DAVIS, Calif. – The UC Davis volleyball team embarks on a historic European adventure when it departs Sunday for an 11-day, five-country cultural excursion.
 
The Aggies are making their first trip to Europe in program history, starting in Prague before traveling to Vienna, Maribor and Venice and finishing the trip in Lisbon. The team will take on top-notch European competition and embrace sightseeing and other culturally enriching tourist activities during the trip.
 
"We are the 3^rd Women's Volleyball team in the Big West to ever go on a foreign tour and the first since 2015 when the University of Hawaii took its only foreign tour," said Dan Conners, who will be returning for his 9^th season in the fall. "We are doing something pretty special and unique here at UC Davis and providing our student-athletes an international volleyball experience.  I'm very excited to get our team out to Europe to see how we can compete at the international level."
 
The trip will be an invaluable learning experience of the players on the travel squad with plenty of opportunities to focus on team-building activities throughout the journey.
 
"Being immersed in the different cultures, I think that we're going to make memories that will last a lifetime and take lots of pictures," said Lana Radakovic, who will be entering her junior season this fall. "It'll definitely bring us closer together and create a lot of team chemistry, which is what we need in order to be a successful team before the upcoming season."
 
The team arrives in Prague where it will stay three nights and play two matches. The Aggies will then stopover in Maribor for a two-night, one-match stay. The trip concludes with sightseeing adventures throughout Venice and Lisbon.
 
"It's an amazing opportunity for me and my team," said Olivia Utterback, who will be a sophomore in the fall. "I feel like we've been working really hard this past spring implementing a new system. We're excited to figure those out and play international teams, which we've never done before. It will be a good challenge to work on how UC Davis wants to play volleyball against those teams."
 
The featured opponents include Olymp Praha Juniors, Olymp Praha and Nova KBM Maribor Club. The Aggies will visit popular tourist destinations, such as Prague Castle and the capital city of Austria.
 
"There will be a lot of team bus rides that are always the most fun and we make the most of," said Demari Webb, who will be a senior in the fall. "I think being together for 10 days straight will be great team bonding. This trip will be a great way to build connections before we start up again."
 
The volleyball team appreciates all of its support systems in giving them the opportunity to go on this historic journey.
 
"I am extremely grateful for the support we have for our program.  A huge thank you to our Athletics Director, Rocko DeLuca, for believing in my vision for this team, supporting us and creating the space to make this trip a reality," Conners said. "I'm incredibly thankful to our Aggie volleyball community. From our student-athletes to parents, alumnae, fans, and donors, we have seen incredible financial support from our community to make the dream a reality. I'm excited for our incredible group of young women to embark this trip that they will remember for the rest of their lives."

Fans can stay up to date throughout the team's journey by following them on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.