Aussies Abroad #3 – Will D’Arcy

On-court and off-court academic opportunities are plentiful in the US College system.

In this installment of the Aussies Abroad Series, Volleyball Australia caught up with William D’Arcy – a Queenslander competing for University of California Irvine (UCI) in the NCAA Division 1.

Born and raised in rural Victoria, it was Will’s move to Queensland in primary school that kick-started his volleyball journey. 

“After moving to Queensland at the end of sixth grade I had to choose another sport for our interschool competitions at Cleveland,” D’Arcy said.  “Taking the advice of my older brother, first picking up volleyball in grade seven was great, but it wasn’t until year eleven that I began to shift into a more structured high level environment. 

“The program at Cleveland was fundamental in building the foundations for my game, and I worked with some phenomenal coaches in these years that really shaped my career thus far. 

“At the end of high school, I was fortunate enough to be offered a position at the Australian Volleyball Academy in Canberra, and accepted it. 

“Working with the coaches and strength staff at the AIS transformed my game, and my body into a place that opened up doors internationally to continue to play after my time in Canberra.”

Continuing to develop his volleyball skills on home soil, Will saw the opportunity to study and compete in the United States as the next chapter in his journey. 

“As my time at the Academy came to an end I looked to pursue a tertiary education alongside high level volleyball, and found that the collegiate pathway would best suit this,” he said. 

“Working alongside the coaching staff at the AIS I explored options in the United States and was fortunate to be offered a scholarship to play in the NCAA Division 1, for the University of California Irvine.

“Wanting to get a degree alongside playing volleyball was the reason I took that next step to play overseas. 

“I am very grateful that UC-Irvine was able to provide that opportunity for me. 

“I am currently completing a degree in Economics and playing volleyball in my third year here in the United States, and post college I will eventually flow into the professional pathway in Europe joining many of the other boys from the national team and Academy system, and I look forward to this next part of the journey.”

After making the move to California, Will found different aspects of the move both easy and challenging to navigate, adjusting to ‘culture shocks’ and volleyball across the world. 

“Fortunately moving to the United States shares many similarities with Australia, compared to other professional clubs and contracts you can find elsewhere,” D’Arcy said. 

“No language barrier made the transitions significantly easier, however integrating into the ‘college’ system in the United States definitely had its fair share of culture shocks for me. 

“Especially the way that approaching studies at ‘college’ goes compared to Uni back home in Australia, and the life, living and experiences around it.

“On the court, the level of play was again a step up from the AIS and junior national team. 

“With their younger level of play established from a far earlier age compared to any Australian club system, it allows for a much larger selection pool of athletes to enter the Division 1 level in the NCAA, and many of these guys are very sound players. 

“Pairing that with international recruits from Europe, competing and training with the guys at UC-Irvine has taken my game to another level again.

“Navigating these changes for me was easiest by accepting that I won’t initially understand why or how things are done in a particular way here, and then unconditionally buying into the team culture and structure here at UC-Irvine.” 

One of the biggest changes Will had to experience was adapting to his weekly routine as a part of the college team. 

“Unlike any professional or national team work, the NCAA mandates the amount of hours we have each week with coaches on the court,” he said. 

“Done to protect the integrity of the student athletes’ experience, and prioritise education, this is built around a 20 hour contact week.

“Beyond this there are no real limits for any extra work the athlete wishes to do, so for myself at UC-Irvine, our typical week will look like lifting in the mornings of Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays, training each night of the week, and playing on Saturdays in our league games. 

“Extra work with repetitions fit in around this depending on the athlete, and then classes each day of the week as well so we can complete our degree.

“Continuing to learn the game of volleyball doesn’t stop at any level really, so watching film at the end of each day (professional level/practice/national teams) has become a cornerstone of my routine. 

“Seeing the game and taking in information will prove to help build my game beyond the point it is now, and I also just enjoy watching elite level volleyball.”

Ahead of any game, Will shared that it is his mental preparation and outlook that helps him perform his best – more so than his coffee intake ritual pre-game. 

“I wont directly relate the quality of coffee to the performance on the court, but I’d say it helps!” he said. 

“But to prepare for any game, regardless of ‘importance’, I choose not to change or give extra credit to larger games than the ‘smaller’ ones you play. 

“No matter the size of the crowd, stadium or the weight of the game you are playing in, the length of the court, height of the net and the rules are the exact same from when I played in seventh grade.

“Understanding this, and then going back to my normal pregame routines of film study, visualisation, physical prep and then a good coffee helps me remain present when I play.

“Also not taking it too seriously helps and enjoying competing with your mates.”

Looking forward, Will hopes to be a part of the Australian team’s push back in the top 15 in the world, amongst continuing to play internationally. 

“Beyond my college career I aspire to play in the Italian A1 professional league, and a couple of contracts in Korea and Japan,” he said. 

“Playing at the highest level internationally has always been a goal of mine once realising a career in this sport was attainable.

“Qualifying for the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028 for the National Team is on this list as well, as well as returning Australia to the top 15 in the world rankings and being a significant part of this is one of my goals in the coming years.

“Ultimately representing Australia in Brisbane in the 2032 Olympics, and medaling in this cycle is the top of my list in regard to my volleyball career.

“But to anyone looking to start their volleyball career, first and foremost, is to enjoy playing the sport and have fun.

“Be good at competing – always find ways to compete, with yourself, with others, off the court.

“If you can do this well, you will find success. I am discovering this in my own game still very early in my career.”