After winning a national championship at the end of the 2012 season, sunshine and service are next on the St. Thomas volleyball team’s agenda.

The Tommies will make their first trip to Nicaragua this May to volunteer and play the Nicaraguan national team.

Outside hitter Jill Greenfield said she has heard nothing but good things about the trip.

“I’m super excited. We heard about it through other volleyball programs that have been there before, and they said it’s a really amazing experience,” Greenfield said. “Not only are we going to be playing, but we’re going to be doing a lot of interactions with the local community and service projects.”

Coach Thanh Pham said the team chose from several different trips, but ultimately decided Nicaragua was the most cost-effective and fit best with their goals while abroad.

“There’s a lot of community service projects that the girls will be doing, more in tune with not just volleyball, but also helping others. So we decided to go with the Nicaraguan itinerary,” Pham said.

Greenfield said she is most excited for the service-based aspect of the trip, which will include: surfing with special needs children, teaching English, passing out books, visiting a women’s co-op and learning about sustainability.

“We got a couple videos that were documentations of other teams that went and they get to be with little kids and just really get to see everyday conditions there,” Greenfield said. “I think it will just be really cool for us to experience something so different from our regular lifestyles here and to do it as a team.”

Middle blocker Paige Brimeyer said she’s going on the trip because it’s a “once in a lifetime opportunity.”

“I would never have the chance to play in another country with my teammates. I just figured I had to do it,” Brimeyer said.

The team held a fundraiser at Davanni’s Pizza & Hot Hoagies Tuesday to help raise money for the trip. Each Davanni’s customer with a flyer advertising the fundraiser donated 20 percent of their bill to the team.

“The university is not funding any part of this trip; it’s all based on what the athletes bring to the table,” Pham said.

Coaches and players are responsible for all trip fees, which totals $1,600 per person.

Prior to the start of the fundraiser, Brimeyer said she wasn’t sure how much the team expected to raise.

“We have been telling everyone. Hopefully it will be enough to make a significant impact on the funds,” Brimeyer said.

Senior Caitlin Goodwin said she didn’t know about the fundraiser until she came to Davanni’s and received a voucher from one of the players.

“I think (the fundraiser) is really smart marketing. Everyone knows about Davanni’s and a lot of people come here on a regular basis,” Goodwin said. “They probably didn’t have to do very much to get the word out because people just come here anyway.”

Goodwin said she likes the trip’s service aspect.

“It reminds me a lot of the VISION trips that we do here, but it’s cool that they get to do something (through) a collegiate sport that they care about,” Goodwin said.

Traveling abroad is nothing new for the Tommie volleyball team. Greenfield said the team tries to take a trip every four years so that each athlete gets a chance to travel internationally.

The team participates in service-based projects when it goes to the NCAA tournament, so volunteering in Nicaragua seemed like a logical next step for Pham.

“It just made sense to plan a trip that kind of mirrored (nationals) a little bit,” Pham said.

Another first for the trip is the Tommies’ scheduled game against the Nicaraguan national team. Pham said this will be the first time St. Thomas will take on a national team.

“I’m most looking forward to playing teams that are from Nicaragua,” Brimeyer said.

Greenfield said the trip will definitely bring the team closer.

“I feel like taking advantage of this opportunity is just something special,” Greenfield said.

Pham said he expects the trip will help his team once their season begins next fall.

“A lot of times, there’s a lot of stressful moments,” Pham said. “If we can look back on the Nicaragua trip and remember some funny moments or just remember that it’s a game and we’re having fun with it, that will go a long way.”

Pham said he looks forward to the trip for the chance to spend time with his team. MIAC rules state that fall sports can only have seven spring practices, so coaches and players get little time together off season.

“We had a great season last season, and I just miss spending time with them and just getting to know them as people,” Pham said.