Juliana Godoi

Juliana Godoi
Senior volleyball player, University of Missouri

Where she is from: Sao Paulo, Brazil

How she got here: Fresh off a national championship season at Columbia College, coaches Susan and Wayne Kreklow offered Juliana a scholarship after seeing her during a tryout. Juliana played there for two years, helping the team win the national championship in 1999 and place second the next year. The Kreklows were then hired at MU and decided to bring Juliana along. After sitting out for a year, she came back her senior season to lead the Tigers to a second round appearance in the NCAA tournament.

Why so many Brazilian players come to the United States: In Brazil, there are no sports in the colleges, so if players aren’t good enough to make the national team, there is no place for them to play. Most girls play on elite club teams, which practice up to five hours a day. Those who are not good enough for Brazil’s national team still have more experience than many American players, so college coaches regularly travel there to recruit.

Thoughts about senior season: “Every time I stepped on the court, I thought, this could be my last time to play this team, or this could be my last time to play in this city, so I had no worries and played to have fun and win. Our team was really special this season because I am the only senior, and we had many freshmen.”

Hardest part about coming to the United States: “Actually, I was ready to leave home. I wanted to be out on my own, to try new things. I get to travel home once a year, for Christmas... The language was difficult for me at first, because I knew no English at all when I came here. It is a lot easier to speak than to write, because things that make sense to me apparently don’t make sense on paper!”

Plans after college: Juliana is an international business major and wants to work in Chicago or San Diego. She is trying to learn other languages after mastering English and Portuguese and some Spanish.

What her coaches say about her: “Juliana is just very charismatic. I think she just has a passion for the game, and she plays and practices that way every day. She has a lot of energy and always has a smile on her face,” Susan Kreklow said.

— Sara Stoltz