Hampton, Va. - They may have grown up about 4,200 miles apart in two different countries - but Petra Parros and Vendula Strakova believe their diverse backgrounds will bring Hampton a conference championship.
Each day - these 14 women meet on the gym floor and practice. They practice defense, they practice attacking, they practice game situations, and they practice on how to win their first MEAC championship in school history.
"Look forward to jumping out there and putting Hampton on the map."
And a map is what you’ll need to locate the hometowns for most of these players. They come from Puerto Rico – to Bulgaria - to Serbia, and even Brazil for two of them. Their Mapquest ends here – at Hampton, where they will need each other to make school history.
Petra Parros is the Garden State native. She’s the senior captain - and a captain who believes in this team.
"The most talented team I have ever been a part of in four years. If we play our game I can leave here with a ring."
What's the best part about playing volleyball for Hampton?
"It’s like an adrenaline rush. It’s a trust game. Making sure someone is there, making sure someone is there."
Vendula Strakova or “Vendy” as she is called, is only a junior. Don’t let that fool you - she is the big hitter on the team – in fact, she leads the country, yes, country, in kills. That means she is the leading scorer in all of women’s collegiate volleyball.
"I was surprised I didn’t know about it – maybe in conference – I was like, woo that’s pretty awesome – never expected to do good in America or United States – it is a huge country."
What’s the feeling like when you smash the ball for a point?
"Jump it, feel like you fly and you hear the ball – everybody is cheering, you feel kind of special after you do it," Vendy says.
"She brings tenacity and a high level of volleyball to colleges that they haven’t seen in east coast colleges in a while and for the second straight time, she was named Conference Player of the Week."
"Proves I do my job, what I'm supposed to do. I keep my standard – it is good to know I did well and keep doing well. I am aiming higher now."
NewsChannel 3 asked Vendy what she knew about America before coming here.
"We know America just from the movies – it is just like that – a big movie."
Every box office hit ends with the good guys on top – will it be the same ending for these Lady Pirates? This movie is scheduled to debut on November 17 – the MEAC Championship Game.
