Stephanie McFadden (San Juan Capistrano, Calif.), a senior member of the Stony Brook University volleyball team will represent the United States of America over the next few weeks in Croatia for the 2015 European Global Challenge.

Seawolves' head coach Coley Pawlikowski and associate head coach Dan Pawlikowski will coach the BIP/USA Development Team with Vogel and fellow senior Stephanie McFadden (San Juan Capistrano, Calif.) on the roster, while sophomores Cydney Bowman (Lake Mary, Fla.) and Courtney Scanlan (Salamanca, N.Y.) will play for Team BIP (Bring it Promotions, LLC).

During their journey, each student-athlete will be blogging about their experiences.

Imagine walking down a cobble stone path, people from all of the world speaking different languages as they negotiate different prices at the local souvenir shop, the air has a nice cool feel about it, you look to your left, right, even up and there are buildings dignified by the architecture of the 9th and 10th centuries. It is a seen almost unimaginable but I have here to tell you it is real. Prague was real, even though now looking back on it, it seems kind of like a dream. In the three days we were in Prague we were able to do, see, hear, and carry all in the short amount of time. I put carry in there because as my team and I were walking down the streets making our way down to old town Prague, there was a man there holding a snake. Some were in my crazy mind I thought it would be a good idea to ask the man if I could hold the snake. To my surprise he said yes. Honestly the amount of time it took for him to put the snake around my shoulders was in the blink of an eye, to turning back. The shock of holding a snake did not hit me until I looked in my hand I was holding the snakes head. I looked it straight in the eye and well just had to laugh at the fact I was holding a snake in Prague. This is just one of the very interesting events while in Prague.

Our first day of practice went very well to my surprise. While there was of course the adjustment period of getting to know each other, the touch of the European balls; we all meshed together very well. We started off getting into the rhythm of things with a few competitive games, then we proceeded to work of figuring out our sets and serve receive. In the short amount of time we had together, I was sure we had a competitive group of girls who loved the game of volleyball. Later on we played to Junior National Women’s Prague team. This was our first test. While there were moments you could tell we only played together a short amount of time, our competitive drive and talent took over. We were able to play very well. It is an interesting experience to play with other girls from all over the country from different colleges. Our team, who I love by the way, discussed the different gym and team cultures, how practices are run, how much each ran for conditioning, what there coaching staffs where like, how each team in their conferences were. It really is very interesting to hear how each program runs. It is also a great experience to be able to learn and grow from each other’s different experiences on and off the court. It is an experience unlike any other to have to opportunity to become close with other girls from different volleyball programs.

Today we had the opportunity to stop by Vienna, Austria. It was beautiful. This city was very interesting because unlike Prague who did not have any damage by World War 2, Austria did. When we first walked into the center of the city there was a small sight that preserved some of the wreckage. It was amazing to see how much damage there was but at the same time see how beautifully they rebuilt everything. The first major sight we visited was a big beautiful Church, the name I cannot recall. However the sight of it was magnificent. It was so detailed and intricate. I had to take a picture for my dad who likes to visit a church any place we go. Later on we for lunch a couple of my teammates and I decided to blend in with the locals and eat at a small restaurant that was located in a stop perfect for people watching. I got a cappuccino, which I seem to be drinking a lot of here, and just enjoyed to scenery and the people. After our time we got back on the bus and made our way to Slovenia, where we had a friendly match against the Israel team. We had a decent game, it was definitely a good time to work out the little kinks before we play in the tournament coming up shortly.

This experience so far has been unlike any other I have ever had and it is not even close to being over yet. We still have so many interesting buildings and scenes to see, so many different foods to try, so many different people to meet, and so much more volleyball to play. I look forward to what lies ahead and cannot wait to tell you more interesting stories. Until next time.

-Stephanie