Two of the Mavericks volleyball team members got the chance of a lifetime over the summer as they got to compete overseas.
Colorado Mesa University (CMU) redshirt senior outside hitter Maddi Foutz and redshirt sophomore middle blocker Savannah Spitzer took part in the Global Challenge in Pula, Croatia.
The opportunity came up for Foutz as she was able to compete in the same event in high school before she started her college volleyball career. As for Spitzer, Foutz recommended her to be on the team as the coaches were looking for another middle blocker for the team.
“It was Maddi who dropped my name to the coach since she had gone before and their coach was looking for a middle and she mentioned me by name,” Spitzer said.
Spitzer found that the blocking skills that she worked on during the 2020 season helped her a lot while competing against the other teams.
“A huge part of it was blocking. We have a new assistant coach Bri [Strong] she has been a huge help in blocking with middles always being in transition so that was a ton of help. I got complimented for always being up in transition and blocking which was the main thing I was focusing on in Europe and that helped a ton,” Spitzer said.
Being able to compete on a national scale meant that there were different rules that they had to adapt to. One of the rules being that if the ball touched the ceiling it was out of play. There were only six substitutes which forced a 5-1 to be run at all times and liberos can not serve.
Foutz found that being able to play with Division One athletes as well as against international players challenged her in a good way.
“It is hard to go across the country and play, let alone across the world because you might have a lot of jitters and everything. A lot of our teammates were Division One athletes coming from these big schools and so it was a really great challenge for Savannah and I because not only were we physically challenged but we were pushed mentally as well,” Foutz said.
The skill that the two will bring back to CMU volleyball will be reflected not only on the court but in their leadership skills as well.
“I have been incredibly lucky with the opportunities that my parents and coaches have given me, so I feel like I have a lot of knowledge to share with the girls with volleyball but also with what it means to be an athlete and to trust yourself and to really enjoy this process,” Foutz said. “It goes by really fast so I just want to encourage my teammates to enjoy this and to make the most of this opportunity.”
Foutz and Spitzer started the 2021 season with CMU last weekend as they competed in the Oredigger Classic. The team will now go to Wichita Falls, Texas next weekend to compete in the MSU Texas Hampton INN-Vitational.
