Summer abroad leaves Gerling with lessons in life, volleyball

IU senior outside hitter Rachel Gerling has been all over the place lately -- making kills at the net, lunging for deep digs and shutting out the opposition with her blocks. She has been making a name for herself with an impressive 3.20 kills per game, 37 service aces, 158 digs and she is the third best blocker for the Hoosiers, averaging 1.02 blocks every time she steps on the court. This past summer, the six-foot senior added another notch to her resume -- a trip to Italy.\n"I studied studio art and Italian in Florence," Gerling said. "But the best part of the whole trip was getting to experience things that a normal tour wouldn't have given me." \nBy "experience," she meant living a lifestyle far from her comfortable California roots. She mentioned sharing traditional meals with host families, traversing through locally owned civilian boutiques, observing stalagmites in murky caverns and even sleeping in random train stations.\n"I'm an incredibly independent person, and I had to do a lot of things on my own," she said. "Volleyball is the exact opposite, and my trip taught me the importance of working with other people." \nShe added that her group would set out without knowing what to expect from their day. The same concept applied to the Hoosier squad -- be ready for anything, but remain calm under pressure.\n"These girls have chemistry, both during practice and away from it," head coach Katie Weismiller said.\nGerling agreed, adding that sincere support has a positive impact upon how the team plays as a unit. The unequivocal support must be working as Gerling snagged IU's first ever Defensive Big Ten Player of the Week award Monday.\n"Rachel's been doing a great job this season, and she loves what she does," Weismiller said. \nAssistant coach Matt Affolder added that the team's magnetism draws from its leadership, and its game play shows constant signs of improvement. This weekend, after a loss to Michigan State 3-1 Friday, the Hoosiers bounced back Saturday with a 3-2 win over Michigan. In that final game, Gerling made 19 saves and had two service aces and 15 kills.\nGerling and the rest of the IU squad will bring their non-conference competition to a close at 7 p.m. tomorrow against Evansville in the University Gym.\n"I hope that students and fans will come to our games and cheer us on," Gerling said. "It's always more exciting when we see lots of people in the stands"