May 5, 2000

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - The Florida State volleyball team is going on a road trip - but not just any ordinary road trip. This one's going to be an unforgettable adventure.

On Monday, May 8th, Dr. Cecile Reynaud, 10 Lady Seminoles and approxiamately 15 staff and supporters will embark on a 16-day journey through Germany, the Czech Republic and Denmark. The Lady Seminoles will play eight matches throughout the tour against teams from the Czech Republic, Sweden, Denmark and Ireland. FSU booster Lucy McDaniel, an FSU graduate and former volleyball coach at Central Florida, funded the trip through Global Outreach, Inc.

"This trip is going to be a great team-bonding and team-building experience," FSU Head Coach Dr. Cecile Reynaud said. "With 10 returning players from last year's squad, we thought this was a good time to do it.

"This is just a fun group to be around. We've had such an enjoyable spring. The players are so eager to learn and because of this, we have seen so much improvement in their play."

While the volleyball experience is surely to pay off on the court in the fall, the educational experience the Lady Seminoles will garner, will be beneficial for a lifetime.

"I'm excited, but I am also really nervous," sophomore middle hitter Erica Bunch said. "Being from a small town, it's really going to be different traveling to a foreign country. My grandfather lived in Germany for 20 years, so I am excited to see where he lived."

The tour begins in Frankfurt, Germany. Upon their arrival on May 9th, the Lady Seminoles will board a bus for a two-hour transfer to Rothenburg, Germany. Rothenburg is an ancient, walled, fairy-tale city. The group will have the opportunity to walk the streets, walk the walls surrounding the city and pretend to go back in time in this ancient city.

The next three days will be spent in Munich, Germany. Some of the stops planned in Munich include the Olympic Stadium and the historic Dachau Concentration Camp. Following breakfast on Saturday, May 13th, the group will depart for the Sumava Mountain region located near the Czech Republic and German borders. The Lady Seminoles will bike up the Czech Mountains, across the Czech-German border.

"This is an experience that many of us may never be to do ever again," sophomore setter Jamie Hibbard said. "I've always been interested in the Holocaust and we are going to be visiting some concentration camps. It's going to be neat learning about and seeing all of these places as a group. It will definitely bring us closer."

The next stop will be Prague - the Paris of the East. The group will tour sights such as the castle, the cathedral, Charles Bridge, the Old Town, Wencelaus Square and Hus Square during three days in this beautiful city. The Lady Seminoles will see their first competition in Prague with four matches on May 15th and 16th against a Czech National, Junior National or Top Club team.

The tour's next destination is a two-day stop in Berlin - Germany's capital and largest city. The group will have the opportunity to stroll the famous Kurfursterdam as well as see many of the World War II sites and what remains of the Berlin Wall.

The final four days of the trip will be spent in Copenhagen, Denmark. The six-hour ride from Berlin to Copenhagen will travel through German and Danish countryside and includes a ferry ride. The Lady Seminoles will play four matches in Copenhagen. On May 20th, the Tribe will face Sweden and Denmark A. On May 21st, FSU's opponents include Ireland and Denmark B. One of the sites the group will take advantage of in Copenhagen include the Tivoli - Copenhagen's best known attaction. Among Tivoli's attractions are a pantomime theater, open-air stage, 24 elegant restaurants and frequent classical, jazz and rock concerts.

The group is scheduled to return to Tallahassee in the evening on May 23rd.

"We are so close already," Bunch said, "but traveling together for 16 days is going to be a good experience. We are going to learn so much about each other."

A Quick Guide to Florida State's European Volleyball Classic

May 8   Depart Tallahassee
May 9   Arrive in Frankfurt, Germany. Transfer to Rothenberg,Germany.
May 10-12   Munich, Germany
May 13   Sumava Mountain region, Czech Republic
May 14-16   Prague, Czech Republic. Matches 1 & 2 on 5/15. Matches 3 & 4
on 5/16.
May 17-18   Berlin, Germany
May 19-22   Copenhagen, Denmark. Matches 5 & 6 on 5/20.  Matches 7 & 8 on 5/21.
May 23   Depart Frankfurt.  Arrive Tallahassee.