The world of professional volleyball is vast, but no one is doing it like Italy. Italy has the most successful professional volleyball teams. There are multiple professional volleyball teams in every country, yet the best players of any country will travel to Italy to be able to play high level professional volleyball. Even with Italy’s notorious success and placeholder as the best country to go professional in, Europe in general is the place to go professional for volleyball in. Europe’s professional volleyball teams are being flooded with the United States best volleyball players. Professional teams in Italy, Germany, France and more.
Europe is happy to have these athletes, as USA volleyball players are one of the greatest causes for their teams’ success every year, without fail. Kathryn Plummer (6’6”) and Kelsey Robinson (6’1”), are players for USA’s national volleyball team, and they have been playing professionally in Italy for years now. These players aren’t the only example of American success in Europe. Carli Loyd and Jordyn Poulter, Olympic athletes, are competing professionally in Italy. In fact, most of the United States Olympic athletes are competing in Italy. While it is unfair to name Europe as the best option for professional volleyball, other countries aren’t short of astonishing either. Japan, Turkey, Brazil and more have great teams consisting of hard-working and talented athletes. France is well known for being next to Italy as one of the best places for professional volleyball, especially for American athletes. Stanford University volleyball alumni Jenna Gray and Madeleine Gates are continuing their careers and joining one of the best professional teams in France: “RC Cannes”.
While the United States has more than enough professional teams, especially in Los Angeles, American athletes prefer traveling internationally to experience a different world and culture. Traveling to a different country has an array of benefits, athletes want to see and play their favorite sport in a different culture where everything is new, besides one commonality: the love for volleyball. Every country has great professional teams and options, but there’s no denying that Italy holds the best athletes from all over the world.
