Personal Connections Bridge Culture Gap For 'Boga'
3/25/2021
SEATTLE – Never in her wildest dreams did Maria Bogomolova think she would be leaving her home in Russia to attend a university in the United States, 4,846 miles away, to play volleyball. In spite of all the challenges put in her way, Bogomolova is still here five years later, having grown as a person in more ways than she can count. Sunday afternoon, Bogomolova will play her last game in Alaska Airlines Arena, her home away from home for the past five years. Washington will honor her with a pre-match ceremony before first serve against the Cardinal, set for 12 noon and broadcast on the Pac-12 Networks.
Bogomolova's journey to the University of Washington began with her official visit back in July of 2016 after she had been contacted by former Husky assistant coach Jonathan Winder and Head Coach Keegan Cook. Right from the start things were tough.
"I was flying alone. That was very scary, and I was afraid I would not be able to find people I was supposed to find," said Bogomolova. "I had so many flights, I had to fly from the house I was living at the moment to Moscow, from Moscow to LAX, from LA to Seattle. LAX is huge with so many terminals and I had no idea what to do. That was scary and I met a Russian couple in the airplane who were sitting in the same row and they were from Seattle, so they knew where to go. They helped me find the proper terminal."
A couple weeks later Bogomolova returned to Washington as a student-athlete. She had several adjustments to make and a lot to learn her freshman year. "The hardest adjustments were language, I had no idea what to do and no idea what people were saying," she said. "It was so fast; nobody talks that fast during classes and during school."
Even volleyball was different for Maria. "The worst part was volleyball. Keegan had to show me what to do by pointing where to go and he would guide me step by step with what he wants me to do because I couldn't understand him at first. It took me six months to figure out the terms and what's going on. It was the different style of volleyball its super-fast, everything is different, the technique. All of it was so overwhelming."
But all that instruction made a difference, in much more than just Bogomolova's volleyball skills. "Keegan Cook is my favorite part about the US," she said. "I think I wouldn't be me if it wasn't for him. He was the best, he helped me with figuring out ways on how to approach my teammates because it's so different here. The way you need to talk to people is super different. It's a different mentality, so he helped me navigate through the change and explained to me the ways people are accustomed here."
The coaching staff and girls were so supportive ... It was something special, nobody will care as much as they care. Nobody will care as much as Keegan cares and it's just incredible knowing that I have these people in my life.
Despite learning a new culture, customs, suffering injuries and concussions, Bogomolova praises her coaches and team for helping her through all of the challenges she has faced over the past five years.
"I had multiple concussions, multiple injuries, so many weird things happening in my life and just the change and growing up. The teammates and the coaching staff were my system. I was going through a lot, this year especially. We had many loved ones lost and family stuff. The coaching staff and girls were so supportive. I figured out the value of the connections with my teammates and with coaches and calling them anytime," said a teary eyed Bogomolova. "It was something special, nobody will care as much as they care. Nobody will care as much as Keegan cares and it's just incredible knowing that I have these people in my life."
When asked about her favorite memories in the past five years. She talked about how amazing it was to see the purple court for the first time and winning the Pac-12 championship, but those weren't her all-time favorite. "There are so many good things and I think all of them are connected to the girls. Just seeing people develop is something super special," she said.
Bogomolova's favorite part is the connection that she shares with her teammates. "Last year, the match at Wisconsin, there were maybe 10,000 people in the arena. It was a ridiculous number; everything was red wherever I looked, and we felt so connected to each other in that moment. It was a totally different level of connection. I felt the same way this year versus Utah, everybody was doing their job incredibly. I've never seen that level of discipline ever. Those matches showed how great we can be. It revealed so much potential."
Maria's plans after graduation depend on the rest of the season. But she has been thinking about pursuing a coaching career here in the US. "That would be awesome too because I truly enjoy helping people and seeing how they can improve and watching them improve. I would love to discover that area as well."
The University of Washington has transformed Maria as a person and her perspective on the world.
"All the people I met throughout my journey here, they all influenced me tremendously and as I said earlier, if it wasn't for the coaching staff, I wouldn't be me. Washington truly showed me how important it is to find connections with people. How it is having a real friendship, it taught me everything. It is incredible. I don't know how to even say it because they did so much for me, and I am very grateful for them. I am incredibly grateful. Keegan, Tui, Jason, Jonathan, all the girls, everyone. Everyone did so much for me. I really bloomed as a person here."
