Hofstra’s volleyball roster reads just like the United Nations member checklist.
Along with six American gamers, Hofstra’s staff consists of 10 gamers from six different nations, together with 4 from Brazil, two from Türkiye and one every from Australia, France, Italy, and Cyprus.
Based on coach Emily Mansur, the Delight’s worldwide taste is not any accident.
“It’s been a fairly regular factor for us since I began right here,” she mentioned.
What is also fairly regular now at Hofstra is successful. The Delight are 7-1 after sweeping Sacred Coronary heart on Tuesday. They began 6-0, misplaced a troublesome one in 5 towards Lehigh final Saturday, and held Sacred Coronary heart to .021 hitting whereas 5 Hofstra gamers had 5 or extra kills.
Eight matches into her tenth season on the college in Hempstead, New York, Mansur boasts a 171-92 report and two NCAA Event berths (2014, 2018). Hofstra, which completed 17-12 total, 14-2 within the CAA, appeared poised for an additional postseason run final fall. However Hofstra sustained back-to-back losses to Towson to finish the common season after which, because the second seed, was upset by seventh-seeded William & Mary within the CAA match.
Hofstra goes to Dartmouth this weekend and performs Stonehill on Friday and Seton Corridor and the house staff on Saturday. Hofstra begins convention performs with back-to-back house CAA matches September 16-17 towards Elon.
Trying overseas
Mansur, who performed at Iona, one other New York college, joined Hofstra as an assistant coach in 2013 after teaching at Lusófona Volleyball Membership in Lisbon, Portugal. Mansur was named Hofstra head coach on Might 7 that 12 months, and she or he needed to ramp up her recruiting efforts — shortly.
Hofstra had beforehand included some worldwide gamers. Mansur expanded that strategy when she took over, largely on account of necessity.
“You should have an extended relationship to [attract] home scholar athletes,” Mansur defined, “And once I got here in from abroad, I wanted fast recruits. So, that first recruiting class was tremendous worldwide, and it labored out. We simply continued with that path.”
In her first season, Mansur led the Delight to a 28-6 report. The victories, and her recruitment of foreign-born gamers, have continued since then.
Based on an inventory compiled by Volleyballmag.com, in 2022 Hofstra ranked second within the nation for having essentially the most worldwide gamers on their roster (11), simply behind UT Rio Grande Valley (12).
“The opposite universities are adapting,” she famous. “Even within the Energy 5 colleges, you see internationals on most rosters. Years in the past, you didn’t see that.”
Within the meantime, Mansur continues to comply with her profitable components.
Two of Hofstra’s worldwide recruits, juniors Beatriz Alves and Chiara Cucco, had been each named to the 2023 preseason All-CAA staff. Cucco, from Buscate, Italy, was the CAA’s Libero of the 12 months in each 2021 and 2022.
Alves, who hails from São José dos Campos, Brazil, was the 2022 CAA Setter of the 12 months, in addition to Hofstra’s student-athlete of the 12 months from a ladies’s staff. Alves now serves as staff captain together with graduate scholar Sarah Pierre, a center from Bloomfield, New Jersey.
Brazilian sophomore exterior Clara Bal leads Hofstra in kills with 94 (3.24/set) and has seven aces and 14 blocks. Turkish senior exterior Yagmur Cinel has 73 kills, additionally seven aces and 13 blocks. Brazilian freshman exterior Beatriz Braga has 60 kills and 14 aces.
Alvez is averaging 9.69 assists and has staff highs of 16 aces and 67 digs. Cucco has 59 digs and 7 aces.
There’s additionally steadiness. Within the sweep of Sacred Coronary heart, Brazilian sophomore center Emily Nunes obtained eight of her 40 kills this season and Brazilian sophomore exterior Izadora Stedile obtained eight of her 38 to steer Hofstra.
How does Hofstra go about go in regards to the technique of figuring out and recruiting gamers?
Mansur’s spectacular worldwide pedigree actually helps. She was born and raised in Minas Gerais, Brazil, and left for Iona. A four-year starter, she captained the staff for 2 years and was named to the all-conference first staff within the Metro Atlantic Athletic Convention (MAAC) in 2003 and 2004. Mansur additionally earned the MAAC Setter of the 12 months Award in 2004 and was inducted into the Iona Athletics Corridor of Fame in 2022.
After graduating, Mansur performed professionally in Germany earlier than returning to the U.S. and becoming a member of Marist as an assistant coach in 2006. The company world beckoned, nevertheless, and Mansur left America to work internationally for a number of years. She additionally performed and coached abroad earlier than returning to the States to hitch Hofstra.
A distinct recruiting course of
Throughout her time overseas and her 10 years at Hofstra, Mansur established many precious connections with international coaches and packages. These relationships assist her to find and recruit new expertise.
“I’ve been very blessed to develop a variety of nice relationships with coaches that I belief,” Mansur mentioned. “They know that it’s going to take a selected sort of student-athlete to be glad right here, they usually perceive the precise match to ship us.”
As soon as Mansur receives a suggestion, she watches video. Subsequent, she mentioned, “I attempt to go to their nation and see them reside as a result of it’s very completely different watching movies [rather than] seeing them in individual.”
In some instances, nevertheless, Mansur can’t schedule a go to, so she’ll depend on participant movies plus their coach’s suggestion. That was the case with Brazilian freshman Beatriz Braga, whom Mansur recruited regardless of not seeing her play in individual.
“I didn’t get to see her reside,” defined Mansur, “However I’ve had three different gamers from the identical [coach], so I [have confidence] that he is aware of what suits our program, and I might belief him.” Nevertheless, Mansur continued, “I do attempt to go and see them. I’m at all times somewhat bit nervous if I don’t see these student-athletes.”
Gamers are drawn to America and New York
When she pursues gamers from overseas, Mansur sells Hofstra’s proximity to New York Metropolis as a fundamental attraction. Hofstra’s campus lies solely 30 miles from the Large Apple.
“It’s an enormous assist,” she mentioned.
Mansur additionally promotes the tutorial {and professional} advantages of Hofstra’s program. She mentioned that every one her graduates “depart right here with knowledgeable contract to play, or with a job. We don’t have one athlete who left right here with out realizing what was subsequent. And this helps, particularly with the internationals.”
Mansur is aware of that residing overseas presents tutorial in addition to emotional challenges, and she or he makes use of her personal experiences to assist her worldwide scholar athletes make the transition. They could really feel remoted and alone, she mentioned, and “as a result of I’m worldwide, you already know, [it helps make] a cushty scenario for them. It’s simply actually the prospect to return to New York and attend an excellent college .”
Variety is a bonus
Does having so many foreign-born gamers on the roster elevate crimson flags for American recruits?
“Not likely,” mentioned Mansur. “We ask them, ‘Hey, how would you are feeling about coming to such a various setting?’ And they’re drawn to that, so it really works. They arrive in tremendous excited. If it’s somebody that doesn’t need to get out of their consolation zone, that is simply not the place.”
All coaches comprehend it’s laborious sufficient getting a staff to mesh, given completely different gamers’ personalities and backgrounds. How does Mansur handle her distinctive scenario, with so many nationalities added to the combination? Particularly when none of her gamers knew one another beforehand, even those that got here from the identical nation.
“Sure, that is one thing that we discuss loads about with [the players]. The way it’s so necessary for us to attempt to play our Hofstra system. Everybody brings one thing that we be taught from, and possibly we are able to use that subsequent 12 months, however after they first get right here, we have to play the Hofstra manner. So, it truly is them shopping for in and attempting to do what works for us.”
Mansur’s earlier groups “taught us that it’s combination between American and worldwide youngsters.”
What about language obstacles? Do these current any points?
“Now we have a rule in our program,” mentioned Mansur. “It doesn’t matter what number of gamers are out of your nation. You might be solely allowed to talk English. We’re very strict with that.”
Mansur believes that it’s necessary to guarantee that all of her gamers talk in English to construct unity on the staff. Her international gamers “need to go a Hofstra English take a look at,” she mentioned, “However they could be nice writers and readers, however not essentially audio system.”
Mansur mentioned that her gamers communicate English to one another even when they’re from the identical nation.
“They comprehend it’s for their very own profit. They’re going to get higher this fashion.”
Consequently, Mansur mentioned she sees enormous enchancment in her gamers’ language expertise as they transfer from their first semester to their second.
All about alternative
For Mansur, recruiting and training volleyball means way more than merely successful matches and championships. It’s an opportunity to show her gamers about alternatives they could by no means have imagined for themselves, particularly for these born exterior the U.S.
Alternatives like Mansur encountered in her personal life.
“I’m from Brazil,” Mansur mentioned. “I began taking part in volleyball once I was 9. I by no means thought it was doable to be a coach as a result of, in Brazil, I used to be by no means coached by a girl. I by no means noticed a girl teaching. After which, I began teaching membership once I was in school, and I noticed that, ‘My God. I’m a girl, and I can coach.’ ”
Even when she left America for a enterprise profession overseas, Mansur by no means gave up her teaching dream.
“I at all times coached membership, I by no means stopped. I simply completely love teaching,” she mentioned. She knew she nonetheless wished to reside in America, Mansur added, “So I made a decision to return again house.”
Why was that?
“It’s the US,” mentioned Mansur. “It’s the chance that we are able to make something occur, and [especially] for a girl. Simply to reside in New York and know that I can do something, as a result of that’s what all of us suppose is America. You may construct your dream if you happen to work for it.”
Earlier variations of this text talked about that Emily Mansur succeeded Fran Kalafer as Hofstra’s head coach. That was incorrect. Kalafer retired in 2006. Mansur changed former coach Kristina Hernandez, who resigned in March 2013. We apologize for the error.
