A trip to Brazil this summer for the Kansas volleyball team, turned out to be much more than your average vacation.

The team was in the South American country for eight days this summer. During stops in Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, the Jayhawks played Brazilian club teams, which gave them a chance to hone their skills on the court against foreign competition.

For the players and coaches, however, the experience was about more than just volleyball. It was a chance for most of them to see another culture and another way of life. For three Jayhawks, it was a chance to go home.

“Our parents can never come to our games here, and there they could watch,” said Paula Caten, senior outside hitter from Canarana, Brazil. “Our teammates could see our families’ reactions too and see how they feel about being able to watch us.

Caten, along with Jana Correa, junior outside hitter from Macapa, Brazil and Josi Lima, senior middle blocker from Sao Paulo, Brazil, are all alumni of Pinheiros Club of Sao Paulo. When Kansas played against the trio’s former team, it presented the rest of the players with an opportunity to see where their style of play originated.

For Andi Rozum, senior setter, the game helped her and her American teammates discover where their Brazilian teammates’ personalities were shaped.

“It helped us understand where Josi, Jenna, and Paula come from,” Rozum said.

“It was important for our team chemistry.

“Our teammates got to know our culture better,” Correa said. “Since the trip, they understand us better. The team got closer.”

Being good teammates became something that the team could experience through their daily activities, rather than having it forced upon them by coaches.

“We always talk about how we need to be good teammates,” Correa said. “But when we were there, it wasn’t just talking, it was happening.”

Team chemistry is a common theme among the squad. If there is one thing that they can take from the trip, the team members said it is the time spent together and the bonds that were formed with one another.

“We got to know each other a little better,” coach Ray Bechard said. “Our players from the United States were taken out of their comfort zone and placed in a different environment, a different culture.”

Bechard said the most important times were not those in competition, but when the team could be a family.

“The bonding took place more off the court than on the court,” Bechard said.

“The players gathered a new appreciation, not only for the culture in Brazil for our American players, but I think the players from Brazil really respected how the Americans went down there with an open mind and really asked questions and learned.”

Emily Brown, sophomore opposite hitter, said she enjoyed the exposure to Brazilian culture as well. She also said the language issues they encountered brought the team closer to each other.

“We were the only ones speaking English, so we were forced to stay together, which was not a problem for anyone,” Brown said. “The more time we spend together the better.”

The development of good relationships among the Jayhawks is an important part of the big picture. The goal remains to compete for a conference championship this season, something that is not lost on the players and coaches.

Correa said the experience would have a huge impact on the team’s performance this season.

“After this trip, everything is much better,” Correa said. “We are a better team now.

“I think it brings us a little ahead of where we might normally be at this point,” Bechard said. “I’m excited about that.”