by Laura Little, UTSA Marketing Associate
BELGRADE, Serbia — Time is certainly flying by in Serbia. We have gone non-stop since we landed.
We had the opportunity to take a guided tour of Belgrade on Tuesday morning. We learned about the history of politics, religion and architecture, while also getting the chance to visit Belgrade Fortress in Kalemegdan Park.
Our first match of the trip was at 6:45 p.m. local time (11:45 a.m. San Antonio time) and we got off to a rusty start with a 25-21 loss in the first set. However, things turned around quickly, as we won the last three sets by scores of 25-23, 25-13 and 25-19. Dajana Boskovic led the team with 17 kills and Kasey Kiefer added another 10.
After the match, the playes took quick showers and then headed to downtown Belgrade to experience the flavors of pizza and pasta. There were some toppings we were used to, but a couple of the girls ordered "out of the ordinary" pizzas, which consisted of marinara sauce, arugula, fresh mozzarella and ramsteak (ribeye). There is no other way to describe the food in Serbia other than fresh … from the vegetables to the coffee to the meat and bread. It all is just wonderful.
Everyone was exhausted after dinner and our bodies seemed to be adjusting a little better to Belgrade time, so we went back to the hotel and were down for the count.
Wednesday, May 18
Our day started with breakfast at the hotel we then were back downtown. The day before, we learned that when Serbians meet each other downtown and say, "meet me at the horse statue," which is a beautiful piece of art that features one of their most famous leaders riding it. We put the saying to use, as everyone went around on their own to shop and experience Belgrade before "meeting back at the horse statue". The good news is that everyone returned.
We grabbed lunch afterwards and went back to the hotel to prepare for our second match of the trip.
We got on the court at 4 p.m. (9 a.m. in San Antonio) to take on Serbian Team Dinamo.
Although we lost in straight sets (25-9, 25-22, 25-21), each coach agreed to play one more set and the Roadrunners came back to win, 25-12. Dajana had 12 kills to lead the team and Kasey added another 10 yet again.
Wednesday was the first time that Dajana and Nela's families were able to watch the girls play live since becoming Roadrunners. The two also played with some of the girls on the other team prior to coming to UTSA. It has been fun to watch the teams interact with each other, while reconnecting with old friends and making new ones along the way.
The players are having some really eye-opening experiences.
They've learned some Serbian and have made comments like "wow, now I understand how people feel when they come to America" and "I have a newfound appreciation for our road systems." Everyone has been very friendly and welcoming and we have loved our stay in Belgrade.
Tomorrow we pack up and drive on over to Croatia. Nela's family will be hosting us for dinner then we'll play again tomorrow night.
We'll keep everyone updated along the way.
#birdsup #UTSAtoEUR
