Nicole Fawcett was named the MVP of the NORCECA Olympic qualifying tournament Saturday night, but the former Benjamin Logan volleyball star has little time to bask in her big moment.
Fawcett will leave her home in California later this week to join her new professional team in Italy.
“It will be a big adjustment for me, but I am looking forward to it,” she said Monday. “Going from Asia to Italy will be a big change for me and I am going to have to adjust to a lot of new things. But I am excited about joining my team there.”
Fawcett helped the U.S. women’s national team win the round-robin NORCECA event in Nebraska, which guaranteed the squad a berth in this summer’s Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
“It was a great experience,” said Fawcett. “We really came together as a team. When the tournament was over, we didn’t want to leave each other.”
In addition to being named the MVP of the three-day tournament, Fawcett was also named the best opposite-side hitter.
Although it was big moment for her, nothing is yet set in stone for the Olympics. The U.S. volleyball program will not select its final Olympic roster until late July, just a week or two before the start of the Rio games.
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Nicole Fawcett, second from the right, stands with her U.S. national volleyball team during the national anthem before Saturday’s match against the Dominican Republic in Lincoln, Neb. (USA VOLLEYBALL PHOTO | ERIC FRANCIS)
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Based on her performance last weekend, it appears Fawcett is in good standing for a spot on Olympic squad. For now, though, she is not spending a lot of time thinking about whether or not she will be playing in Rio.
“I would hope I have made a good impression, but I can’t worry about (making the Olympic team) right now,” said Fawcett. “That is out of my hands. I just have to stay focused and what happens will happen.”
The U.S. team showed great chemistry in Nebraska, which is not always easy when a cast of star players is put together.
“It is a process,” said Fawcett. “We meet with a team psychologist every day and there is always a big focus on being good teammates. The importance of the team is stressed every day.”
Fawcett and her U.S. teammates have flourished under the direction of head coach Karch Kiraly, who was elevated from an assistant to the head position after the 2012 Olympics.
Kiraly was one of the most decorated volleyball players in the world during his career. He won a pair of gold medals with the U.S. men’s team and went on to have a highly successful run playing beach volleyball.
“He is one of the best volleyball players, if not the best ever,” said Fawcett. “To have someone like that to pick their brain is amazing. But more than that, he does a great job of getting his players involved. He leaves a lot of the scouting up to us. He puts everything in our hands. We all are able to have a big voice in what we do as a team.”
Fawcett will play with her Italian pro team until the middle of April. The U.S. team will reconvene in May at the training facility in Colorado and will then begin training for the Rio games.
“I am just trying to take it one day at a time and I am not looking ahead too much,” said Fawcett. “I just want to enjoy every experience.”
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