How the ways of the Sherpas help Wisconsin volleyball bring freshmen into college life

But that doesn’t mean that there aren’t times when a wise, experienced Sherpa can come in handy.

Wisconsin volleyball coach Kelly Sheffield has long been intrigued by the Sherpas, an ethnic group of people who live in Nepal and are best known for their mountaineering skills that are often put to use by foreigners attempting to climb the Himalayas, Mount Everest in particular.

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Over the years Sheffield would show his teams videos of Sherpas helping people climb Mt. Everest, pondering a way to apply it to the world of college volleyball.

It finally came to him a few years ago as the perfect image of how he wanted to have his experienced players help guide the newcomers as they transition to the college game and life.

“When you think of a Sherpa, what is it?” Sheffield said. “It’s somebody that knows the lay of the land and they are going to help you manage the terrain and help you hopefully climb to the top of the mountain and get you back down safely. 

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“So every year we’re trying to climb a new mountain and these guys coming in have no idea. They don’t know what the travel is like. They don’t know so much about time management, where to go get your ID card. There’s hundreds of things and who do you reach out to when you have those questions along the way? 

“It seemed like a perfect image of what it is that we’re looking for, them being able to help each other know where to turn to. Kind of their own personal concierge.”

The first official Sherpas were in 2022, when Gulce Gucteckin was one of two freshmen on the team, arriving from Istanbul, Turkey, shortly before the start of the season. Her Sherpa was Julia Orzol, who had gone through a similar experience the year before coming from Poland.

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“She did a really good job,” Guctekin said. “It was so nice to have her because she has such a good heart. She’s very supportive and you know she’ll always be with you. She was my comfort zone. She still is. She’s permanent. I’m so glad we met. She’s going to be my forever friend.”

Those kinds of qualities, already apparent as just a sophomore, have made Orzol, now a senior, a natural Sherpa. For Sheffield, it takes more than seniority to qualify for the job.

“It’s got to be somebody that’s got their own life together,” Sheffield said. “If they’re not managing their own life on and off the court and showing some discipline and time management skills, they’re probably not in the position to help somebody.”

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With the influx of seven freshmen this season, the demand for qualified Sherpas has been elevated. Orzol has two what they call Sherpees – naturally, fellow Europeans Tosia Serafinowska from Poland and Una Vajagic from Serbia.

While that makes her the primary go-to person for them, Orzol is quick to point out that providing good guidance is a team project with everyone playing a role.

“I think our team is very good at helping each other and there’s nobody that’s escaping that,” Orzol said. “But it’s easier when you know that you’re responsible for somebody and you know that you’re the person who’s going to make sure that she gets from A to B.”

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Her approach is to be available to help when and where needed but not to smother her Sherpees.

“I feel like it’s just guiding them, especially in those first few weeks when they come here,” Orzol said. “But also I’m trying to find balance. You don’t want to just take their hand and lead them everywhere. You want them to kind of explore things and find their own ways and naturally get things. But you don’t want to be too hard on them. 

“So you want to help them as much as you can but also let them figure things out on their own because you know that you’re not going to be there for two years and guide them through everything. But they’re doing great. They’re so autonomous. They’re so good at figuring things out and making sure they are on top of it.”

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Serafinowska said that Orzol’s presence at Wisconsin helped her decide to join the Badgers.

“I can say she cleared a path for me,” she said. “It was easier for me because she experienced it first, and it was kind of easier for me coming here.”

Although they didn’t really know each other, Serafinowska felt like she sort of knew Orzol from having watched her from her high school bleachers when Orzol practiced there with the Polish Junior National team.

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“I looked up to her for a long time,” Serafinowska said. “I don’t believe she knew who I was because I’m four years younger. But everybody knew Jula in Poland.

“She’s been really helpful. For example, volleyball codes are much different, the words. I didn’t know all that stuff. So my first week it looked like I was always asking, ‘Hey, Ozzie, what’s this, what’s that?’ She was kind of translating and that was really helpful. 

“We were talking about a lot of stuff. She was my adviser in everything. Whenever I had an issue or was just curious about something, she was always the first person I came to and asked questions because I knew she was going to be honest with me.

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“I just know I can count on her. It’s not like she’s babysitting me, but we have this relationship that we trust each other and she helps me whenever I need it. And I’m there for her if she needs it.”

One big benefit is having someone with whom she can speak Polish, although they are careful about when and where they do that.

“We try not to talk Polish in front of teammates or other people because we don’t want to exclude anyone,” Serafinowska said. “The girls are always laughing whenever we speak Polish that we’re gossiping and they cannot even tell. But it’s really awesome that I have someone I can talk Polish to. It’s just relaxing after an entire day of thinking in English and talking in English and all things in English. I can talk to her in Polish and just relax.”

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Another Sherpa-Sherpee match this year is Caroline Crawford and Lola Schumacher. It’s been an impactful pairing for Schumacher, especially off the court.

“At first, I’m not going to lie, I was a little scared of CC,” Schumacher said. “She kind of intimidates me. But then she took me out to Noodles & Co. and we had a great time. She’s like the best Sherpa to have. There’s not a better friend, teammate, person that can just guide you through life problems as a freshman.

“When I got here I didn’t even know how to get to my dorm. I was using Google Maps out on the street. She was like, ‘You’ve got to look up, there’s cars and bikes and scooters on the street.’ I was like, that’s good to know. She’s super helpful with everything. She helped me with parking, with laundry, and how to go to the police station to get my eyes scanned. She’s incredible.”

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The benefits of the Sherpa arrangements are difficult to quantify and may vary from partner to partner, Sheffield said. 

“But the overall message that you're sending is that we’re wanting good things for all of us and there are things we can do to elevate the person next to us,” he said. “This is the opposite of hazing. The opposite of, here, young person, you prove to me why you’re worthy to be here. 

“We want to help people reach their potential. Right from day one, we’re here to help you and we want good things for you. You don’t need to prove to us, we’re going to help lead you. There’s an overall message of what we’re going to be all about.”