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MCC sending Brazilian players to four-year programs
A pair of McCook Community College volleyball players who spent their first year at MCC taking online classes from home in Brazil during the pandemic, are now moving on to four-year schools.
Thaynara Isabela and Amanda Pizzol signed their letters of intent Monday at ceremonies at the Peter and Dolores Graff Events Center. Isabela will play at Park University an NAIA school in Parksville, Mo., and Pizzol will play beach volleyball at State College of Florida in Bradenton.
“These two came in and did exactly what we wanted them to do,” said MCC Coach Hayley Kobza. “And to me the success at the end of the year is when they get to move on and it’s pretty exciting that they both got that opportunity.”
After committing to MCC in the spring of 2020, both players were unable to travel to the United States because of Covid-19 health restrictions and spent their first year taking online classes and spent team sessions in Zoom meetings, texts, videos, and chats. More than a year after they committed, they arrived in August for their first year on campus.
Kobza said she always enjoys the different perspectives and cultures that international players bring to the program and likes that these two appreciate the opportunities that were given to them.
Isabela, a 5-7 outside hitter from Conlegio Amorim, Sao Paulo, Brazil, said she has friends at Park University, which has five Brazilians returning for the fall season. The Pirates went 34-3 and finished No. 4 in the nation after losing in the NAIA Women’s Championship match to Missouri Baptist.
As a freshman, she played in 37 matches in the fall and led the team with 392 kills, 365 digs, 53 assists, 34 service aces, and 52 total blocks. She had a season-high 20 kills at Trinidad Oct. 15 and had a season-best 22 digs against Trinidad at home on Sept. 24. She reached double digits in kills 20 times and had double-digit digs 16 times.
Her 392 kills for the season was the 14th most among Division I National Junior College Athletic Association players.
She said she plans to continue her studies in business. One of her favorite on-court memories is beating North Platte at home, a match where she had 19 kills and 11 digs.
Pizzol, a 5-9 defensive specialist from Colegio Ojective Praia Granda, Brazil, played in 25 matches as a freshman. She had 172 digs during the season, eight service aces, and 33 assists. She recorded a season-best 19 digs twice during the season; Aug. 21 against Dodge City and Sept. 7 at North Platte. She had double-digit digs six times.
While playing beach volleyball sounds like an easy choice, Pizzol said it was an extremely difficult decision because she’s always played both court and beach, but now will focus exclusively on her beach game.
When asked how much she’s been able to work on her beach game while in McCook, she laughed. “About an hour.”
The Manatees of State College, are one of 17 teams that play Division I, National Junior College Athletic Conference beach volleyball. They are off to a 7-1 conference start this spring and are 10-7 overall.
Pizzol said she’s leaving a community that she will miss, including her adopt-a-student family, her teammates and fellow students. She is studying athletic training at MCC, and plans to study kinesiology.
Both players say one of their favorite memories of their year on campus was when the team was competing in the Region IX Tournament and after returning to the hotel after a win, threw Coach Kobza in the swimming pool.
Kobza believes both players will step into their new roles and their new schools and make an impact immediately.