Lexi Pollard has had some great life and volleyball experiences since leaving the University of Windsor Lancers volleyball team. The journey began when she signed a professional contract to play in Greece in 2020. It was a bittersweet moment for the Alliston, Ontario native. ""My heart breaks a little that I don't get to have a senior year with the Lancers. But in times of uncertainty you just have to go with your gut," Pollard said at the time.
Pollard took time to write to us about her experiences in Europe and South America. Let's catch up with Lexi in this letter home.
I originally signed my first season overseas in Greece when COVID hit. I ended up going over there in November, and the Greek league got canceled from Covid by Christmas and my team was having some financial struggles so I transferred to Sweden for the second half of the season where I also finished up my final year of University online.
My numbers/how I played in Sweden Landed me a contract in Germany the following season, which is a really competitive league. It was my first taste of what high level volleyball looks like over there. At 6’ I was considered undersized for my position, and the ways I knew how to score all my years before hand wasn’t possible anymore. I had to find new ways to score and play more efficiently because the girls were bigger and the game was faster.
My work-life balance while I was in Germany was quite amazing. Lucky enough I had 7 Americans on my team, so it was really fun inside and out of volleyball. In pre season we drove up to Brussels, Belgium for the night when our coach canceled Sunday practice. During Christmas time I went to the biggest Christmas market in Europe down south in Strasbourg France, over New Years I went to Paris, and after season 2 teammates and I went to Dublin Ireland and Edinburgh Scotland for a post season trip together. Memories from that season I’ll hold onto for a lifetime, and girls to this day I’m still ridiculously close with.
Most recently I just finished up a season in the Brazil Superliga. Considered one of the top leagues in the world, the training intensity, volume, and competition was just wild. We’d be practicing 4-5 hours a day in 32-40 degree heat (in Brazil their summer months are during Canada’s winter months) so everything was wicked hot in the middle of season, jumping morning and night and a weight session every day. They treat volleyball down there they way we treat hockey in Canada. I played in deafening games where you can’t hear a thing from fans screaming so loud, had fans send baked goods and clothes to my apartment, signing some of the most outlandish things (one time I signed a child). It was truly such a cool experience to have. I’ll forever be indebted to this sport. Im so thankful for what volleyball has brought me, taught me, and how much of the world I’ve been able to see.
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