For the second time in the past three years, Big Ten volleyball students from all 14 institutions will travel overseas to compete in a foreign tour. In addition to competition on the court, the tour will feature community service initiatives and the opportunity to experience new cultures. The Big Ten Volleyball Foreign Tour Team will travel to the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Italy and Austria from June 17-28, 2017.
Maryland’s Steve Aird will serve as the head coach of the Big Ten Volleyball Foreign Tour Team. Minnesota’s Alexandra Dunphy will serve as the Director of Operations, Iowa’s Cari Gold will be the Communications Director and Scott Campbell of Penn State serve as the Athletic Trainer. Jessica Palermo, Assistant Commissioner of the Big Ten Conference, will also travel with the party.
“I am excited and proud to be part of this tour,” said Aird. “The volleyball will be elite and we will be challenged by some of the best teams in the world. I am certain that our students will represent the Big Ten Conference the right way. I would like to thank the University of Maryland and the Big Ten Conference for their support and for the opportunity.”
In addition to competition on the court, the 14 students in attendance will have the opportunity to participate in community service initiatives, study foreign languages with local students and visit some of Europe’s most historic cities, including Vienna, Austria, Maribor, Slovenia, and Venice and Milan in Italy.
The roster of 14 athletes selected, one from each of the Big Ten’s member institutions, is below. The team is made up of 4 middle blockers, 2 setters, 2 defensive specialists, 5 outside hitters, and Maryland’s Samantha Drechsel, who plays both outside hitter an opposite.
Among the biggest on-court names on the team are Illinois setter Jordyn Poulter, Wisconsin middle blocker Tionna Williams, and Michigan State middle blocker Autumn Bailey, who were all AVCA Honorable Mention All-American last season.
| SCHOOL | NAME | YEAR | POSITION |
| Illinois | Jordyn Poulter | Junior | Setter |
| Indiana | Kendall Beerman | Sophomore | Outside Hitter |
| Iowa | Annika Olsen | Senior | Defensive Specialist |
| Maryland | Samantha Drechsel | Freshman | Outside Hitter/Opposite |
| Michigan | Claire Kieffer-Wright | Junior | Middle Blocker |
| Michigan State | Autumn Bailey | Senior | Outside Hitter |
| Minnesota | Dalianliz Rosado | Senior | Defensive Specialist |
| Nebraska | Hunter Atherton | Freshman | Setter |
| Northwestern | Allie Lindroth | Sophomore | Outside Hitter |
| Ohio State | Audra Appold | Junior | Outside Hitter |
| Penn State | Victoria Gorrell | Sophomore | Middle Blocker |
| Purdue | Danielle Cuttino | Senior | Outside Hitter |
| Rutgers | Jasmine Stackhouse | Sophomore | Middle Blocker |
| Wisconsin | Tionna Williams | Junior | Middle Blocker |
A portion of this report was taken from a Big Ten Conference press release.
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