Beach Volleyball April 06, 2017 Athletic Communications

Stetson's Norwegian Connection

Maggie Skjelbred says it is pure coincidence that she and two of her fellow Norwegian countrywomen all ended up at Stetson University.

Skjelbred, a graduate student, along with junior Julie Varga and freshman Sunniva Helland-Hansen, were each born and raised in Norway, and now each find themselves playing in the Florida sunshine and competing for the ninth-ranked Stetson beach volleyball team.

"It wasn't like we all planned it or anything like that," Skjelbred said. "It was super random."

There is, however, one significant common thread among the three Norwegians. Each chose not to attend a traditional high school in their hometown, but instead each enrolled at Topp Volley Norge, a top-level indoor and beach volleyball sports academy in Southern Norway. The educational arm of the academy, Sauda Vidaregåande Skule (or Sauda Upper Secondary School), provides the athletes with a full scale high school curriculum, while Topp Volley Norge trains and prepares young athletes to pursue collegiate and professional opportunities within the sport.

"It is for athletes who want to continue with their career after high school and possibly go to the U.S.," Varga said. "They really promote being able to continue that combination of going to school and starting a volleyball career."

"They want the best volleyball players in Norway to go there," Skjelbred said. "They pull a lot of kids from the school to play on the junior national teams."

The daily routine at Topp Volley Norge is very similar to college. Students live on campus, they go to class, and they train for their sport. For those that do go on to college, it makes that transition much easier.

However, because of limited space available, those wishing to attend Topp Volley Norge have to pass several physical fitness and skill tests before being accepted to the academy. And then there is the difficult decision on the family on whether or not to send a child off on their own at such an early age.

"My parents didn't want me to go because I was so young," Helland-Hansen said. "They didn't want to let go of their little girl. I had to convince them, but I think they will always support me. I also had a volleyball program at my high school, so it wasn't like I would have been without volleyball back home. It was just going to be at a much different level."

"They have a program for the parents, too, so they can see how great the support system there is," Skjelbred is. "They really take care of you. It is kind of like a big family, a really good and tight community. My parents were asking me when I wanted to go even though I hadn't decided to go yet. They loved it so much."

While all three did not attend the academy at the same time, Skjelbred's final year overlapped with Varga's freshmen year, and the two recall playing together in the Netherlands. Varga also played on the same U19 team with Helland-Hansen and the two competed in a tournament together in Denmark.

So how did a country like Norway, probably more commonly known for its snow sports than its sand sports, become such a hotbed for beach volleyball?

"I think there was this wave of older generations that went to world championships and other tournaments, and they have taken the role of coaching upon themselves," Varga said. "Now there is this wave of younger generations that are really good in beach volleyball. Norway is not known for having a strong indoor volleyball team, but beach volleyball has such a huge support system around it. I think that is one of the biggest reasons."

"I think it is easier to train for beach (than indoor volleyball), because you only need to get four people together instead of six," Skjelbred said. "But in Norway, we just like to be outside and be active, so I think that helps too."

That brings us back to Topp Volley Norge, which boasts three new indoor sand courts for year-round training plus some of the best international coaches in the world.

So perhaps it is not so random that three of the program's star graduates have each made their way to Florida and the Stetson beach program. Skjelbred is competing in her one and only year of eligibility after playing four years of indoor volleyball at George Washington. Varga is playing on both the Hatters indoor and beach teams after transferring to Stetson from NC State. And Helland-Hansen has made an immediate impact in her first season after competing for Norway in numerous European Championships.

Plus, all three helped contribute to the Hatters perfect 4-0 start in ASUN play last weekend in Jacksonville. Overall, Stetson has won nine of its last 12 matches to improve to 11-10 on the season.

"I think starting off conference 4-0 is super exciting," Varga said. "That just really sets the tone. We know we can compete with anyone."

"I think it is a great thing that we played so many top schools before we started conference," Helland-Hansen said. "All of our seeds have beaten a top 10 school, and it gives you a confidence boost of what you are able to accomplish. We know that we are good enough to get there as a team."

Stetson will be back at home this weekend to host ASUN foes Mercer (10-7, 3-0 ASUN) and Coastal Carolina (1-7, 0-2 ASUN) in a pair of matches each. The Hatters will play at 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Friday and Noon and 4 p.m. Saturday at the Cooper Beach volleyball courts. Admission is free.

"We came into conference very confident and ready to take care of business," Skjelbred said. "We are super excited to be home, and we hope a lot people come out."

Skjelbred will be one of four players honored during Senior Day festivities on Saturday. Kaylee Anderson, Kristin Lind and Tiffany Creamer will also be playing their final regular season home matches. The Hatters will also host the ASUN Championships on April 22-23.

Live score updates from all matches this weekend can be viewed at StetsonStats.com. Fans can also follow @StetsonBeach on twitter for match updates.

Notes: Former Hatter and current volunteer assistant Maren Rygh was Stetson Beach's first Norwegian athlete. Senior Kristin Lind also hails from neighboring Sweden ... Stetson leads the all-time series 12-1 over Mercer, while the Hatters and Chanticleers will be meeting for the first time.

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