American Thompson getting the most out of Brazil

Her teammates let her know – jokingly – that they think she might have an ulterior motive for playing in the city that will host the Olympic Games later this year.

“That’s what they tease me about,” she said in a major volleyball feature in The New York Times on March 15. “I may take a few tips back, but that was not my intent. They’re learning about me, too.”

Thompson’s teammates are happy to have her as she’s helped the Superliga team become South American club champions and will now vie for the world title at the FIVB Club World Championship. But in the summer, the USA-Brazil rivalry will loom large as Thompson and her American teammates take on Ze Roberto’s Brazilian juggernaut at the FIVB Volleyball World Grand Prix and attempt to stop the hosts claiming a third straight Olympic crown. Most of the Brazil team play in the Superliga.

“There are some advantages to playing together all year round,” said Thompson, 31, who played for USA when they lost the final to Brazil in the London Games. And it’s a change in lifestyle playing in a country where volleyball rivals football as a national sport.

“Walking around the streets, it’s very different than the U.S.,” Thompson said. “People will say: ‘Hey, Courtney! You’re the American! How’s it going?’ I sat down at a restaurant the other night and the guy across from me, a Brazilian guy, said: ‘Courtney, good to see you. How’s the season?’ You don’t get that ever in the U.S. And the level of play? I’m playing with half their national team.”

Courtney Thompson and the United States won the FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship in Italy in 2014

Thompson thought playing under Bernardo Rezende offered her a greater chance of ensuring a place on the USA team this summer. And playing a different style of volleyball – faster, more skilful, more slick – should make her a smarter player.

“They play fast,” Thompson said of the Brazilians. “They know the game well. It’s almost like a dance. It’s very fluid. Their ball control is very good; their defence is good; they see the game well. They’re not always the most physical — of course, their national team is — but as a whole, they’re just smart. And you can tell that when you’re playing with them.”

She said that the Brazilians are lucky that volleyball is such a high-profile sport.

“They grow up around the game, it’s so popular,” Thompson said. “We play twice a week, and the men play twice a week, so four nights a week you see really high-level volleyball on television. That’s the way to learn.”

The volleyball is world class and the crowds huge. The intensity is another attraction for Thompson; it’s full-on competition. When she arrived, it did not take her long to see how different things would be.

“We played at Osasco, our big rival, right before Christmas,” she said of a match in Sao Paulo. “Probably one of the coolest opposing gyms I’ve ever been to. It was packed when we walked in there, and you could hear booing before we got out of the locker room. It was fun, you know? I think everyone here is pretty passionate, in all walks of life. It’s a really fun place to live and see their culture. But they aren’t afraid to let you know they’re not happy, those fans. I love it. But also, when you’re doing well, it’s the coolest thing you’ve ever seen.”