Mitch SorensenAlthough the world seems to be built on a scale slightly too small for Chris Morrow and Alex McMullin, the University of Alberta Physical Education students are both in their element on the volleyball court.
Both listed at 6’7”, Morrow is a third-year middle hitter, and McMullin a second-year outside hitter for the Golden Bears Volleyball team. Though the team is packed with home-grown Albertan and Canadian talent, both come from slightly further south.
Both born in Australia, McMullin is from Brisbane and Morrow from Sydney. Growing up in Australia doesn’t offer many opportunities to play youth volleyball, so they both started in other sports. McMullin played soccer until he was “too tall to run anymore,” and Morrow played Aussie Rules football until he realized a “6’5”, 150lb 15-year-old probably wouldn’t have much success in contact sports.”
After leaving other sports behind, both McMullin and Morrow recalled their high school coaches getting them involved with volleyball in their Grade 11 years. Both soon joined the Australian Junior National Team Program and were given the opportunity to train full-time.
Despite the fact that their hometowns are nearly 1000 kilometres apart, McMullin and Morrow ended up rooming together at the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) in Canberra, the nation’s capital. Though McMullin was brought in only as a volleyball player, Morrow had to make the decision of whether to pursue volleyball or high jump when he arrived at the AIS. Having cleared over two metres in competition, he had potential to succeed at a high level in both sports. However, volleyball was an easy choice for him.
“It was my opportunity to do (volleyball) then and only then,” Morrow said. “I went through the system, and decided to give volleyball a go.”
That decision paid dividends for both men, as Morrow and McMullin gained a large amount of skill and game experience in a short time with daily training and extensive gameplay at the AIS and with national teams.
Both soon reached the “glass ceiling” of domestic Australian volleyball, and needed to make a life-changing decision on furthering their careers.
In Canada, school and club volleyball scenes feed directly into Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) and schools like the University of Alberta and the University of Calgary, as well as the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA), and teams like NAIT and Concordia. From there, many university and college graduates go on to play professionally overseas.
Australia, according to McMullin, “has no ‘club’ as such.” There ‘s a pro league, but McMullin called it “nothing really important or significant.” That, coupled with the lack of varsity programs at universities, means players have to look outside Australia to further their careers.
“Once (a player) reaches the national team, they usually go overseas,” Morrow said. “Some will look to play university ball, and others will go to Europe and Asia to seek pro contracts.”
Many of those seeking university scholarships end up in the CIS and CCAA, as almost every high-level team features a player or two from Australia or New Zealand. Looking internationally allows teams to fill roster spots with limited local recruiting classes, as well as bring more talent to the Canadian game.
For Golden Bears Head Coach Terry Danyluk, recruiting from Australia was dictated by need.
“We were looking for a middle blocker to join our ranks, and there weren’t many coming out of high school (locally),” Danyluk said. “I knew one of the coaches from the Australian national team, he gave me a list of names, one of them was Chris Morrow.”
Morrow, at the time, was coming off of a tour in Russia with the national team. He said it took about five seconds after talking to Danyluk that he decided to come to Edmonton.
“I hadn’t really thought about coming to Canada until I got that email (from Danyluk),” Morrow said. “But when I did, it all made sense.”
A year later, Danyluk was looking at the Australian national team once again, when McMullin caught his eye. Initially, McMullin was more interested in staying at home, but a few months later, Danyluk got the email saying the big Aussie had chosen “the Canadian adventure.”
Morrow recalled a conversation after his first year, when McMullin was still deciding where to go, and telling him that he should “definitely come over (to Alberta).” When McMullin made the choice to come to Edmonton, Morrow said it was an exciting time.
“It was a big deal for me to have him come to the team, and to have someone else that I can relate to at the cultural level,” Morrow said.
After they committed to the U of A, both men scrambled to get everything together in the few weeks before Fall semester. McMullin was in Kazakhstan on tour with one of Australia’s youth national teams when he committed, and recalled many late-night email conversations across time zones with his parents in Australia and Danyluk in Edmonton trying to get visas and transcripts sorted out.
Despite all the red tape, both McMullin and Morrow managed to successfully arrive in Edmonton to begin their first-year studies. Though the transition to a new city and country can be difficult for many international students, the Aussies both said the change was fairly smooth, although Morrow had an interesting experience trying to find a place to eat in his first night in Edmonton.
Arriving in a house furnished only with a mattress, he decided to go out for dinner. Looking for a taste of home, he decided to search for the Walkabout Pub on Whyte Avenue, not knowing it had since been renamed and rebranded as the Buckingham. After walking for nearly 20 blocks and a lot of confusion, Morrow resigned himself to a pint.
“I was an Australian, sitting in an English pub, having an American beer, in Canada,” Morrow said. “And I’d forgotten to pack a belt, so this whole time my jeans were falling down.”
After his first-night debacle, Morrow lived in the then-furnished house with then fifth-year teammates Jarron Mueller and Tucker Leinweber in his first year, before eventually becoming roommates with McMullin when he arrived.
Danyluk said cultivating a culture of family in Bears Volleyball is something that he and his staff focus on, both with international and domestic players.
“We try to ensure that new guys have a connection with other players as soon as possible,” Danyluk said. “It would be the same for someone coming from (a small town) or different city that it is for someone international.”
That team connection is evident for McMullin in even the subtlest of ways. The mittens he carried to his interview with The Gateway (vintage, with a Los Angeles Lakers crest), were a gift from Danyluk.
Though both players pointed to the upcoming Canada West and CIS playoffs as their main focus going forward, they also said that continuing to maintain a strong effort was a primary goal. As for what the team wants out of every season, the response was clear.
“We’ve won a couple rings and we want a couple more,” Morrow said. “There’s always the CIS championship in mind.”
Getting to that trophy involves a very busy schedule, with daily practices, a variety of workout requirements, and maintaining a full-time academic schedule. It’s a lot to ask of anyone, but Morrow said it’s easy to focus on what matters.
“I do this so I can stay in Canada,” Morrow said. “If it wasn’t for volleyball, I wouldn’t be here.”
Beyond their bright futures as Golden Bears, both Morrow and McMullin have a desire to play professionally and for their country in years to come. Past that, McMullin said he enjoys coaching and hopes to give back to the sport by teaching it to others in future.
For now, the Aussie imports and the rest of their Golden Bears teammates will be focused on playoffs. The Canada West Final Four tournament takes place in two weeks, with the No. 1 ranked Bears holding home court advantage.
