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SPORTS
THE UNIVERSITY OF DAILY KANSAN
MONDAY, AUGUST 17. 2009
hawkchalk.com
www.hallcenter.ku.edu·785-864-4798
Partial funding for the Humanities Lecture Series is provided by the National Endowment for the Humanities' 2000 Challenge Grant. This series is co-sponsored by Kansas Public Radio.
Photo courtesy of Jeff Jacobsen
Emily Brown, former Kansas volleyball player, spikes the ball during a game. Brown started practicing volleyball in France on August 16.
VOLLEYBALL (CONTINUED FROM 53)
Before her career at Kansas, Brown said, growing up 15 miles outside of Lawrence meant she couldn't pass up the chance to play for the University. Bechard remembers seeing Brown at volleyball camps and playing against the players in open gym when she was in high school and said she came off as mature for her age.
Brown said Michaels told her about the agency and how to contact it. She and coach Ray Bechard put together a highlight tape of her best performances and it wasn't long before she was picked up by the agency.
The idea of playing professionally came from former teammate Ashley Michaels. Brown said that Michaels played three years overseas before becoming an assistant at the University of Missouri-St. Louis.
and competed against teams across Eastern Europe in countries such as the Czech Republic, Croatia, Hungary and Poland.
"She manages herself well," Bechard said. "She grew up having a good sense of sports and having a want to be involved in sports is apparent with her."
Senior setter Katie Martinicich played with Brown for three years and said she remembered Brown's personality during practices.
"She was always goofy and tried to get laughs out of the teammates." Martincich said.
Martinicch said she thought it was awesome that Brown was continuing her career in volleyball.
"It's a great experience for her and it opens the door for other teammates to try it," Martinicch said.
Brown said it was difficult to have a professional volleyball league in the U.S. that generated money with football and basketball dominating. Brown said most Olympic American volleyball players played overseas in countries such as Russia, Italy, France and Puerto Rico.
"Some of my teammates in Slovakia would ask 'Why don't they have a league in America?' Brown said. "It's just hard to compete against a multimillion sport like the NBA."
Brown plans on to finish school with student teaching to get her degree in Health and Physical Education. She started practicing in France August 16.
"That little white ball is helping her see the world," Bechard said.
Edited by David Ugarte