ULM Warhawks

5,626 miles. That's how far graduate transfer Tamara Merseli is from her hometown of Belgrade, Serbia. But it is here, in Monroe, Louisiana that the graduate transfer has found her new home.
 
Merseli comes to the Pelican state after two years as an indoor volleyball student-athlete for the Univeristy of North Dakota. It was at UND where Merseli garnered multiple awards and was nominated for the NCAA Woman of the Year Award.
 
"I started playing volleyball when I was in 7th grade," Merseli said. "My dad used to play and back home we used to watch our volleyball national team and it just naturally came to me that I wanted to try it. I went to a few practices I loved it and I have been in love with the sport ever since."
 
2019 will be the first season of collegiate beach volleyball for Merseli, despite playing over the summer seasons back home in Serbia. "I went to tournaments all over Serbia and I liked how much more relaxed beach volleyball was than indoor volleyball, while still maintaining a high level of competition."
 
"I decided to play indoor for college because that's what I had always played, I was more experienced on the court," said Merseli. "I had a lot of people encourage me to give beach volleyball a go, telling me that I would be great in the sand. Luckily, I got the opportunity to use my fifth year of eligibility for another sport and I didn't even have to think about it - I knew I wanted to use it to play beach volleyball."
 
Merseli said it has taken a lot of hard work and discipline to stay successful in the sand. "You can't be successful in this sport unless you are disciplined, because so many factors affect the game. For example, the wind can affect the speed and direction of the ball."
 
"Your level of discipline is also key in 'reading' your opponents; being able to predict which direction your opponent is hitting, going up for a block, and so forth. If you are not disciplined it's easy to make mistakes."
 
When asked about which sport she thought was more physically demanding, Merseli explained that beach volleyball has been more difficult on her body and mind.
 
"It's just you and your partner out there, so it's easy to get in your head compared to when you have six players to help you. You can't really 'cheat' in the sand as you can in indoor (referring your position and predicting where you need to be), which goes back to the need for a disciplined focus."
 
Merseli explained that the basic skills are similar, she just had to change her approach to that particular skill. She added that when she's in the sand, it's important for her to stay strong mentally and to not let a couple mistakes alter her perception of the game – something she's working on, on and off the court.
 
"I am really excited for the entire season," Merseli expressed. "This is all new for me; I am excited to compete, I am excited to see my team performing at a high level, I am excited about winning and how are we going to handle high-pressure situations, I am excited to see myself playing in a different environment, each and every day is a new exciting adventure. I know that with each new achievement and obstacle, I will not only learn more about the sport, but also more about myself- that in itself is super exciting."
 
Being over 5,000 miles from home, Merseli has experienced what its like to live all over the world since moving away to pursue her college degree. "It is nice to finally be in a warmer environment! Something that I didn't expect was a big cultural change. Even when I moved from Serbia to the United States, I didn't experience that big of a cultural change as I did when I came to the south. People here in Louisiana are much more laid back and easy going. People from the north are much more intense. It has been good for me to be around others who are more easy going, I can be a bit intense sometimes so it's a good change for me."
 
Lastly, we asked Merseli - If you were asked for advice from someone playing indoor who is considering beach, what would you tell them?
 
"I would definitely tell them to be ready to work twice as harder than in indoor," she said. "Sand requires much more strength and discipline than indoor volleyball; therefore, whoever decides to play have to be ready to work really hard. But at the end, it pays off because it's so much fun and challenging that all that work put in it is worth it."
 
Make sure to come watch Tamara and the rest of the Warhawks at home during ULM's Bayou Bash (March 22-23) and ULM's Warhawk Challenge (April 5-6).