UVolleyball: From Coral Gables to Great Britain
May 8, 2012
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – Two University of Miami volleyball standouts will be temporarily trading in orange and green for the chance to don Great Britain’s national team jersey during this summer’s Olympics in London.
Ciara Michel (2008) and freshman Savannah Leaf have flown across the Atlantic Ocean in an effort to secure their spots on the 2012 Olympic roster in representing Great Britain. More impressively, the Hurricanes were two of only 20 players selected worldwide for the nation’s tryouts.
“The first time I put on the national jersey to represent my country was last summer in Peru,” Michel said. “I wish I could describe the feeling of walking into a packed stadium, full of enthusiastic fans, waving flags and snapping pictures, screaming your name as you follow your flag carriers to the center court.”
Michel has been joined in tryouts by current Hurricane Savannah Leaf, who just recently transferred to Miami after a stellar freshman campaign at San Jose State. If not for the hard work of the coaching staff and support from the local volleyball community overseas, the two Canes might never have had the opportunity to meet.
“I was asked to be part of the summer 2011 team, and I got much more acquainted with the team and the system of play, which must be unique in order to compete with long-standing programs from other nations such as Brazil or Japan,” Michel said. “Tragically, just before I joined, all funding from the government was cut, and the program could have been terminated.”
According to Michel, however, local support and the dedication of the team’s coaching staff saved the chance for two UVolleyball alumni to compete on the grandest stage in sports.
Michel’s five years spent in Coral Gables (including a redshirt year) under Head Coach Nicole Lantagne Welch were instrumental in preparing her for the big leap. She still serves as the program’s all-time leader in blocks with 122 over the course of her career.
“Training towards the Olympics is a lifestyle choice,” Michel said. “Unlike most normal ‘jobs,’ the choices we make off the court will have an impact on our performance. With the national team we train twice a day, either volleyball or strength and conditioning, six days a week.”
All that hard work is rewarded, Michel says, the moment the Great Britain national anthem is played before the match; both Michel and Leaf are hoping to have the opportunity to hear it played in person this summer.
“A wave of emotion sweeps over you when you realize you’re competing with an entire nation of support behind you,” Michel said. “It’s honestly a little bit overwhelming, but just so exciting.”
