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35 T he University of Iowa volleyball team wrapped up the 2021 season on April 3 against No. 3 Minnesota. In a season like no other, Iowa used a spread-out offensive attack with five players recording at least 100 kills. One of Iowa's top threats on the offensive end was sophomore outside hitter Edina Schmidt, who led Iowa with eight matches of double-digit kills and ranked second on the team with 183 total kills. A native of Berlin, Germany, Schmidt knew she wanted to play in the United States. It was never a matter of if she wanted to play, but where she wanted to play. Once Iowa called, she had her mind made up. "Obviously, the Big Ten is one of the best conferences in the country," Schmidt said. "I wanted to play overseas, but I wanted to play at a very high level. When I came on my official visit, I loved the campus and the opportunities (Iowa) had for me. Everything fit and I felt this was a place I wanted to be at for the next four years." Coming to Iowa in the fall of 2019 was an adjustment, but despite being 4,542 miles from home, she never felt homesick. Sophomore teammate Grace Tubbs and her family made Schmidt one of their own the moment she arrived in Iowa City. Tubbs is from Clinton, Iowa. "I had to sacrifice being away from my family and my friends, but it's worth it because now I have a second home with a second family," Schmidt said. "Being so far from home wouldn't be as easy if it weren't for the Tubbs family." is past year, Schmidt wasn't sure if she would be able to come back for preseason or at all due to COVID-19's initial travel ban. However, she was able to return to the United States once the travel ban was lied for students in mid-July and prepare for the season and academic year. "As soon as it got lied for students, I was crying because I was so happy," Schmidt said. "en, my parents and I talked, and we realized I wouldn't make it home for Christmas, and they wouldn't be able to come visit like we had originally planned. So, I spent Christmas with the Tubbs family and they made me feel so loved and welcomed and like a part of the family." Despite the adversity this year brought for the sophomore, Schmidt looks forward to making the most of the next few years of being a Hawkeye. "I want to continue to grow as a person, as well as a teammate and obviously a volleyball player," she said. "I want to gain as much experience on and off the court as possible."