Transitions with Danielle Cuttino

00:00:02
Speaker 1: Hi, I'm Tiffney Oshinsky, and this is serving pancakes. Nope, not a podcast about food. This is a podcast about volleyball and more to you. A pancake is a fluffy, syrup drenched breakfast food button 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 the 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 a dominant outside hitter from Indianapolis, Indiana, Danielle Katino. But Danielle wasn't always an opposite. She played outside and middle before moving to AVO. Obviously a versatile player, Danielle was named to the Big Ten All Freshman team while her and was First team All American her senior year. Danielle has been part of the US women's national team since twenty nineteen and it's played professionally in Japan, Italy and Brazil. Kaydanielle, thanks for coming over and having some pancakes, so I have to ask, are you a big pancake fanya?

00:01:19
Speaker 2: Okay, good? So what is your go to?

00:01:22
Speaker 3: I love blueberry pancakes with butter and I think just syrup.

00:01:26
Speaker 2: Did you have pancakes growing up as a child, like with your family?

00:01:29
Speaker 3: Yeah, my mom makes the best pancakes.

00:01:33
Speaker 2: What is your magic touch?

00:01:34
Speaker 3: I don't know. She just knows how she'll flip it perfectly. I don't know. I think it's when the bubbles start to come up. I think they say that.

00:01:42
Speaker 1: I have tried that and it is not always the right thing.

00:01:46
Speaker 3: Yeah, something about the temperature has to be perfect or it's going to get part. But yeah, I don't know if she's perfect, Yeah, she must be.

00:01:53
Speaker 1: Well, now getting into it. Growing up, before you ever touched a volleyball, what did you want to be?

00:01:58
Speaker 3: Wow, that's I'm like deep. Yeah, I actually wanted to be a forensic analysis. Yeah. Yeah, I always wanted to help in a way, and I would always watch the shows when they catch the guy and I was like, oh, how cool that technology, and so yeah, that's what I wanted to be. Wow, I hadn't thought about that since I was a kid.

00:02:19
Speaker 2: But yeah, yeah, so you were watching like lawn order.

00:02:23
Speaker 3: Yeah yeahs yes, I know, yeah yeah. But like I thought it was so cool to have that capability of okay with a fingerprint or like, you know, hair or something. So I thought that was always so cool.

00:02:37
Speaker 2: Oh my god, you shouldn't totally still go in.

00:02:44
Speaker 3: Like that.

00:02:45
Speaker 2: That's like a lifelong profession until you want to retire. Well, then, how'd you get into volleyball?

00:02:53
Speaker 3: So I started off playing basketball because I was taller, I had a big girl's spurt, and no one in my family ever had playedolleyball. And I had a coach who was over my older sister in high school and he's Brenda Nor. One day he was like, you were so tall, Like where have you been And she was like, we had just moved to that school and she was like, have you ever played volleyball? And she was like no. And then she came home and told us and he was like, oh, you have sisters too. I have a younger sister as well, and he's like, you got to get them to try out, And so we tried out. Never playing I was in eighth grade. My younger sister at the time. We tried out together in the seventh grade and we got cut. It was so embarrassing. I was like, I didn't come out here for this, but I think it was something that piqued my curiosity and I was like, I still want to try, and so I tried again the next year and I made the team. But yeah, that was like my MJ story.

00:03:38
Speaker 1: So do you have fun memories of playing volleyball with your sisters?

00:03:42
Speaker 3: Yes. To be able to do that with my sisters it was super cool. They've always been my biggest supporters, along with my mom and dad.

00:03:47
Speaker 1: So what made you switch from basketball to volleyball? Was it just the curiosity and motivation after being cut?

00:03:54
Speaker 3: Yeah, well it was honestly. We did a lot of running in basketball, and we did it in the off seat, and volleyball was in the off season. I was like, if I could just make this shame, I don't have the running more suicides Like awesome, No, but honestly, like I just wanted something else, to do something more, And I felt like volleyball was more authentic to me because it wasn't so physical, and I liked the idea of still feeling really powerful and strong without having that physical context. So the more I got to play, the more. I fell in love with it. It just felt so natural.

00:04:25
Speaker 1: So I used to play soccer and it was a similar thing, both with the physicality.

00:04:29
Speaker 2: Yeah and the running.

00:04:31
Speaker 3: Yeah yeah, I can imagine. Actually yeah yeah.

00:04:34
Speaker 1: I feel like a lot of my volleyball teammates that I've played with, and even the ones i've met through.

00:04:39
Speaker 2: You guys love It's like there's something about the running.

00:04:42
Speaker 3: Yeah right, I know there's something. Yeah. I had friends that played soccer too, and they'd like, yeah, we ran up, like warmed up, run in a mile. I was like, good goalie too, because that's kind of what I want to be. But if she is doing that too, never mint it.

00:04:58
Speaker 1: So when did you know that you were a great volleyball player?

00:05:02
Speaker 2: Not just a good volleyball play, but a great volleyball player.

00:05:04
Speaker 3: So I started playing my freshman year and I didn't like play club or anything. And then there was this shift of you should play in the off season, and I was like, okay, I guess. And then my sophomore year I played, and there was something that like clicked from my freshman yor sophomore year with my arm swing. And when I started to play club, I swear I'd look around like on my cour and I'm like, there are so many coaches here. I was just having fun. So it was just like okay, and then I just got so many letters. I'd never even had the idea of playing past high school. I was still like kind of intertwined with basketball, but then it became this thing of like I was getting recruited more for volleyball than basketball, so I was like, whoa, this is cool. And so just having conversations with coaches and the way they saw me potentially, I think that's what really opened my eyes to be like, Okay, I can be really good. I had the body type. My college coach would always tell me like, yeah, you cands, and I was like, I don't want to hear that big hands, but yeah. I just think that he made me feel like it was something that I could really step into.

00:06:00
Speaker 1: My club president was always like, you can teach a girl of volleyball, but you can't teach her height.

00:06:05
Speaker 2: You're like, what was the same on me?

00:06:10
Speaker 3: It's so funny, Yeah, but it's sure.

00:06:12
Speaker 1: I mean, if you have the physical attributes to be able to play, then it'll come more actually to you. I feel like, so, why did you choose perdue in the end.

00:06:19
Speaker 3: So I'm from Indiana and the school in Indiana usually SAYU, and so I didn't know a lot about Purdue like Super up North.

00:06:29
Speaker 1: Hey, guys, I wanted to share a fun fact about Purdue volleyball real quick. So the women's indoor team debuted in nineteen seventy five with Carol Dewey as head coach. Then it became Purdue's first women's revenue sport in nineteen seventy nine, and Dewey became a full time coach. Since its inception, the Boilermakers women's team has had only four head coaches, with Dave Schandell being the current coach. Shandell took over in two thousand and three and was the one who recruited and coached Danielle. Now back to the interview, and I.

00:07:01
Speaker 3: Remember I went on a visit and I felt like my mom had to drag me there. I was like, I don't want to know. I want to go out of state. I want to be away. Like then I went and I was like, WHOA, this is a whole different world watching the volleyball game, watching how invested the fans were and how much they knew of the game. I was like, this is so cool, and I felt like it was something that I really wanted to be a part of. And I love Dave my coach there in John and they're like a family, and I felt like I could relate to that, and Dave and John are actually family. But with my sister and I, I was like, this is cool. I just felt like it was something really special, and like I knew the Big Ten was one of the best leagues and so I was like, Okay, I want to be a part of that as well. So I think just going and experiencing the culture there really opened my eyes, Like whoa, this isn't just volleyball. It's really like a family that I'm being at it too. So that was cool for me.

00:07:47
Speaker 2: And then your stenior year, your sister played right, Yes, yeah, what was that like? Having the family dynamic?

00:07:52
Speaker 3: It was so cool. My younger sister and I were so close in age, and like I felt like we fought a lot in sincerely ways, like just yeah, like whatever, and going to school together, I just felt like our relationship really grew and it was really cool to experience college with her, and like also volleyball and all the things that happened in between. So it was amazing, And I'm grateful that, in addition to like being a part of a family that I felt like Purdue was, my sister could be there and experience that too. So it was amazing. I'm grateful that Dave and John and Kat and all them gave us all a chance and allowed us to be a part of that family at the Barrel, and so it was amazing.

00:08:41
Speaker 1: Now, also in college, you did a big switch where you went from middle hitter to outside hitter. Yeah, so for all of the people listening to this, can you explain what the biggest differences between middle and outside hitter is before I ask you your next question?

00:08:57
Speaker 3: Yeah, I get like middle set usually on a great pass and like you don't have to worry about anything. You're just going up the balls there and you're hitting it and it's amazing and you're just blocking and reacting. Outside is a lot more technique and I didn't have that. It was a lot more outlet kind of situations, which I was used to just being in that perfect, perfect situation. So yeah, that was the biggest difference for me of just like what other skills do I need to get good at and it was all of them. I think it's just being a more rounded player.

00:09:28
Speaker 1: What was that transition, Like, how long did it take you to finally feel comfortable as an outside hitter.

00:09:32
Speaker 3: It probably took maybe two years. It was really hard. It was one of the hardest things I had ever had to do. I think, you know, when I do camps or anything and the girls ask like, what advice do you have, and I'm like, look, you better get good at all those skills because you don't know when you're gonna like, you don't know what's going to happen. It's just good to have. I felt like it just helped me to grow and being uncomfortable and confident in who I can be as a player, because without that, I was just very much in my like space of like, I'm good at this and that's all. So it challenged me and I'm grateful for because I've been much since that transition, and you know, volleyball, and I don't think that if I would have experienced that before that, I would have been able to get to where I am now.

00:10:07
Speaker 1: So one of the other big things to move from a middle hitter to an outside hitter is the middle hitter is always blocking and outside you gotta play defense. My tall teammates loved playing defense. Did you like playing defense?

00:10:21
Speaker 3: Yeah? It was more of like trying to figure out how to hit the ground. Like I'm a tall girl, so I'm like, how do I hit the ground without busting my knee? And that was the big But I do. I really do like to play defense. And that's what I liked about middle is I like to go get the ball, blocking and to be able to be more involved in the play outside of that, it was so fun. So I actually do like playing defense.

00:10:44
Speaker 2: Did you figure out how to die properly?

00:10:45
Speaker 3: I did?

00:10:46
Speaker 2: Yeah.

00:10:46
Speaker 3: It did take some like bruise tips and knees, but yeah, there are times I'm like, I'm kind of afraid to hit the ground right now, I'm not warm.

00:10:53
Speaker 1: But yeah, Oh I remember there were tournaments when I was playing and I was like, look at this grue battles exactly.

00:11:02
Speaker 3: Yeah.

00:11:03
Speaker 2: Then I proved my word on that court exactly.

00:11:05
Speaker 3: That's so funny.

00:11:07
Speaker 1: So why didn't you know that you wanted to keep playing after college?

00:11:11
Speaker 3: Yeah? Oh, that's a great question. So I played with Annie and we'll probably talk about that, but she was one of the first people that I knew that had graduated to go play abroad. So before I didn't even know what that possibility was because I was just so excited to graduate and go to school, like that was my biggest thing, Like, Oh, I went to college and you know, so that was amazing. And then Annie went to go play in Puerto Rico and I was like, oh, you can play after and do more. Like it was so kind of hush hush. So it was around that time a bunch of other girls that were in the Big Ten, like Sarah will Hie and Hannah Tap and all those girls that were going to go play, and I was like, well, that sounds kind of fun. I want to keep playing, and as long as I can do something that doesn't really feel like a job, I want to be a part of that.

00:11:55
Speaker 2: Well you majored in pharmacy, correct.

00:11:57
Speaker 3: No, no, no, I started pharmacy. Was yeah, I'm communications.

00:12:03
Speaker 1: It still says pharmacy on the US Women's website.

00:12:06
Speaker 3: Oh really, Yeah, that was one of the hardest things I've ever tried to do.

00:12:10
Speaker 1: I was going to say, because pharmacy is a very intense thing to do, especially while trying to.

00:12:14
Speaker 3: Play exactly, that was what it was. Yeah, so you switched to coms.

00:12:18
Speaker 1: Did you think that you were going to go into communications television something like that afterwards?

00:12:25
Speaker 3: Was that kind of your vision? Yeah exactly. It felt like something that was really natural for me and super fun. Like all the classes that I took, I was like, Wow, this is so cool, and so I just wanted to stand that. And then obviously in sport too, I was like, if I could do this and stand sport or whatever, that would be so cool.

00:12:41
Speaker 1: So how did you end up finding your first professional team?

00:12:44
Speaker 3: At the time, it was so funny, Like when we were looking for agents, it was like on Facebook, someone's messaging you and like, hey, you need an agent. I'm like, this doesn't feel right yea. So there was a guy that I knew a lot of girls worked with and he knew my coach, and so I started working with him and he was like, what do you think and where are you wanting to go? And before I had done a big ten trip to Italy, and then I had done USA like a youth national thing in Italy too, so I was like, I'd like to go to Italy. It was really cool. I always wanted to go play in Europe. I thought that it would be like a really nice experience, and he was Italian, so he got me a spot in the Italian League A one and it was really really fun.

00:13:22
Speaker 1: So throughout the years you've been playing professionally overseas, what was your favorite thing to do during your downtime?

00:13:28
Speaker 3: Probably the first thing, just candidly, nap. I was like anytime I get taken. I didn't even nap in college, but when you hit that, professionals like, if I can get three hours or two hours whatever, I'll take too. I want to find it. But then also exploration. My first year I had a Canadian teammate and she was so cool, so nice, and she thinks she helped me get out of my comfort zone and she's like, let's go do this, that and the other. So it was really nice to have someone to go explore with, just going to see boots and everything. It was really fun.

00:13:58
Speaker 1: Is there like one big memory, key adventure that you remember really well?

00:14:02
Speaker 3: It was my first year we went to Verona, and that's supposed to be the city that Romeo and Juliet met. I was gonna say, I say, yeah, I always asked. I'm like is this Are these real people but they're looking at me. I was like, never mind, but yeah, it was so cool. I actually went with my dad too, and there's a huge coliseum and it was really easy to walk and like navigate. So yeah, just seeing that kind of like history and being like, oh, I'm here, and like being there with my dad and also my my roommate and my teammate too. At the time, it was really cool.

00:14:32
Speaker 2: That's awesome.

00:14:33
Speaker 1: Now you're overseas four months at a time, and you are obviously very close.

00:14:38
Speaker 2: With your family. How hard was that to be away from them for so long?

00:14:43
Speaker 3: Yeah, it was really difficult, especially just with the time change, and then also all the new feelings of like I feel a little like homesick, and then I also like I'm enjoying my time here a lot too, but I want to experience it with my family. And I remember when I had first gotten to Italy, I kept having this reoccurring dream of like we'd have an off day or off days, and then all of my teammates were like Italians they would go home, but in my dream, I would like talk to my mom and she was like, why don't you just come home? And I was like, why don't I just come home and then I'd wake up. But I was like I had that dream again, like because it was a realization of I'm really far even when I was at school, I could drive down and see my mom in like an hour, my dad and like my sister was with me. But experiencing all these things alone and just really trying to make the most of it, but also feeling a little lonely for sure.

00:15:31
Speaker 1: How often were they able to come out and how did you kind of get over the loneliness.

00:15:34
Speaker 3: Yeah, they would come out once a year. Yeah, and I would talk to them a lot too. But it was something that I realized, this is the transition of my life of like, Okay, I'm fasing into I'm not going to see my family as much, you know. So it was that realization of to pursue this dream, there are sacrifices that I have to make.

00:15:50
Speaker 1: You're an opposite hitter, Now did that happen in the international teams or when you got to the US women's team.

00:15:57
Speaker 3: I started to play pro before I came into the gym, but my first year broad I started to play opposite So that was really hard.

00:16:04
Speaker 1: Yeah, so you go from middle to outside, which is a transition, and then outside to opposite, which for you know the people listening who might not know, that's when the center usually does the vaccine.

00:16:13
Speaker 3: Yes, yeah, So.

00:16:14
Speaker 1: What was that transition like, because you've seen them all.

00:16:18
Speaker 3: Yeah, Oh my goodness, it was. It was really hard because also the internationally, you're playing six rotations. So even in college, that outside hitter wouldn't play the back row if we had a sub and I didn't do that. So then transitioning from that overseas, the level of play is just different, like the rules are different. That that's an adjustment in itself. And then like.

00:16:40
Speaker 1: I bet you were wondering what the biggest difference between US rules and international rules is, and I'm here to tell you, and that would be substitutions. So for international play, you only get six subs per set and you can only replace your starters once per set. So that's why Danielle would have to play all around. You don't use subs unless you absolutely need to. In the US you can have up to twelve subs percent and there are no limits on replacing your starters. So when Danielle would rotate to the back row defensive specialists would sub in for her. Then when the DS was about to rotate to the front row, Danielle would sub back in. All right, back to Danielle.

00:17:20
Speaker 3: And then what's coming at you? I just remember I can't even understand the game. I'm in the back row. I'm touching balls that are out because I don't have that court awareness. And then also internationally, the opposite hitter is like a garbage man. They're taking out all the bad balls. And I thought I was taken out bad balls before, but that ball coming over you and you having the time it correctly. So that was really hard of like we need you to score and also know everything else like I'm trying. So it was a learning her for sure.

00:17:46
Speaker 1: When did you realize you could do this, that this was gonna be your position and you were content with it?

00:17:51
Speaker 3: Oh, it took a while. I'm not gonna lie it was maybe after my third year. It was hard. There were definitely doubts that I still had of like can I do this, or did I make the right decision making this transition? Or how long? Like how long is this going to take? I want to figure it out now, But there's something about that I don't know the process that makes it all more sweet when you do pick up a skill or figure something out that I was like, Okay, the weight was worth it, and I learned a lot. I grew a lot on this journey.

00:18:20
Speaker 1: I feel like a lot of people have doubt when they're trying something new, and a lot of people give up. So do you have any advice for people to keep going to keep trying.

00:18:32
Speaker 3: Yeah, I would say, we're never going to be perfect. And I think that once I took that off of my shoulders of striving for that perfection, I just felt more relaxed because I had this pressure of like it needs to look like this and nothing is ever overnight and depending on something that you think is worth it. I think that if you are willing to put in that work in that time, and even if you get one percent better each day, it's worth it and you will see results. But it's all about just persistence and like coming in each and every day. The way you talk to yourself and approach each rep, I think is really important. I think that there were a lot of times before that I was just kind of maybe going through the motions of just like Okay, I'm here, and when I really switch my mindset of every rep matters, and if I can just get a little better each and every day, I know that it'll pay off.

00:19:31
Speaker 1: So I want to ask you some things about you as a person off the course, as opposed to a volleyball player. You have a lot of amazing tattoos. Do they have stories or is it kind of you just love the bodyard.

00:19:44
Speaker 3: Yes, it started off. I really like tattoos and I want to get them, and so this first one is my mom and dad's birthday, and yeah, that was my first tattoo, and I got ripped off. Now that I've got tattoos, like how much did I pick up? And then I just like the Hennah, I think it's really cool. This one I got it as finally found. I got baptized last year and so that one meant a lot to me. Yeah, but yeah, these are the coordinates of Purdue. I just enjoyed my time there. But they all vary. Some mean a lot, and some are just kind of like I like the way that looked, and so I want it. But yeah, I love it.

00:20:24
Speaker 2: The perdue ones on your bicy so you can produce this way?

00:20:28
Speaker 3: Yeah, right, I know it's somewhere up northwestern Midwest. So you said you.

00:20:33
Speaker 2: Just got baptized in September.

00:20:35
Speaker 1: How important this fits you both as a person and as a volleyball player.

00:20:39
Speaker 3: Huge. It played a big part in my time. I played in Brazil two years ago or three years ago, and it was a difficult time for me being away and I had kind of felt like I'm not really enjoying this anymore, and I felt stressed, I felt anxiety, and so I was just like, something needs to change or I don't think I can continue to play. But I knew in my heart that I wanted to, but something had to give. And that was when I felt like the Lord was calling me to him. So in that moment is when I just went to him and I cried out, when I was like, something needs to change, and I feel a pole. And so I think through my relationship with him and developing that I've experienced so much freedom in like volleyball, but also just as a human being. It's been amazing just walking with so much joy and love and peace. And I finally feel now that I'm doing this with a purpose and not just trying to do what I think what people want me to do. Or what I think I want to do, but just knowing that I'm doing something that I know that matters, and walking into spaces with volleyball being that avenue and trying to make a change.

00:21:44
Speaker 1: So is there something that you've done now that you wouldn't have done previously.

00:21:49
Speaker 3: I think that I just allow myself to need help. The athlete world, we're so hyper independent, especially you know, being abroad. I think that that was something that I've really learned of, Like I don't really want to ask for help for anything, and I think that the dependency that I've had just in my relationship with God has allowed me to just relax and experience so much freedom. And so even in my conversations, in my friendships and relationships with people, I'm not afraid to be vulnerable. And I think that started with that. It's been really nice to just like let go and truly kill you. Yeah, exactly authentic and yeah, yeah that's awesome.

00:22:27
Speaker 1: Well, speaking of like relationships, I was talking to Lauren about how you girls just seem to have so much fun. You know, if you look at any of your photos on Instagram or any social media, it's like you guys have a.

00:22:39
Speaker 2: Lot of fun.

00:22:39
Speaker 3: Yeah. Yeah.

00:22:40
Speaker 1: And the one thing I noticed though, is you guys have a decent amount of themed parties.

00:22:46
Speaker 3: Yeah.

00:22:47
Speaker 2: So for the themed parties, who comes up with the ideas?

00:22:51
Speaker 3: Wow? Yeah, we started that I think last summer, okay, and it was Kelsey's birthday and she was like, I want a disco theme and I was like, okay, I have actually never done it. We can't We're never home for Halloween or anything. But anyway, I was like, okay, like I want to dress up, and so it started with that, and then there was a cowboy theme, and then there was I can't even remember the other one. But like even for my birthday, I was like, let's do early like two thousands same. I want to do something fun. But I think it's just having a lot of fun. I feel like we're just big kids and like we just want to like dress up and just laugh and dance and hang out.

00:23:28
Speaker 2: I feel like the older I get, the more I wanted.

00:23:31
Speaker 3: To be a party. Yeah.

00:23:33
Speaker 4: I don't know what it is about getting older, but I feel like you just want to experience all these things. Yeah, like and yeah, you want to be young, you want to feel a young and the themes kind of reminds you Halloween. Yeah, we had a nineties two thousands party over the summer, had a band come and just play only that music.

00:23:49
Speaker 2: And it's like so fun. So next time you guys have a theme party, let me know.

00:23:54
Speaker 3: I let you know.

00:23:55
Speaker 2: I love planning.

00:23:56
Speaker 1: Yeah, I love themes so funny, I know you.

00:24:01
Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, yeah, for sure, I'll let you know too. Our next one.

00:24:04
Speaker 1: Well, I mean, now you're going to be playing in the States, you gonna be playing in Atlanta.

00:24:08
Speaker 3: So what does this mean to you?

00:24:10
Speaker 1: Being able to play here, knowing that you're going to be in the same country as your family, And it's amazing.

00:24:17
Speaker 3: And I think when the opportunity first presented itself, I was like rubbing my eyes. I was like, are you guys serious? But yeah, my mom says we have family in Atlanta. I was like, we do before, but I'm excited to beat them. Yeah.

00:24:30
Speaker 2: So you've never been to Atlanta.

00:24:31
Speaker 3: No, I've been once for like a tournament, but I didn't remember anything. Honestly, what are.

00:24:37
Speaker 2: You most excited to experience in Atlanta?

00:24:40
Speaker 3: I'm excited for the warm weather because I was up in Indie super cold, and the food. I heard the food's good down there. Yeah.

00:24:49
Speaker 2: Yeah, so I've heard that too.

00:24:50
Speaker 1: I was only down in Atlanta once and I didn't really get to experience any of the foods, so I'm missed out. Yeah, for you as a volleyball player and with your career that you've experience so far, what.

00:25:01
Speaker 3: Do you hope will be your legacy? Oh, great question. I just am looking forward to bringing energy into like the sport into Atlanta. I want to be i don't know, kind of remembered as someone who really looked like they enjoyed playing as much as they really did. Because volleyball is an exciting sport and I'm excited that we're bringing it here professionally in the US, and I think this will be the first glimpset people see of actual, like intense, real high level volleyball and to just be able to like set that standard of like this is fun, this is fun to watch, this is fun to be a part of, And I just kind of want it to be that like something that people want to be a part of in our communities and everything.

00:25:44
Speaker 1: So yeah, well, what advice do you have for girls coming up in the sport that might want to continue playing?

00:25:54
Speaker 3: The Sky's the limit? Really now before I feel like a lot of girls who played in high school or college, it's a really hard ask to be able to like Okay, I'm gonna go overseas and like see what this is about. You don't know a lot about the overseas journey, and maybe you wouldn't like it. It's a lot to take in. Culturally, it's shocking. You sacrifice a lot with your family and just a lot of opportunities that you don't get to have while staying at home. This opens up a door of you can really do anything. You'll see it in front of you, like this professional volleyball and you can be a part of it as someone who got cut in eighth grade and kept trying and is now at this point of like being a part of something really cool. Like, don't let anything deter you. You can do anything.

00:26:38
Speaker 1: And based on your journey, you know, especially with how you felt when you got to Brazil and everything, what would you tell girls who might feel burnt out?

00:26:48
Speaker 3: Yeah, I think it comes with it. You're doing something that you've been doing for so long. But what I've learned too is that remember your why kind of like why are you doing this? And I think when I got rooted in that, because even at the times that I did feel burnt out or tired, it just kind of like I knew inside I still wanted to play. I still love playing volleyball. I still had more to give, and I understood that when I was playing. Once I started competing, I was like, I love this and I'm finding really hard for every point, and so just understand, like, do I still have that fire within me a competition? And why am I doing this? Do I want to? Because most of the time we do, and maybe there's there's a face that you just kind of have to pass through, and just once you get through it, it's like, Okay, what did I learn during that?

00:27:32
Speaker 2: Where do you hope to see volleyball in five ten years?

00:27:35
Speaker 3: It's really exciting now where it's been, and so I don't know. I just hope that it's one of the most talked about sports in the US because I think it has a capability of being really fun and exciting for.

00:27:46
Speaker 2: People to find.

00:27:47
Speaker 3: I know that it is fry for sure, yeah, and just something that really people want to be a part of. And I've noticed that just like rewinding back to my first college game and when I went to a Purdue. I was like, I had no idea that this is what it was. And I think that it's something that just not a lot of people know, and now that we're bringing it here and kind of see, it'll be something that everyone is just like, how do I get in there? How do I, you know, be a part of that?

00:28:12
Speaker 1: So were you on the sidelines of the Nebraska record?

00:28:16
Speaker 3: Yeah?

00:28:17
Speaker 2: What was that?

00:28:18
Speaker 3: Like? That was crazy? I remember I got chills. It's not easy to give me chills because I don't know, but being there and saying it, I was like, this is insane.

00:28:31
Speaker 1: Let's talk about how insane this match was. Back in September twenty twenty three, Nebraska held a women's indoor volleyball match outdoors at Memorial Stadium, where the football team plays. Over ninety two thousand fans ninety two thousand and three to be exact, showed up to support women's volleyball and help break the world record for attendance at a women's sporting event. The previous record was set at just over ninety one thousand, six hundred fans at a Champions League match between FC Barcelona and Volfsburg. And what was dubbed Volleyball Day in Nebraska. The Cornhuskers defeated Omaha in three straight matches in Danielle had a front row seat. Now back to Danielle to tell us more about the experience.

00:29:18
Speaker 3: And it was something as someone who knows how cool volleyball is and loves it, didn't think was capable. And I was like, there's a need, there's a one, like people are wanting this and I didn't even know to that extent. I think that was kind of like a seat that was planted before I even decided to stay home that I was like, oh, this is here. So it was so cool when you were playing.

00:29:38
Speaker 1: Did you think that a college volleyball game could ever filled ninety thousand seats?

00:29:43
Speaker 3: No, I didn't even know the football football could do that. So it was yeah, it was awesome. It was really cool. And to be a part of that too, I was like wow when we were like singing the anthem and the plane, Yeah, it was wow. It was awesome. And I think Karchad told us this. It was like four of us that went and I think they broke the record by maybe four. I think that's what he said. So yeah, he was like it was you, guys. I was like, thanks cards for making us feel so special. He really does all the time. I was like, wow, I'm happy that'll be part of that. Oh I love that. So yeah.

00:30:18
Speaker 2: Well, Danielle, it was a pleasure chatting with you. I would like to cheers and thank you again, sir, coming on and having some.

00:30:26
Speaker 3: Thanks for having me.

00:30:29
Speaker 1: 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 Oshinski. Anya Olivarez is our senior producer. Our executive producers are Carrie Stet, Tamara Dike, 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 Daniel Catino. Stay tuned for our next episode of Serving Pancakes. We're I'll be interviewing the University of Minnesota's first ever ABCA Player of the Year, Sarah Wilheite Parsons. Thanks for listening.