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Going to Europe for the summer is a popular choice for many students, and this proved to be the case for Jamie Houle and Whitney Johnson, who left halfway through finals week in May to go to Italy and do what they do best: play volleyball.
Chico State middle blockers Houle, a senior from Antioch, and Johnson, a junior from Redding, were courted by American International Sports Tours.
The team was able to choose from destinations such as Brazil, Italy, Netherlands and Aruba for its trip. After the players weren't able to field a team in Brazil, they decided on Italy.
The majority of the team in Italy consisted of college players from the eastern United States, Johnson said. Only four players were from California.
Although Houle and Johnson traveled all over Italy to compete, they still had enough time to enjoy some sightseeing.
"The touring and seeing the Vatican and the coliseum were cool," Houle said. "Rome was beautiful, too."
As far as volleyball was concerned, Houle and Johnson were very impressed with the knowledge possessed by the other players in Italy.
"It was an eye-opener," Johnson said. "They are dedicated to volleyball and are very smart. They see the court well."
Through all the work and sightseeing, Houle and Johnson were able to spend time with many of the players from Italy and have kept in touch with a few of them.
"They were very friendly no matter the result," Houle said. "Since we were from California, they wanted to know if we went to Hollywood, and they wanted to learn English."
Houle and Johnson personally benefited from the experience and hope to show it this season.
Both players are showing a higher knowledge of the game since their return, which is partly due to their trip, head coach Cody Hein said.
"You can only be blocked so many times in a row before you have to figure things out," he said.
There's a possibility Hein could coach one of the international teams in the future, he said.
To participate in the program, the players must be invited by the sports tour company and come up with the money to pay for their trip.
Hein hopes other Chico State players will be able to participate in the program but knows it will be difficult for some because the players have to pay their own way, he said.
Douglas Benton can be reached at
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