ROME, (August 2019) – The Montana State University Billings volleyball team returned Monday from their week-long trip to Italy, an unforgettable experience and a chance to truly "do as the Romans do". Gallivanting through the boot-shaped Mediterranean country, the Yellowjackets played two exhibition matches against their Italian counterparts and had time for unique sightseeing with historical and cultural experiences along the way.
 
The team made stops in Rome, Florence, Venice, and Vatican City. They rode Segway's, visited the Giotto Bell Tower, and renowned renaissance sculpture "David" by Michelangelo. Other highlights included the Coliseum, Roman Forum, Treve Fountain, Spanish Steps, and the Statue of Giordano Bruno. A jaunt into Vatican City provided views of the Sistine Chapel as well as St. Peter's Basilica.
 
"Getting to tour around Italy as a group was an amazing experience that no one will forget," said head coach Casey Williams. "We ate great food, saw amazing sites, and learned a lot about Italian culture. We also got the opportunity to play two different Italian club teams, Centro Universitario Sportivo Venezia and GS Bellaria Pontedera. It was a great experience to play with international rules, as well as make some new friends. With such a large freshman class it was an especially great opportunity to let everyone play and work with some different lineups. I think that our student athletes enjoyed their experiences both on and off the court."
 
With 10 newcomers this season, the two Italian exhibition matches provided added extra playing time as Williams navigates the future starting lineup of the Yellowjackets. An NCAA provision allows for member schools to send teams to a foreign country to compete once every four years. The last MSU Billings team to travel internationally is women's basketball in 2017 to Barcelona.
 
The blog below features highlights from the trip, and all content was composed by MSUB players. The blog covers six days of the journey. The team flew to Rome, then traveled on separate days to Florence, Venice, Siena, and Vatican City before arriving back in the United States.
  Day 1: Freshman Middle Blocker Hannah Hayden – "On the first day we traveled for 13 hours. We were all up at 2 a.m. on a bus from Billings to Bozeman. Nobody slept since we assumed we would be able to sleep on the 10 hour plane ride from Dallas to Rome. After a couple hours of sleep on the plane, however woke up to find we still had at least four full hours to go. After arriving in Rome, we began our bus ride to Florence."
 
"We stopped at Civita di Bagnoregito (a city built in a hillside) and it was amazing. It was also a filming sight for the Twilight series of movies (the place the character Volturi was). We walked on a beautiful bridge to get there and then had a couple of hours to hang out and have lunch. It was a great first day of activity. We finished our bus trip to Florence in the evening and had team supper. We ate so much pasta on the trip but every time it was different and it all tasted fantastic."
 
Day 1: Junior Right Side Bayli Monck – "Today was our travel day to Florence. We visited Civita de Bagnoregio and had the opportunity to walk inside the city. On the outside, the city looked like a giant castle on a hill. We were allowed free time to eat, shop, take pictures, and more. Since pasta is my favorite food, I really enjoyed our first meal, which was some of the best pasta I've ever had in my life. Aside from the food, the views were stunning."
 
"Mountain tops, green trees, and the architecture of the streets and buildings were beautiful. Pasta, chicken and tiramisu were all on the menu for dinner. It was such a fun day."
 

Day 1: Freshman Libero Amya Rodriguez – "The first day of Italy was amazing. Straight off the plane we traveled to a small city on top of a mountain called "the dying city." In the past, 4,000 people lived there but today it is empty because of erosion the city has experienced. It used to have five entrances, but now there is only one. The dying city was a really cool experience. It was great to see the culture of all parts of Italy."
 
Day 1 from Freshman Libero Molly Packer – "We started our trip in Rome and then drove to Tuscany where went to a beautiful rustic town built into a mountain island where there was only one entrance. It was a steep walk to get up but once we reached the top, the view was incredible. We stayed for a couple hours, then continued on the bus to Florence."
 
Day 2: Sophomore Middle Blocker Eavan Taylor – "On day two we stayed in Florence and had an amazing opportunity to tour the city with a bicycle tour. I absolutely loved it. In total, the tour lasted about three hours. During that time we were able to take in all the scenery and beauty Florence has to offer."
  Day 2: Freshman Setter Hannah Hashbarger – "On our morning guided bicycle tour, we were taken through the city and to a variety of different plazas and historical sights. Among the many churches we saw was a Catholic church that had the Star of David because it was designed by a Jewish architect."
 
"Though the church had originally promised to bury its architect inside, they reversed the decision and he was placed in a tomb just outside the doors. After a couple hours of free time, the group met back up and we traveled to our first volleyball match."
 

Day 2: Freshman Libero Kaylie Akiona – "Today we toured around Venice and it was beautiful. We learned all the amazing architectural history and we also walked around to some of the more hidden areas of Venice. We watched people pass by from the gondolas and the whole city was breathtaking."
 
Day 3: Junior Middle Blocker Joelle Mahowald – "Today we drove into Venice from Florence. This is probably the place most of us were the most excited to visit on the trip and it definitely lived up to our expectations. Venice is breathtaking. We got to the bus parking with our bags ready for the day, then took a small walk to the water taxi and we were on our way to the islands. There are over 100 islands that make up Venice."
 
"Some are very small, but each one is connected by a bridge with a river flowing through. The rivers flowing through the islands are filled with gondolas and many types of boats. We started our adventures In Venice with 45 min of free time and food time."
 
"Once we met back up, part of the group went on a church tour & the other part explored more of the city. Walking around was very toasty, in fact some of the girls even bought fans to have with them (smartest purchase ever). We ate, tried new things, saw lots of places, got souvenirs, and much more, then took a 25 minute walk to the gym where we would be playing. Afterwards, we had dinner with the opposing team, which was my personal favorite part."
 
"The girls are sweet and we loved to learn about each other's cultures. Getting around the language barrier was quite funny. There was much interpretation, pictures, slow talking and a lot of laughs."
 
Day 4: Junior Setter Alexa Smythe – "On Thursday we left Venice in the morning for Rome. It was a seven hour drive and we stopped in Siena along the way. Siena is a beautiful small town and we ate at a restaurant in the square of the town and it was one of my favorite meals for sure."
 
"There was bread and olive oil, a yummy garlic pasta for the first course and chicken arugula for the second. Then for desert, we had creek brulee but a lot of us went for gelato instead. We walked around town and checked out all the cute shops. We also stopped in a bakery and got some macaroons and connolis."
 
"We left for Rome and got there around dinner time. For team dinner, we ate at an authentic pasta restaurant, then walked around and explored the night life of Rome before going to bed."
 
Day 5: Sophomore Outside Hitter Skylar Reed – "We visited Siena on a long travel day from Venice to Rome. We ate a great meal and shopped around in Siena. One of the sights we saw was the clock tower shown in pictures. We also saw an ancient race track, still active today. After, we finished our drive into Rome where we had some free time to explore the downtown area. We ate at a seafood restaurant that was amazing."
  Day 5: Freshman Libero Makayla Baca – "Today was a travel day with a beautiful stop in Siena. We had an amazing lunch as a team and some free time after. The best part of the day was having time to relax and look around at all the little shops. This trip has really brought the team together and we are stronger now as a whole. It has been an amazing experience for all of us."
 
Day 6: Freshman Setter Hailey Carroll – "Our day at Vatican City did not disappoint. The Sistine Chapel was amazing and Saint Peter's Basilica was beautiful. After going through security to get into the Vatican, we had a 40 minute lesson on its history from a tour guide who was very passionate. After that we walked through the Vatican Museum which featured beautiful sculptures, paintings, and tapestries."
 
"I had never seen a room with so much color and the way it was painted made it look three dimensional. Next, we made it to the Sistine Chapel and for me it was one of the coolest things we saw. The paintings were huge and covered every part of the chapel walls. To end we saw Saint Peter's Basilica and it was probably the biggest place I had ever been in. There were so many things to look at and everything in the chapel had some sort of meaning. It's also where the statue of Mary holding Jesus's body is located."
 
Testimonial from Junior Outside Hitter Maddi Vigil – "My favorite part of the trip was visiting the Vatican and seeing all the amazing paintings within all of the buildings. My favorite historical site was the Sistine Chapel. Just knowing that it is one of the most respected and elegant churches in the world simply takes your breath away."
 
"Michelangelo was the one who did the paintings within the chapel and you truly will never see anything like it. I loved this trip and it show a person how much history there is to learn about the world and that's what I love the most."
 
Testimonial from Freshman Libero Marissa Logozzo – "Traveling to Italy with MSUB volleyball was truly a once in a lifetime experience. I enjoyed seeing all the beautiful sights in every city we went to. My favorite city was Venice. It was breathtaking and completely surrounded by glistening water and beautiful buildings. The many canals through the city not only made for difficult navigation, but beautiful sights and picture moments. I loved being able to play volleyball in such a different setting, where the play and rules are so different. A big struggle during the game was immense heat. It was very important to keep hydrated in order to be successful."
 
"Overall, Italy was a blast and I will forever remember the memories I made with my teammates."

Testimonial from Freshman Setter Hannah Hashbarger – "One of my favorite parts of the trip was getting to interact with and eat dinners with the teams we played. Although there was a language barrier, we were able to use English they knew, as well as hand motions to communicate. I also really enjoyed learning some of Rome's history, including the Roman Forum and the Colosseum. It was wild to see architecture that has stood for centuries."
 

Testimonial from Freshman Setter Bailey Pearcy – "Italy was an amazing experience and I loved going together as a team. Playing against the Italian teams was so much fun and I enjoyed getting to know them. My favorite attraction was the Colosseum and Venice was the most beautiful city. I for sure have the travel bug now."

Testimonial from Freshman Setter Hailey Carroll – "I can't really pick a favorite part of the trip. There was just a lot to love. I loved how everywhere we went there was something important or historical about it. I enjoyed the culture and the unspoken rules they had there. For example, there were no phones at the tables, every time I looked around when were eating, not one phone was out."
 
"Everyone was just enjoying everyone else's company. I also loved the food. The pasta was amazing, I loved how every place I went the pasta was slightly different because it was home made. I was also very surprised to see how much was served at each meal. My trip was filled with new experiences interesting people, beautiful places, and my amazing teammates! It was definitely a trip of a life time."