Jenna Rosenthal was a frequent flyer this summer.
The redshirt sophomore boarded a flight to China to compete with the U.S. Collegiate National Team less than a week after returning from Marquette volleyball’s trip to Europe. As tough as the schedule was, Rosenthal was able to go on a unforgettable adventure playing the game she loves.
“It’s more opportunities you get to improve your game,” Rosenthal said. “If you are in the gym all summer with high-level competition, good teammates and great coaches, you can only get better from experience and more reps and more time in the gym.”
Rosenthal was one of 12 players selected for the team after competing with more than 200 athletes in an open tryout last February.
“Being able to go to China to play the sport that I love is something that I never dreamed of,” Rosenthal said. “Of course, when the opportunity came by I had to jump on it.”
After a brief training camp in Los Angeles in mid June, Rosenthal, along with the rest of her CNT-China teammates, boarded a plane for Shanghai where they began the tour, playing various professional teams throughout the country along with a four-team tournament in Beijing.
“It is a once in a lifetime experience, not necessarily once in a lifetime for everybody, but for some people you have the opportunity to play volleyball in China with USA on your chest or on your back — that’s pretty huge that she got to do that,” Marquette head coach Ryan Theis said. “To take advantage of that opportunity, you go over there, you learn, you play games and you get better. Jenna does that. Jenna is always looking to get better.”
From the minute that CNT-China stepped into an arena for a match, Rosenthal noticed that there was a different feeling for volleyball in China.
“Volleyball is incredibly huge in China,” Rosenthal said. “It is very strange to think about because here in the United States volleyball is kind of just confined to the university level and every four years the Olympics come on. But in China they love volleyball. It is almost like the national sport. We had huge crowds everywhere we went. We played the same special team two nights in a row, but we traveled to another city because we wanted to take volleyball to those people in the next town.”
When the team explored the various cities they were in, they quickly noticed that it would be difficult for them to roam incognito.
“They knew we were American and they knew we played some sort of sport. Because basketball isn’t very popular in China, everyone assumes volleyball,” Rosenthal said. “Everyone was very amazed at girls that were over six feet tall, like my teammates. As we would walk down the street, Chinese people would quickly grab us and we would quick turn for a photo because their friend was holding their phone. You would just have to get used to it because they would just grab you and say something really fast and then it’s like, ‘Oh there is a photo being taken.’”
At times the tour was challenging. One of CNT-China’s practices was held on a 90-degree day with 100 percent humidity in a gym with no air conditioning. The harsh conditions, however, just added to the experience.
“Our clothes were soaked through with sweat, so we were just like, ‘Okay I guess this is happening,’” Rosenthal said. “Every time a play was done we would have to wipe the floor. It really just made it a fun, crazy like, ‘Oh my gosh what are we doing here’ kind of thing. All my teammates and I took it in stride because it is just what you got to do and this is what we signed up for, some crazy adventure. Sure, it made things go a little bit slower, but we thought it was a wonderful adventure.”
Away from the court, Rosenthal got to experience various landmarks throughout China, including the Great Wall.
“Everyone needs to see the Great Wall of China once before they die,” Rosenthal said. “There is a reason it is a wonder of the world. I knew it went through the mountains and I knew it was incredibly long, but until you are standing on it and seeing it, it is something you can’t even begin to describe.”
