Brown, Noyes Headed to France to Play Professional Volleyball
Aug. 10, 2010
LAWRENCE, Kan. –
In just a couple of days, two former Kansas volleyball players will travel to Europe to begin another season of professional volleyball. Ex-Jayhawks Emily Brown (2004-07) and Savannah Noyes (2005-08) will both be playing in France during the 2010-11 season.
Brown, who says the biggest perk of playing overseas is traveling to different countries, will leave for St. Raphael on Aug. 13, while Noyes leaves two days later and will be playing just five hours west in Albi. The 2010-11 season will mark Brown’s third stint overseas and Noyes’ second.
The European volleyball circuit runs from late August until May. The duo will practice every day, Monday-Friday, and play on Saturdays.
“I work for two hours a day practicing volleyball, which gives me 22 hours a day to entertain myself in a foreign land,” Brown said of her schedule. “It’s pretty good.”
During those 22 hours of free time, Brown and Noyes say they both like to travel. And although the pair does not know much French, getting around to different countries, which is very inexpensive in Europe, is not much of a hassle.
“Train stations have a lot of signs in English,” said Noyes. “And the speaker on the intercom speaks in French and English. Plus, you can always find someone who speaks English.”
That also holds true for members of their teams, too.
“I’ve been lucky because most people on the team speak English or enough to get the point across,” Brown said. “And you pick up on key words and phrases (in French) so it’s not too difficult to figure out what coach is saying at practice and games.”
“I’m excited to go to France because a lot of French words sound similar to English,” added Noyes, who played in Slovakia last season.
In addition to traveling and experiencing different cultures, the two also spend a lot of time on the internet, since it is one of the only connections to their friends and family back in the U.S.
“People make fun of me saying, ‘You’re always on Facebook. You’re always on gmail chat.'” said Brown. “That’s my connection to the U.S. That’s where we watch TV and movies. Everything is on my computer.”
Fans can find more information on Brown and Noyes’ European volleyball experience at www.BringItUSA.com.
