Fresno State Athletics
Unpacking a Dream
9/28/2000 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Sept. 28, 2000
FRESNO, Calif. - The first time freshman outside hitter Stefanie Taelman set her eyes on the campus of Fresno State was the day she moved in. Taelman is a native of Gavere, Belgium and is by far the farthest away from home among her teammates.
During the first week of August Taelman arrived on campus with her family and unpacked her bags and her dreams while looking forward to becoming a Bulldog.
"It has been a dream of mine to come to the States and play volleyball since I was a little girl," Taelman said. In Belgium there is no combination of sports and study in schools so she knew that to play college volleyball she would somehow find her way to the United States.
So far Taelman has added depth to the Bulldog line-up while realizing her childhood dream. She has seen action in the first half of the season and has already posted one double-figure dig match.
Her journey to Fresno State began early last year when assistant coach Ruth Lawanson contacted her. "I knew I would learn a lot playing here because Ruth is such an awesome player," Taelman said. And her journey to fit in to a new culture and team came easily.
She credits both the coaching staff and fellow players for helping her through the culture shock she encountered this year. "During the first couple of weeks I broke down but both the team and coaches were very understanding," Taelman said. "Everything is different here, it's the combination of different food, language and culture."
Back in Belgium, Taelman was a member of the national youth team since 1997 and closed out her career there by finishing fifth at the youth Olympic games in Denmark and eighth in the nation. She continues to become more accustomed to the culture of the United States and has handled the adjustment to college life and volleyball rather well.
There are still some things she is not used to that Fresno has to offer. "I'm definitely not used to a climate this dry," Taelman said. Other than that, life as a Bulldog appears to be a fit that suites her just fine.
