Recently graduated Penn State All-American outside hitter and the 2017 Big Ten Player of the Year Simone Lee discusses her transition from NCAA women's volleyball to professional volleyball in one of the world's best professional leagues.

Hello, volleyball fans everywhere! I am so excited to be writing to you all about my time here in Italy. My name is Simone Lee. I am a graduate of Penn State University, where I played collegiate volleyball for four years. A dream of my younger self came true when I committed to that wonderful university! Now, a dream of my older self is coming to fruition as I am playing professional volleyball for Imoco Volley in Conegliano, Italy! The best part of it all is that I get to continuously train and compete with the best players playing the sport I love. 

With all of this excitement, there have also been some struggles. During my last few years at Penn State, I earned a starting position on the court and became a key attacker for our squad. Transitioning to professional volleyball has been a whirlwind of emotions. Excitement: I am in Italy (duh). I get to compete with — literally — the best players in the world. I am being trained to perform at an even higher level, etc. Nervousness: The speed of the game is fast. Very, very fast. There's also a language barrier between me and my teammates and coaches. This was something that I have had to get used to quickly.

One of the toughest transitions for me was not playing all the time. This is basically like freshman year all over again except for the fact that I don’t live in a dorm, or live across the street from the gym. But you get the idea. Like my freshman year, my rookie year is devoted to development. When I got a chance to play freshman year, I always had to make the best of my situation. Whatever it may have been. It's the same here. So I have to ask myself: Am I practicing every day as if I started? Am I giving 100 percent of my effort? Some days I find myself not being able to answer “yes” to both of these questions, but then I remind myself that I always have to be ready. When I remind myself of this, I get excited! Not only because I get the chance to keep pushing myself, but because I get the chance to compete for time on the court. As the saying goes, “Anything can happen in the blink of an eye.” I firmly believe that this is the case. I can’t predict the future. I don’t know what will happen during a match. I have to be ready all the time. 

#ConSca. @ImocoVolley 0 #savinodelbenescandicci 3 (14-25/22-25/20-25). #siamotuttipantere #insiemepervincereancora pic.twitter.com/Z1rSMUxkFs

— Imoco Volley (@ImocoVolley) February 25, 2018

Reminding myself that I have to work hard all the time is a no-brainer. Why wouldn’t I strive to be the best I can be all the time? What was a little bit harder was to remind myself to stay patient. As I stated earlier, the pace of the game has sped up a lot. Playing at such a fast pace all the time is a challenge but rewarding when you finally get it down. It's a new way of play for me and I know I can do it. 

But will I continuously work toward it daily? I have to! To make an impact as a rookie volleyball player in one of the best leagues in the world, I’ve got to show that I add value to the team and program. Change is hard. There is no denying that. But what I will say is that change is necessary to get ahead in whatever we are trying to accomplish. I’m stubborn. But I won’t sacrifice my new career for an unwillingness to change my game for the better. This is all a process and I am working toward becoming my best every day. I’ll never forget how I became the player I am today: by working the hardest for those just-in-case situations in a match. (And for my PSU girls who read this: B Side forever, even in the pros!)

This season and new profession comes with its own challenges and its own hardships. But what I know for sure is that change is necessary if I want to be better than I was. My job right now is to achieve the goals I set for myself and do anything and everything my coaches ask of me. So, for now, I’ll be the hardest worker in practice and loudest on the bench always ready to contribute. Every day is another day to get better, and that’s exactly what I intend to do.