These days it’s becoming more and more popular for players to pursue professional volleyball careers when their college playing days are over. There are plenty of opportunities all over the world with so many countries having numerous leagues and clubs for players to choose from. Unfortunately, without an indoor professional league here in the United States, most players move far away from home to chase their dream. The closest country players have the ability to play is Puerto Rico. We have asked some questions to some recent top ex-NCAA athletes playing in Puerto Rico to get a glimpse into what the transition to pro life has been like for them.

Take a look at what Lauren Plum (University of Oregon ’14), Haley Eckerman (University of Texas ’14), Megan Courtney (Penn State University, ’14), Annie Drews (Purdue University ’16), and Remy McBain (University of Maryland, ’13) had to say about life on the island.

Q: Can you explain the process that led you to playing in Puerto Rico?

Lauren Plum (Oregon): I had an unfortunate agent situation that messed up my chances of playing in Europe. By the time I got it figured out, the Puerto Rican season had just started so I was able to join a team.

Haley Eckerman (Texas): Last season I finished in Korea and Ponce had a player get hurt so they contacted my agent and asked if I could come for the playoffs. This season I was in Azerbaijan and had some financial issues with the team and got a release. Ponce again asked if I would join their team but for the whole season.

Megan Courtney (PSU): I heard about the Puerto Rican league from my coach, Russ Rose, as well as from former teammates who have played in the league. The season in Puerto Rico is from January to May, compared to most overseas leagues who play August to April or so. After graduating early from Penn State, this was the perfect fit for getting my foot in the door and feeling comfortable moving and living in another country.

Annie Drews (Purdue): When you really begin to think seriously and ask around about playing professionally, Puerto Rico is different, because the season begins in January (most seasons abroad begin in August/September) and lasts only 4-5 months. Because of this, and the closer proximity to the US, a lot of people I really leaned on and trusted in the volleyball world convinced me that it was a great start and a smooth transition out of college athletics and into the professional game.

Remy McBain (Maryland): I am 50% Puerto Rican. My grandparents were born and raised here so I had the opportunity to play with the national team when I was in college. After my senior season, I was picked up in the draft and played here my senior spring part time.

Q: What has been the biggest adjustment from college to professional volleyball?

Lauren Plum (Oregon): There's not much distracting you from the volleyball aspect of life like before. This would seem great, but if volleyball isn't going well, life is rough. This just makes the volleyball highs great and the lows extra tough.

Haley Eckerman (Texas): I moved positions from outside to now playing opposite. My first 3 teams (Korea, Ponce (2015) and Azerbaijan) I played as an opposite so that has been a big change.

Megan Courtney (PSU): The biggest adjustment from college to professional has been the language barrier. Although I took Spanish class in high school, it is much different hearing it everyday. My coaches and staff members do not know much English so it is a challenge sometimes trying to figure out what they are saying. However, some of the girls on my team are bilingual so they are helpful with translating!

Annie Drews (Purdue): In college, your team fosters this family environment. For me, we lived together, spent holidays and vacations together, and grew together. Purdue has always prided the program on being a home away from home and it really was just that. Those people became some of my best friends, sisters, and community. Professionally, I’m fortunate to have a team in Puerto Rico that gets along and works very well together. I know that I can lean on them. However, it is a job, and people get fired, traded, and moved around often. It has been an adjustment learning how to build professional relationships and friendships while everyone is always slightly on their toes, ready to move and adapt as news comes to us about changes.

Remy McBain (Maryland): I think the biggest adjustment from college to professional volleyball is not having to worry about classes! Being able to focus completely on volleyball is a great job in my opinion. But I think the hardest thing to get used to is having so much free time and figuring out what to do with it. Puerto Rico is an island full of great things to do, so it isn't overly difficult to occupy my down time.

Q: What do you miss most about college volleyball?

Lauren Plum (Oregon): I miss the team camaraderie. I also miss the college atmosphere that I had a Oregon.

Haley Eckerman (Texas): I miss all of the resources we had at Texas-- doctors, trainers, nutritionist. You don't realize how much you miss them until you need a chiropractor, airrosti, or a massage twice a week. It may seem like something small but when you're body is going non-stop, those things are key to helping you stay healthy through the whole season.

Megan Courtney (PSU): What I miss most about college is playing for Penn State and representing a great school and an excellent program. I miss playing for Coach Rose. He is truly one of a kind.

Annie Drews (Purdue): By far the thing I miss most is the community. In college, you start something day one of freshman year that is ever-growing and changing for your entire career. These relationships build tons of chemistry and cohesion on and off the court.

Remy McBain (Maryland): I miss the team atmosphere and the coaches. The professional game is a lot different in the sense that it is a business and if you do not do your job on the court, there is the possibility of trades or being fired. Teams are always changing and the team you start with at the beginning of the year, may not be the team you end with. The team that I am on now, is the third team I have been on in Puerto Rico. I played with one organization for 3 years. I started this season with one team, and in the middle of the season was traded to another team.

Q: Are you teammates with anyone you once competed against with in college? If so, what is it like playing together now?

Lauren Plum (Oregon): All the previous college rivalries are pretty much irrelevant. Now we are all just Americans trying to survive in foreign countries (not so much Puerto Rico, but every other country). We find each other on social media and meet up to hang out every off day wecan and talk and joke about old college stories.

Haley Eckerman (Texas): Yes, I played against Megan Courtney and Aiyana Whitney (Penn State). It's great getting to play with them because they were always a top contender in the Final Four so they know what it takes to win.

Megan Courtney (PSU): I am currently playing with Haley Eckerman, who played at Texas. It is a cool experience to be able to talk about and compare two of the top programs in college volleyball and see what is similar and what is different.

Annie Drews (Purdue): I am not, but I know that a few of the girls on the island are. I play against a lot of players from the Big Ten Conference. In a way, it reminds you how human we all are. Suddenly these people that you have been so aggressive against for the last four years are the only people that really are in your same shoes.

Remy McBain (Maryland): There have been a lot of girls from the states that I have played against. It's fun because you sort of have a connection with them because there are only a certain amount of Americans that play down here. You get to be friends with them, which is something I never thought would happen after having competed against them for 4 years.

Q: What is the match environment like in Puerto Rico and how is it different from your college home crowd?

Lauren Plum (Oregon): The crowds aren't as big as college. The rivalries aren't as intense. We don't scout teams and prepare all week in practice for them. We will get a few hitter tendencies here and there before the game and then you just go out play hard and adjust while you're out there.

Haley Eckerman (Texas): I always say that the Ponce gym reminds me of Gregory Gym in Austin. It's a smaller gym and whether there’s 100 people or 1000 people, it’s always loud. We have a great fan base, some travel for our games. The farthest we play is an hour and a half away so it’s nice having Leones fans at every game.

Megan Courtney (PSU): I play for Leones de Ponce. Although it gets pretty loud at times, nothing compares to Rec Hall.

Annie Drews (Purdue): Purdue Volleyball, personally, is an unmatched environment. We sold out our 3,000 person gym consistently, and our fans were some of the most loyal and joyful fans I’ve had the pleasure of witnessing. In Puerto Rico, we play in really big gyms and the fans are somewhat conditional. Teams that are doing well have hundreds of people, while teams that are struggling have a really quiet, tame game environment. I never really know what to expect, but they are loud through the good and bad!

Remy McBain (Maryland): The match environment is definitely different than the crowds I played against in the ACC. There's lots of music and fans with noise makers. Some gyms are loud and others are more mellow. It just depends on the team. As you get into playoffs, more fans start showing up and it gets really fun!

Q: What is life like in Puerto Rico compared to the US?

Lauren Plum (Oregon): It's so beautiful here. We go to the beach a few times a week or lay out on our roof top. Practice is once a day for a few hours and for the last 2 weeks we have been in a gym with no AC so that's been fun.

Haley Eckerman (Texas): I tell people it’s like a more tropical Florida. They have the Walmarts and the Mcdonalds and Forever 21's. Anything we have in the states they pretty much have it here (except Chipotle).

Megan Courtney (Penn State): Puerto Rico life is paradise. The weather is beautiful, the island is beautiful. There is so much to do other than going to the beach. Oh yeah I do play volleyball here too, so that is nice!

Annie Drews (Purdue): It depends on where you are. If i’m homesick, there’s definitely parts and places that comfort me and feel like the US. But there are also a lot of times, where i’m like, “Wow, that would never happen in the States.” For instance, I’ll go to the mall, which has Old Navy, Foot Locker and Krispy Kreme but then I’ll drive through the mountains and see 3 wild dogs and a man riding a horse. On the bright side, Puerto Rico is gorgeous, and I’ve really liked the mountains and scenery.

Remy McBain (Maryland): Puerto Rico is very Americanized in my opinion. We have Walgreens, Walmart, and lots of fast food places. A lot of people speak English too so it is not very hard to adjust to! The best part is the weather. We are on a tropical island, the beaches are beautiful and the adventures are endless.

Q: What is the biggest challenge you have found living in another country?

Lauren Plum (Oregon): The language barrier. The last 2 seasons both of my head coach spoke poor English so everyone translates their own versions of what they are saying to me.

Haley Eckerman (Texas): For me its being away from my son. He is in kindergarten now so he doesn't get to come see me as much.

Megan Courtney (PSU): The biggest challenge is the language barrier.

Annie Drews (Purdue): You realize how impatient and fast-paced the US is. Things that would take me 45 minutes take 2 hours because there’s so many people and traffic with not much regulation. Some of that is probably just the island lifestyle, too.

Remy McBain (Maryland): I think the biggest part was adjusting to the language. I understand a lot of Spanish from growing up, but I did not learn a lot of volleyball terms. Most of my coaches here haven't spoken any English, so trying to understand them was definitely difficult. But I learned pretty quickly the volleyball terms and hand signals do wonders.The other part that was definitely a challenge was the maps. The only reliable maps that work here are Google Maps and even my first year it wasn't great. Over the past 4 years it has certainly improved, but I faced some navigation issues early on in my time here.

Q: If you could be anything besides a professional athlete, what would you be?

Lauren Plum (Oregon): I can't imagine doing anything else right now. Volleyball is life haha.

Haley Eckerman (Texas): Sports Broadcaster

Megan Courtney (PSU): Occupational therapist

Annie Drews (Purdue): I’d love to invest in local businesses, church, and projects in my community, wherever that is. My dream job(s) would be to be able to buy and flip houses, own a restaurant, and grow deep roots making my community stronger in making whatever city i’m in. Traveling is incredible, but can get lonely, so it also makes the idea of being somewhere consistently sound pretty appealing.

Remy McBain (Maryland): Back home, I am an assistant volleyball coach for a D2 school near Cleveland, OH. That is exactly what I will be doing when I retire. And it's definitely what I would be 100% of the time if I wasn't playing here.

Q: What advice do you have to young players who have aspirations of playing professional volleyball one day?

Lauren Plum (Oregon): Love what you do, love the game. Put in all the extra reps and stick with it through the ups and downs!

Haley Eckerman (Texas): You have to work for it. It doesn't come easy. All of the pain and sweat and tears you put into it will one day payoff if you give it your all.

Megan Courtney (PSU): Professional volleyball isn’t something you can just dream about. There is a lot more to it than dreams. But in order to get here, dreaming is the best place to start. Once you have your dream, put your dream into motion based on your actions and your effort.

Annie Drews (Purdue): In regards to the sport, don’t get caught up in technique or advice to the point where you can’t just play the game. I feel like I have been able to score more points and make more plays because I’m not thinking too much and just letting my body react. In regards to the lifestyle, make sure you are really passionate about volleyball. Unfortunately, there isn’t currently an option to play professional volleyball in the US, so you will inevitably miss some big milestones at home that your family and friends will be experiencing together. It’s a huge sacrifice, so only do it if you can truly enjoy playing every single day.

Remy McBain (Maryland): Learn as much as you can about the game. Sometimes, you have to figure things out on your own in the professional world, never stop learning and growing your game.