This story originally appeared on KWUCoyotes.com.
Jessica Biegert and her America’s Team volleyball players were excited to visit St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, but what happened there was more than they planned.
While Biegert and the players mingled with the crowd in St. Peter’s Square, their attention shifted suddenly to a balcony window of the Apostolic Palace as Pope Francis emerged and delivered his weekly blessing to the crowd below.
“It was a Sunday at noon, and the pope gave a citywide blessing that we got to experience and witness,” said Biegert, who is in her sixth season as women’s volleyball coach at Kansas Wesleyan.
The visit to St. Peter’s was one of many stops during her recent journey to Italy for three days of competition and three days of sightseeing.
The trip was Biegert’s second to Europe with America’s Team. She went to Barcelona, Spain, in 2023.
“They do softball, baseball, volleyball, women’s basketball and lacrosse,” she said. “Girls from all over the country sign up to travel overseas and play volleyball in a tournament, ages 16 to 18. They’re high-schoolers who have never played together, don’t know each other. College coaches get to go free — that’s what they sell, you’re coached by a college coach.”
Coaches and players gathered at a hotel in Milan.
“On Day 1, we throw them on the court and play — no practice, no nothing, we just start,” she said. “The longer they’re together, the more they get to know each other and figure out our style of play. They were pretty open and had a lot of energy and were excited about being there.”
Biegert’s team played six matches in three days and were “around .500” but won the championship, defeating a second team from the United States.
“I had a Canadian girl, girls from Alaska, California, Arizona, and there was one from Wichita (who attends Berean Academy in Elbing, Kan.),” she said. “They come from all over.
“In pool play we did ‘fair play’ — everybody got in and played. On the last day, it was the championship. I’m playing to win, so I played the stronger players and we were able to do it.”
Pool play included a team from Italy, and the coaches opted to mix the rosters for a match.
“The girls were like, ‘Coach we don’t speak the same language,’ and I’m like, ‘Volleyball is a language; you just go out and play,’ ” Biegert said. “Their style is not that different. It was fun to watch their world get bigger.”
The enjoyment continued well into the evening.
“Every night after the games, we had homemade Italian food from the Italian girls’ moms, and we all ate together,” she said. “It was fun to see the Italian girls and the American girls interact. They were never on their phones. (The Italians’) social time is their two-hour dinners; we typically eat and run, so we actually had to sit down and have three-course meals during their social time.”
A two-hour train trip from Milan to Rome followed.
“It was good to see the country and the vineyards, the farms and sheep … and castles. Michelangelo’s really big over there, and we got to see his artwork and the history of that. We toured a cathedral, and we saw the Spanish Steps and the fountain in front of it (Fontana della Barcaccia).
“The next day we went to the Colosseum and got the history of it. They talked about the gladiators, and we got to walk around it. Then we went to the (Tyrrhenian) Sea. It has black sand (caused by material from a nearby volcano), so it was a fun, relaxing day.”
Biegert said life in Italy is different from the U.S.
“They walk everywhere, bike everywhere,” she said. “Transportation’s a little harder in Europe, so they’re definitely more fit. They’re happy people, very nice and social and interactive.”
Biegert is thankful for the opportunity.
“It was an experience of a lifetime,” she said. “It was a way to represent myself and Kansas Wesleyan and make connections all over the country.
“You’re there for the culture, and volleyball is just a good way to connect with people in different countries. You have a common ground.”
Story by Bob Davidson
