After nine days playing volleyball abroad, sophomore Erika Lange and freshman Drew Robertson are happy to be back on their home court.
The two Northwestern players were among 17 elite collegiate and just-graduated volleyball players who competed in Spring Cup 2002 for the USA National Select team May 11-19. The main action was held in Porec, Croatia, but the team traveled across Europe to Italy, Germany, Austria and Slovakia for practice matches. Though excited and grateful for the experience, the event made Lange and Robertson appreciate American athletic facilities.
“It was interesting to see gyms in Europe,” Robertson said. “In Slovenia, we were afraid of getting splinters because the floor hadn’t been waxed in months.”
Of all the facilities the team visited, Robertson said that the courts in Croatia, the Spring Cup’s host, were the best.
In its three official pool games, the U.S. team finished 1-2, beating Croatia but losing to Denmark and Turkey. Overall, the team finished 4-2 in the tournament after adding wins against England and Austria, and avenging the earlier loss to Denmark. National teams from 13 countries participated.
Lange and Robertson were not only the only representatives of NU, but also were the only Big Ten players on the team. Robertson said she and Lange jumped at the chance to play on a team with athletes they rarely compete against.
“It’s always good playing with different people,” the setter said. “Sometimes you get too set in your ways and you need to be open to different styles of play.”
Being named to the Select team is a strong indication of the two Wildcats’ talents. In addition, the Select team is considered a feeder for the U.S. national team.
QUEEN TRITON: Fortune seems to have a way of finding the NU volleyball team lately. Lange, Robertson and the rest of the Cats’ team will be joined next season by a standout junior college recruit.
Head coach Keylor Chan signed outside hitter Iwona Lodzik on Monday. A native of Poland, the 6-foot-1 Lodzik played for Triton in River Grove, leading the school to a second-place finish in its 2001 regional.
Last season for Triton, Lodzik averaged 3.48 kills per game against conference opponents, hit at a .437 clip and came up with 90 digs. She will become the fourth full-time outside hitter for NU.
As a former member of the Polish junior national team, Lodzik already has competed against international opponents and brings experience practicing with the Polish national team. Plus, her club team in Poland won the Polish national title in 1997.
Lodzik says she’s “thrilled” and “very, very excited” to wear a Cats uniform next fall. She chose NU over offers from DePaul and Valparaiso because of connections she felt with the current team.
“I chose Northwestern mostly because of the coach,” she said. “He seemed really calm, like a really good coach and a good guy.”
The future communications studies major also bonded with her new teammates after meeting them for only a short while.
“The girls on the team made me feel comfortable,” Lodzik said. “Everyone just came up to me and we started talking about everything.”
