NORFOLK, Va. – The Norfolk State women's volleyball team experienced an unconventional season this spring that came to a premature end after the program opted out of playing the remainder of its matches. Though traditionally played in the fall, the MEAC chose to delay women's volleyball until the spring of 2021, and after competing in six matches, COVID-19 protocols led NSU to the decision to opt out.
 
And although competing during a global pandemic posed challenges for each member of the team, four international recruits also had to continue adjusting to playing volleyball in a new country. Junior college transfers Nicole Rodriguez, Paola Maradei and Heliceliz Rivera, and freshman Paola Matos are four players who have had to adapt to cultural changes both throughout their collegiate careers and throughout the COVID-19 riddled season.
 
Junior Libero Nicole Rodriguez
Rodriguez is a junior transfer from Daytona State College and a native of San Juan, Puerto Rico. Her defensive skillset made her an asset to the Spartans during the brief season.
 
She moved from San Juan to Kissimmee, Florida at the age of 15 and has lived in the United States ever since.
 
"One of the reasons we moved was because my mom had cancer, and also because she wanted a better future for me," Rodriguez explained. "Learning English, playing volleyball…She wanted more opportunities for me."
 
When Rodriguez first traveled to Florida, she had to come alone. While her mother finalized details in Puerto Rico, Rodriguez lived with the brother of her stepfather and the rest of his family, all of whom she hardly knew.
 
Once she began attending Osceola High School, she joined the volleyball team but struggled to adapt to a new language.
 
"When I came here, I didn't know anything. I just knew Spanish," Rodriguez recollected. "It was hard in school, and also in volleyball, because you have to communicate."
 
While she and her mother adjusted to life in the states, Rodriguez found comfort in the sport that she loved.
 
"My mom beat cancer, praise to God," Rodriguez said. "However, it was hard for her. And then it was more hard for her when we moved to the United States because we have our family in Puerto Rico. It was harder for her than for me because I made friends fast and volleyball helped me a lot to be distracted from everything."
 
After joining Norfolk State's volleyball team, Rodriguez had to continue adapting to the culture.
 
"When I moved to Florida first, it was not that bad adjusting to the culture because I was around a lot of Spanish people," she explained. "But when I came out here to Norfolk, the culture was so different, and it's harder for me."
 
In addition to finding comfort in volleyball, Rodriguez stays in close contact with her mother to combat homesickness.
 
"I always call my mom and it helps me a lot," she explained. "She gives me good advice. My mom is the peace that helped me to go through all of this."
 
Junior Middle Blocker Paola Maradei
Maradei, also a junior, transferred from Trinidad State College and plays middle blocker. She was born in Cancún, Mexico before moving to São Paulo, Brazil with her family, where she lived until the age of 18.
 
She has played volleyball since she was 13, and she recalled the moment she realized just how far a career in volleyball could take her.
 
"When I was 16, I didn't even know it was possible to get a scholarship and study here," she said. "When I found out, I just started the process of studying English and trying to get good grades, and I kept playing volleyball.
 
"I got a recruiter, I had to take an exam, and we had a lot of paperwork to get the visa done," she continued. "I knew the basics of English and then I had to study a lot. Then I developed my English once I got here."
 
While playing volleyball at Trinidad, Maradei had to adjust to a new language as well as a foreign culture.
 
"At the beginning the language barrier made things pretty hard, also the food was a lot to get used to," she said.
 
Maradei has not been able to return to Brazil, or see any of her family, in two years, as the pandemic put a wrench in her plans to visit last summer.
 
"The thing I miss about home the most is definitely my family, the food, and my hometown environment and my friends. I miss every single thing," she said.
 
However, Maradei relies on her new-found friends and family in the states for comfort.
 
"What helps me a lot are my friends here," she said. "I have my host family in Colorado, and I feel at home with them."
 
Junior Setter Heliceliz Rivera
Rivera, another junior, transferred from Frontier Community College and is from Corozal, Puerto Rico.
 
As a freshman in high school, Rivera realized the possibilities of playing volleyball in the United States. She quickly began the recruiting process.
 
"I was a transfer to a new high school and I heard people saying that the United States was good for volleyball," she said. "One person helped me to come. He is a recruiter and he helps a lot of people in Puerto Rico to play in the United States."
 
At the start of her first year in the States, Rivera had difficulties overcoming language barriers.
 
"I didn't know any English," she said. "When I first got to my apartment, my roommate said, 'Hey my name is Kaylie,' and I just thought, 'What are you saying?'"
 
Although living in the United States was a difficult adjustment, Rivera did have help.
 
"My host family gave me classes for English, and I had my tutor who helped me in my class. I would record my classes and then study it, and that's how I passed," she said.
 
At Norfolk State, Rivera adjusted to the size of the student body on campus, as well as the culture in Norfolk.
 
"It's very different because at my JUCO, it was a small school, so I saw the same people every day," she said. "There were a lot of Puerto Rican people at my old school, and it was like a family. Now I come here, and I see a new person every day."
 
Rivera is very close with her family in Puerto Rico and relies on their support throughout the school year.
 
"I call my mom every day: when I wake up, before my practice, after my practice. And I talk to my sister every day so that helps me a lot," she said.
 
Rivera is also building new relationships on campus with her teammates and classmates.
 
"When you come to a new school you have to make all new friends," she said. "It's like a whole new family."
 
Freshman Opposite Hitter Paola Matos
Matos is a freshman opposite attacker from Fajardo, Puerto Rico, who made the MEAC All-Rookie Team this spring. She began playing volleyball at the age of 11 and has worked hard to achieve her goal of competing in college.
 
"When I was in ninth grade, it was my first time playing against a lot of schools in Puerto Rico, and it was really competitive. I realized 'Wow this is my dream. I really want to go to the United States and play in the NCAA,'" she recollected. "I talked with my coach and he was helping me with the recruiters. Then I started training and going to the gym and really getting in volleyball shape."
 
Matos receives her inspiration from both her father and a member of Puerto Rico's national volleyball team.
 
"My dad played basketball, but he was the most athletic in our family, so I'm following in his footsteps. My other role model, her name is Karina Ocasio. She's on the national team in Puerto Rico," Matos explained.
 
As she prepared for her move to Norfolk, Matos was determined to be as physically prepared as possible.
 
"It was really hard," she said. "Last summer I was working so hard to come here. I was really working on my vertical jump."
 
During her first long-term separation from her family, Matos feels most at home when she is on the volleyball court.
 
"Whenever I feel homesick I just call my family. I talk to them every day," she explained. "I just do my thing, and when I play volleyball, it just motivates me to be better every day. When I play volleyball, I feel like I'm home."
 
Although she misses her home, Matos has adapted quickly to campus life and has enjoyed the shift in culture.
 
"I love it here," she gushed. "People are so nice, and it's so different from home. Here, I feel like I can be me. In Puerto Rico, I was not so social, but here I talk to everybody. I feel really good here."
 
Although the 2021 spring season brought many disappointments for the Spartan women, they are determined to enter their upcoming fall season with the passion and drive they need to achieve success while continuing to adapt to a new home.