The RoundHouse | 9/5/2019 6:32:00 PM

Where are they now?
 
Elizabeth Field – Volleyball (2009-13)
 
Elizabeth Field is using volleyball as her travel agent. 
 
She is in her sixth season playing professionally, her third with a club in Pihtipudas, Finland. She also played in the Czech Republic, Germany and Romania. 
 
When she ended her college career, she knew she wanted to continue to play volleyball and she wanted to make up for the semester abroad trips she didn't take. Former teammate Kristin Byers got her in touch with a coach in the Czech Republic and her pro career took off from there.
 
"I love to travel," Field said. "When I left Wichita State, the idea of playing abroad became a bit more important, and something I really actually wanted to do. I realized that was a ticket to travel."
 
Field, a middle blocker, earned second-team All-Missouri Valley Conference honors in 2011 and 2012 and a spot on the first team in 2013. She earned academic all-conference honors three times. 
 
"Wichita State kind of molded me into the player that I still am," she said. "Everything I pretty much learned at Wichita State, I still hold on to. The drive to do my best, no matter what. It definitely prepared me."
 
She played on four NCAA teams, including the 2012 Sweet 16 team that defeated Arkansas and Kansas before losing to Southern Cal.
 
"Making the Sweet 16 – that will always hold an exciting, yet soft, spot in my heart," she said. "Road trips were amazing, laughing with my teammates. Walking out from the tunnel on game day. I'll never forget that, and the way the fans embraced us."
 
Lessons abroad –Field, a chemistry major, said her appreciation for history grew during her while visiting places such as the Berlin Wall, Prague, Amsterdam and Dachau.
 
"Prague is an amazing city," she said. "I absolutely love it. The Berlin Wall memorial is amazing. It's really eye-opening, humbling, worth doing."
 
She walked through buildings and cities full of landmark events. She marveled at the architecture and pondered the famous figures who made history in those places. In Finland, she visits the Arctic Circle to see reindeer and the Northern Lights. She rode bikes in Amsterdam and celebrated Christmas with different cultures.
 
"Dachau – that was a sobering experience," she said. "Not for the faint of heart, but it also put things at least a bit into perspective. I can't possibly understand, but to even get a glimpse of that piece of history was eye-opening."
 
New menu –Field also enjoys finding new food during her travels.
 
"Eating your way through a country is never a bad thing," she said. 
 
In the Czech Republic, she discovered Svickova, beef, pureed vegetables and a dollop of whipped cream. Throughout out her travels, she ate pancakes, crepes and varieties of goulash.
 
"The food has been one of the most fun things," she said. "If Svickova was on the menu, I must have ordered it nine out of 10 times."
 
Lots of volleyball – Field's season in Finland starts in late September and continues until March, with playoffs following. Her team plays around 35 games. As in soccer, there are league matches and tournaments.
 
She and her teammates arrived in Finland in late July and early August. The first match is Sept. 27.
 
"We usually practice twice a day, most days of the week," she said. "Usually, your morning session will be shorter, maybe an hour. It's going to be a little more position-oriented. Middle blockers and setters may come in for attacking and block work. You come back for an evening training, which can be anywhere from two to three hours. This season, we watch a lot of video, so we'll have a meeting before that evening training."
 
Substitutions are limited more than in NCAA volleyball, which means less specialization and more back-row attacks. A minimal amount of screening defenders from watching the server is also allowed.
 
"That's one that trips people up," she said. "You can't complain too much about that one."
 
Field said her club's matches are played in a gym comparable to a large high school. Pihtipudas has a population of around 4,000.
 
"Volleyball is a big deal," she said. "We'll get a few hundred in there, so you get a few hundred in a small place and it gets pretty loud. When we go down to play against some of those top-level teams, they'll gather a lot more than that."
 
 Paul Suellentrop covers Wichita State Athletics and the American Athletic Conference for university Strategic Communications. Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.