Aussies Abroad #8 – Mikaela Stevens
In this installment of the Aussies Abroad Series, Volleyball Australia caught up with Mikaela Stevens, the Volleyroos setter who has just wrapped up her season in the German 2nd Bundesliga Division.
Coming from a sporty family in Sydney, Mikaela was always determined to beat her two older brothers, and found herself loving volleyball.
“I grew up in Sydney, and attended Santa Sabina College where I played any sport I could, and that is where I picked up volleyball,” Stevens said.
“I grew up in a sporty family, with two older brothers, and I was always taken to their sports and they always made sure that whatever we were doing it was a competition.
“And I, as their little sister, was determined to show them I was always going to be the winner, naturally.
“But it was actually our school sports coordinator who was looking for a few extra players to fill up a Year 7 team in our school’s competition, and from there I played in every schools cup from Year 7 to Year 12, and through this I was able to join NSW state teams as well as be selected for the Junior Australian program.
“From 2011 to 2016 I did as much volleyball as I could – Schools Cups, Development Camps and international tours – and then following this I was lucky to be invited to be a member of the 2017 Centre of Excellence women’s program at the AIS.
“This was special as it was the first year the women’s program would have a full-time training environment since the early 2000s.
“I was then based in Canberra training full-time at the AIS, whilst I completed my university degree at the University of Canberra and finally graduated with a Bachelor of Exercise Physiology and Rehabilitation in 2021.
“I made my debut for the Volleyroos Women in 2018 at the FIVB Women’s Challenge Cup in Peru and I’ve been a member ever since.
“I then moved overseas and played my first professional season in 2022/23 with Linkoping Volleyball Sweden, and in this 2024/25 season I’m playing in German 2nd Bundesliga with ProWin Volleyball TV Holz.”
In the 14th year of her volleyball journey, Mikaela can reflect on many highlights and memories, but being a part of the women’s Volleyroo legacy is one of the defining moments.
“It is tough to pick just one, as I’ve had lots of proud moments throughout my career,” she said.
“But my proudest and favourite moment was probably last season when we placed fourth at the AVC Women’s Challenge Cup.
“It was the first time the women’s program had made a final at any Asian event in 45 years, so it was pretty historic to be a part of the team that achieved that.
“The achievement of this tournament is a testament to not only the girls on the tour but also the women over the last decade, who have been silently putting in the work behind the scenes and making the sacrifices and the commitment to build our women’s program to where it is today and where we hope it elevates to in the future.”
As with many of our Aussies Abroad, it was the excitement of the unknown that drew Mikaela overseas to pursue the professional leagues.
“My drive to play overseas comes from wanting more exposure to high quality volleyball and more competition than what we get here in Australia,” Stevens said.
“I’ve only played two seasons abroad but have seen first-hand and through my teammates that the benefits of international seasons helps us develop and grow our own game, to which we can bring these skills and knowledge back to the Australian playing environment, and in turn bring up the level of our entire squad.
“It’s also a very unique opportunity to be able to say you’ve lived abroad and played professionally overseas, so I was like ‘why not give it a go whilst I’m young?’.
“In my first season overseas, the transition was fairly easy.
“Sweden was an easy country to live in, everyone spoke English, and I had other Aussies on the team which made the transition easier. Although being away from home is hard, they made home feel less far away.
“This season has been a harder transition for a few reasons and it was tough to navigate at times.
“I’ve been lucky to have a good support system within my family and friends who I have leaned on to help get me through this season, as well as staying connected with the Aussies playing abroad has helped fill my Aussie cup.
“The thing I enjoy the most about playing abroad is the different cultural experiences you get from having teammates from around the world as well as living in a foreign country.
“It is awesome to get to see how different cultures and countries celebrate holidays and being able to immerse yourself in these traditions is pretty cool.
“Living in Europe and having countries close together, means that travel is also a major benefit to living and playing here, and it’s a great way to combine passions for travelling and seeing the world whilst also pursuing volleyball.”
Throughout her entire journey, both at home and abroad, Mikaela’s mum has been her number one supporter.
“I think the main person who has shaped my career and me as a person is my mum,” she said.
“She is always the first person to push me to do the tough things like move to the AIS or overseas, she has been my biggest supporter at whatever I do or choose to pursue she has always been in my corner to help guide me.
“She has instilled many of my core values such as hard work, good things come to those who work hard, compassion, drive and she also instilled the importance of having things outside of volleyball, whether that is a degree, part time job, friends etcetera.”
With a degree and remote work centred around sport, Mikaela is finding her passion in giving back to the volleyball community, and with a home Olympics on the horizon, she is preparing to be involved.
“I completed my Bachelor of Exercise Physiology and Rehabilitation degree in 2021, but I’m yet to use this in a professional capacity,” she said.
“I now however work part time with Volleyball NSW helping them coordinate and run their digital platforms.
“I’ve found this to be a really rewarding experience being able to get involved again with volleyball in my home state, as well as give back to an organisation and program that helped me start my volleyball journey.
“Ultimately moving forward, I would love to play or be a part of the 2032 Olympic women’s team program, in whatever capacity that might be at the time, hopefully as a player, if I can hold out playing that long!
“But I would hope that one day I can still be involved by working in high performance sport in some capacity!
“Being an athlete to me is about the connections you make with people.
“Within these teams, the girls are who we spend so many hours of our days, weeks and so much of our young life with, so connecting and forming bonds is my favourite part.
“Being able to find like-minded people who understand your circumstances and season of life is so important and meaningful to me.
“My biggest piece of advice is to just say ‘yes’. Say yes to as many opportunities as you can because you truly never know what will happen.
“And in saying that, enjoy the season you’re in because often teams, teammates and coaches etc come and go, so enjoy the time while you are with them because it’s not guaranteed to be like that again.”
