THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
MONDAY AUGUST 17 2009
MONDAY, AUGUST 17,2009
SPORTS
53
INTERNATIONAL PROFESSIONAL
Former volleyball star to compete in France
Photo courtesy of Jeff Jacobsen
Emily Brown, Kansas volleyball player, dives for the ball while she was a Jayhawk. Brown recently accepted a position as a professional volleyball player in France.
BY JASON BAKER
jbaker@kansan.com
For four years, Emily Brown's focus was perfecting her game in volleyball. For the next few weeks, she'll be perfecting her French.
"I took it in high school, but I don't remember it at all," Brown said.
The former Kansas volleyball star is working on her fluency to prepare for her first full season of professional volleyball in France. The Baldwin City native will be playing for the Nantes Atlantique volleyball team from August through May.
Brown played for Kansas from 2004 to 2007. For the first two years Brown was an outside hitter, then developed the role of setter as well.
After her college volleyball career ended in 2007, Brown signed with Bring It Promotions, a professional volleyball agency. Brown said the agency looked at overseas teams that were interested in American players. She had received an offer from a team in Finland and talked to an American playing on the team to get a feel for what to expect.
"I wasn't that excited about being in a meter of snow and 21 hours of nighttime, and France was more of my style," Brown said.
Brown will be provided with a monthly salary and an apartment while playing for Nantes Atlantique. Brown said that the salary for players depended on the country and the level of competition and said hers would be enough to live on.
Although this is Brown's first full season, this will be her second time playing professional volleyball overseas.
From January 2009 to May 2009, Brown competed for the club Doprastav Volejbal Klub in Bratislava.
Slovakia.
"It wasn't too terrible, but you could definitely tell you weren't in Kansas anymore," Brown said.
While playing for the team, Brown said, her teammates ages ranged from high schoolers to 29-year-olds.
and most of the players could hold a basic conversation," Brown said. "It was one of those languages even they said you won't ever use again once you leave."
"The coach was fluent in English
While in Slovakia, Brown traveled
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