When Ziva Recek first stepped on to the University of Florida campus, she barely spoke English.
More than 5,000 miles away from her hometown of Kocevje, Slovenia, the freshman volleyball player was away from her family, friends and the world where she had grown up, just hoping to fit in and help the team.
That was three years ago.
Now a senior, Ziva is one of the unquestioned leaders on the Gators volleyball team that is gearing up for a postseason run in the NCAA tournament — which starts tonight at 7 as No. 11 seed Florida faces New Hampshire — looking to capture the program’s first national championship.
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"(The) first time I came here was with my youth national team, we were around like 16 or 15 years old," notes Ziva, reflecting on a time that was just a few years ago but feels like a lifetime.
Ziva and the Slovenian team was playing a tournament in Sacramento, California. For about two weeks, the team had a training camp in California and soaked in the American lifestyle.
Upon arrival in the States, Ziva knew that if the opportunity presented itself, playing collegiate volleyball in America was worth pursuing.
A campus tour at the University of San Francisco sealed the deal.
"They showed us how everything works … their facilities, their dorms and everything," Ziva said, "so we kind of got a feel for how it is being a college volleyball player for the first time."
However, living in Slovenia made the recruiting process arduous.
It was difficult for American coaches to see her play, and the 48-hour window that the NCAA allows recruits for campus visits meant that she had to fly to and from Europe for only a weekend’s worth of time spent on campus.
Normally, this would have hindered the recruiting process.
"I was really lucky that one of my friends at home, he was actually a coach at (the University of) Utah," Ziva said.
"He moved to Slovenia and he had like this volleyball agency. So he had a lot of connections here in (the) U.S., so he … gave (coach Mary Wise) my contact (information)."
After exchanging emails back and forth and talking on Skype, Ziva came to Gainesville on her official visit in the fall of 2011.
She didn’t see any other schools.
Wise made the long journey to Europe to watch her play a few months later, and Ziva committed to play for the Gators soon after.
"It was (a) short process," notes Ziva.
"I really liked it when I came here for my official visit. So I was just like, ‘that’s it.’"
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Even before she arrived at Florida, Ziva had an extensive volleyball resume.
Her first introduction to the sport came from her older sisters, Nina, 30, and Alja, 24, who were both volleyball players.
At just 7 years old and too young to play with them, Ziva would tag along to her sisters’ practices, relegated to the role of ball girl until she was old enough to participate.
When she finally began to compete, her budding talent was undeniable.
But while her potential indoors was obvious, it was on sand courts where Ziva got her first taste of success.
At age 13, she finished in second place at Slovenia’s Beach Championships in the Under-16 and Under-18 categories.
At 14, she dominated older competition on her way to victories in these events along with wins in the Under-20 and Under-23 groups.
Her international career indoors also commenced when she was just 13, beginning with a stint on the Slovenian Youth National Team, where she was a member from 2006-2009.
The team won back-to-back Middle European Volleyball Zonal Association summer and winter tournaments in 2007 and 2008. In 2009, she graduated to the Junior National Team where Slovenia finished eighth at the Junior European Championships.
While in high school, Ziva also won two Slovenian Junior Championship titles and two MVP awards while playing for her club team, Aliansa.
Despite this impressive resume, coming to America to play volleyball provided Ziva with an entirely new set of challenges.
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Living an ocean away from home took its toll.
Ziva was in a foreign world, a world where she had difficulty with simple things that players often took for granted, like communicating with teammates.
"My freshman year there was a lot of things to adjust to, especially language and ... culture in general, like food and … lifestyle," she said.
Ziva says her transition to life in America was facilitated by older players on the team like Betsy Smith, who ensured Recek that no matter how isolated she felt, she was never alone.
"She always made sure that everyone, especially us freshman, or me being so far away from home, (was) taken care of," Ziva said.
"You kind of feel like you still have a family here because (of) how supportive they are."
While she struggled to transition to life off the court, on the court she was playing some of the best volleyball of her career.
In 2012, Ziva was named the American Volleyball Coaches Association National Freshman of the Year after posting one of the most impressive seasons in the history of the Florida volleyball program, amassing 440 kills on .247 hitting to go along with 259 digs.
As she became more comfortable in America, both her game and her role on the team grew tremendously.
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Ziva has come a long way from the freshman who came to Gainesville three years ago and didn’t speak English.
She’s smooth.
She’s sarcastic.
But most importantly, she lets her actions speak louder than her words.
Since arriving at Florida, she has worked on and off the court to improve her game and her English.
"Looking back on it, Ziva could hardly speak to us," senior Nikki O’Rourke said.
"Now you would never even know."
Ziva has taken it upon herself to mentor the team’s younger players, remembering how meaningful it was as a freshman having the seniors to lean on.
Whether it’s arriving early to get in extra reps before practice or helping the younger players during drills, her work ethic is second-to-none.
"She leads by example," senior Simone Antwi said.
"I think that’s a really big thing."
The same work ethic that pushed Ziva to learn English has driven her to improve facets of her game every season.
"It’s so awesome to see how her game has grown. … Every year she gets so much better and it’s so cool to see," Antwi said.
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After leaving Florida, Ziva plans to stay in America and remain involved in volleyball as a coach.
Recently, she was named a recipient of the AVCA Coaches 4 Coaches scholarship, which pays for future coaches to attend their first coaching convention.
She is also a member of Slovenia’s Senior National Team, and missed four of the Gators’ regular season games while competing at the European Championships this year.
As for now, she remains focused on finishing her senior season strong.
"She’s our stabilizer," coach Wise said.
"As Ziva goes, so does our team."
Follow Brian Lee on Twitter @brianlee_17
UF outside hitter Ziva Recek (middle) celebrates with teammates after a point during Florida's 3-0 win against Alabama on Nov. 13, 2015, in the O'Connell Center.
