Grace volleyball coach Karen Peterson will be taking a high school team representing Indiana, Iowa and Kansas to Australia in July.

WINONA LAKE, IN – Grace College volleyball coach Karen Peterson will be taking a volleyball team of high school players to Australia for the annual Down Under International Games – an Olympic-type event for athletes under the age of 19. The event will take place July 10-21 as the team takes part in an international tournament as well as an American beach volleyball tournament.

Peterson’s team consists of high school players representing the states of Indiana, Kansas and Iowa and the team will compete on Australia’s Gold Coast as well as seeing time in Sydney. Before returning home, the team will then get the opportunity to spend three days in Hawaii for sightseeing.

“I told the girls that this is not just about volleyball, but also about experiencing Australia,” Peterson said. “It has already given me the chance to build more pipelines at high schools in putting the team together and will give me the chance to make contacts with international teams and coaches as well.”

Peterson’s team will only have the chance to practice two or three times before competing and no player on the squad is taller than 5-foot-10. Despite some of the obstacles, it will be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for many of the players.

The event is sponsored by “Down Under International Games” and began with American football all-star games about 15 years ago. The volleyball tournament has been taking place for almost a decade but this is the first time that Indiana will be represented.