on to the next document it. Yeah, exactly.

00:32:08
Speaker 1: And the last question I have where do you hope to see volleyball in five to ten years?

00:32:13
Speaker 2: I hope just to see it grow and grow every single year and get like the visibility that it deserves. Having a professional league is such a great step, but I still think it can. Like my hope is that it just takes off. And like you said, like I would love to have a baby and have the opportunity to come back and play, Like even having that option is so powerful and that's like a goal of mine and I would love to do that. And just the fact that women were able to have that option of potentially having a child and then coming back and doing this like playing the sport you love, is so unique and powerful.

00:32:49
Speaker 1: I love it well.

00:32:50
Speaker 2: Sarah, thank you so much for good cheers.

00:32:52
Speaker 1: It's volleyball to the future to you. Thank you so much. Serving Pancakes is an iHeart women's sports production in partnership with Deep Blue Sports and Entertainment. You can find us on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Production by League one Volleyball, I'm your host Tiffany Oshinsky. Anya Olivarez is our senior producer. Our executive producers are Carrie Stett, Tamaradike, and Lindsay Hoffman. Our marketing lead is Jawara Parker. Sound mixing by Max Lorenzen. Our theme music is Pancakes by Eric W. Mast Junior special thanks to Sarah will Hide Parsons. Stay tuned for our next episode of Serving Pancakes. Thanks for listening.