Javelinas enjoy fun competition and volunteer work internationally
While students, faculty and staff were out enjoying summer vacation, the Javelina volleyball team was enjoying a different sort of “vacation,” participating in a National Collegiate Athletes Association (NCAA) Foreign Tour.
The volleyball team went abroad for the first time since 2016 to Costa Rica where they hosted volleyball clinics, completed volunteer work and had a little bit of fun.
For a little over a week the team planted trees for a reforestation project, ziplined, made their own coffee and volunteered at a single mom project.
Along with helping the environment and sightseeing they also hosted two volleyball camps where they helped children to young adults play the game they love.
The team also was able to compete against the Costa Rican National team helping their skills even more for the upcoming season.
Setter Elisa Carli especially enjoyed the experience of meeting new people and the challenges of a new language barrier.
“It was hard at first because of the language barrier, but I think everybody was just going to have fun and we somehow communicated with everybody and just played volleyball together,” Carli said.
Carli also understood how valuable the team teaching and playing with the community of San Carlos was.
“There were so many kids, and they were just so excited and grateful to have us there. You could tell that it was something so important for them to just have somebody to care about them and teach them,” Carli said.
Javelina volleyball team sophomore defensive specialist Kalani Vasquez also enjoyed the team bonding and making new memories along with all their community service.
“We did everything together in one big group. We were a big party when it came to the surfing and the ziplining. All the events that we did, we did as a team. There wasn’t a single person that sat out,” Vasquez said.
Vasquez especially enjoyed the team ziplining and the experiences that came with it as well as the new environment and leaving the United States for the first time.
“When we did the Tarzan sling and we got thrown off like a little cliff and it was really, really fun. But the best part of the entire trip, I would probably have to say being able to go out of the country for the first time,” Vasquez said
Lastly, this trip would not have been possible without all the donations that poured in through the Texas A&M University-Kingsville Foundation. Some $24,000 was raised.
Head Coach Tanya Allen-Gonzalez is thankful for the opportunity to travel abroad on a NCAA Foreign Tour.
Allen also is also appreciative of TAMUK support as well as family and friends.
“The trip would not have been possible without Steve Roach, his administrative staff, our donors, the players’ parents, and President (Robert) Vela. We are incredibly thankful for all that helped make the trip possible,” Allen said.
Make sure to be on the lookout for team updates from Gunnison, Colo, this weekend while the Javelinas compete in the Mountaineer Volleyball Classic.
