Herrera's Volleyball Journey Continues in France and Beyond

AMES, Iowa – Once the end of a season comes, the opportunity for rest and recharging is usually not far away. For Candelaria Herrera, who already had a busy year following representing Argentina at the Olympic Games weeks before beginning the 2021 Iowa State volleyball season, there was very little rest as she made the trip to Europe to begin her professional career over the last few months.

Following the conclusion of an Iowa State season in which she earned All-Big 12 First Team and AVCA All-Midwest Region en route to helping lead the Cyclones to the NCAA Tournament, Herrera finished up her Bachelor's Degree in Kinesiology from Iowa State and then started to search for her first steps into professional volleyball. She kept her options open at the start.

"I knew France had a good league to develop in so It was one of the countries that I was looking at to start my pro career," Herrera said. "I kept my options open because there were plenty of intriguing leagues and options that would be great to start your career in."

Opportunity came in the French capital of Paris, as through a combination of injuries and connections, Herrera was able to find a spot with Stade Francais Paris Saint-Cloud.

"I had some national team teammates sign with them earlier in the season," Herrera noted. "Then the team had an injury and needed a new middle. I was looking for a team and they offered me. It was nice to have my first experience in Europe having people I knew, it made it more comfortable and easy to adapt."

Herrera was reunited with Argentina National Team teammates Elina Rodriguez, Julieta Lazcano and Victoria Mayer in Saint-Cloud, a Parisian suburb about six miles West of central Paris. In addition to a lot of the faces being familiar, Herrera was able to get into a groove on the court quickly as well, making her debut for Les Mariannes on January 15 against Nantes. She credits her time at Iowa State to help ease that transition.

"Playing professionally is different, of course, but not that different from what we did at Iowa State," Herrera said. "The college level prepares you to go professional, with how college volleyball is organized and operated it helps you prepare for any challenge."

During her two months in France which saw her make 10 appearances for SF Paris Saint-Cloud, Herrera also noticed some of the differences that comes with being a pro compared to being in college.

"Now I am 100 percent committed to volleyball, it is my job," Herrera said. "You have the time and ability to put in more work on aspects of your game that you might not have had time for in college. With the environment being more professional, you experience things more on your own since your teams and teammates are going to change more often."

Those changes are not easy and will likely be coming again (Herrera plans on playing in France again next season, what team she plays for is still being determined), but she once again credits her time at Iowa State with helping her prepare for these moments.

"When you go someplace new or join a new team, building a family environment for yourself is something you need to do," Herrera notes. "That is something I appreciated during my five years at Iowa State, the family feeling and the relationships I was able to create in that time."

It may be the club off-season, but the volleyball does not stop for Herrera. She is back in Argentina now and will be returning to national team training camp in Buenos Aires on May 3 to begin preparation for another busy summer with Las Panteras. While Argentina's schedule is still being finalized, with friendly matches against Mexico and Peru in the works, Herrera and her teammates will have qualifying for the 2023 Pan American Games from August 19-29. Herrera and Argentina earned the bronze medal at the 2019 Pan American Games.

All of that leads up to the 2022 FIVB World Championships, which will be taking place in Netherlands and Poland in September and October. Argentina will be based out of Arnhem in the Netherlands for pool play, with matches against Brazil, China, Colombia, Czech Republic and Japan on the schedule.