Gophers in the Pros: Sarah (Wilhite) Parsons

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Sarah Parsons (née Wilhite) completed her second year of indoor professional volleyball this past May. She and Gopher teammate Paige Tapp helped Allianz Stuttgart win the German league this year. Immediately after, Parsons has been busy training with the United States National Team in Anaheim, Calif. Take a look at what she's got coming up next in this recent Gophers in the Pros.

This past year you played in Germany. How has the German league been competition wise compared to Italy, where you played your first pro season?
Germany was a great place to play. Our team finished first in the league after a long 5-match series in the finals. From top to bottom, the league is not as competitive as Italy, however, I'd say the competition within the top five teams in Germany is very strong and challenging. Italy reminded me of the Big 10, where any team could win on any given night. It's common in Italy for the one of the lower teams to beat one of the top. This is less common in Germany.

You played with former Gopher teammate and good friend Paige Tapp, how nice is it to have some familiarity on your international team?
It is so rare on the international level to play alongside one of your best friends. Paige and I have been teammates for over 8 years! The transition to a new team was easier because we knew we had each other.

Tell us a little bit about your team this past professional season.
Stuttgart had a very successful year. We qualified for Champions League where we were able to play alongside the best teams in Europe. We traveled to places like Turkey, France, and Italy to compete. We made it to the quarterfinals where we lost to the Italian team, Novara (who ended up finishing first). Our biggest success was winning the German League. The finals was a best three-out-of-five series; we took home the title after beating Schwerin in five in the fifth match of the series. It was an exhausting finish to the year, but we were all so happy to be traveling home as German champions!

What's been the best thing, or favorite hang out in Germany when you're not playing volleyball?
Germany was absolutely beautiful— it surprised me in so many ways. The most memorable part of my time there (outside of volleyball) was the Christmas markets. All over Germany, the markets were set up for over a month around the holiday season. It was a great time to try new foods, explore new towns, and spend time with my teammates.

You've already been very busy since the end of the professional season, tell us about it!
After my German season ended, I flew straight to California to train with the USA women's national team. I was in the California for three days before flying to the first week of VNL with the team. It will be a busy summer for USA and I am excited to be a part of it!

Any idea of what next year holds for you?
Next year I will be playing in Brazil! My team for the 2019/2020 season is Sesi Vôlei Bauru.

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