By Stephen Mason
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — In today’s college sports world, with the transfer portal, players must learn how to adjust to new teams, universities, and cities while putting their best foot forward on the court or field.
It’s not easy, and this challenging task can be made much more difficult when trying to do it almost 6,000 miles away from home.
However, Istanbul, Turkey, native Gulce Guctekin has defied the odds and done just that since transferring from Big Ten volleyball powerhouse Wisconsin to coach Eve Rackham Watt’s squad at Tennessee. In her first weeks playing for the Lady Vols, the libero and defensive specialist has made her presence known, reaching two major career milestones: 100 career aces and 1,000 career digs this past week.
The road from the volleyball courts of Istanbul to Knoxville has not been straight for Guctekin, and it was her mother, Ferda, who put her on that path years ago.
“I started volleyball when I was 10, and none of my family members played sports,” Guctekin said. “And it was just by some coincidence that, because volleyball was a very popular sport in Turkey at that time, my mom sent me to the courts.”
After trying out for a club volleyball team and successfully making the team, Guctekin played club volleyball until she finished high school. It was at this point that she faced a crossroads: She could either play professionally in Turkey or go to college, both outside her native country.
Valuing her education while still having a desire to play volleyball, Guctekin decided to leave her home and cross an ocean to attend a college in the United States. With the help of a family friend who was a consultant for players like herself, Guctekin found herself at the University of Wisconsin, where she could be challenged academically as well as play volleyball at the highest level.
Guctekin ended up playing for the Badgers for three seasons. While there, she was a multiyear starter for the Badgers and helped the team make three Elite Eight appearances and one trip to the Final Four. However, at the end of her third season, she decided to enter the transfer portal, and one of the first teams to reach out to her was Tennessee.
Tennessee stood out to Guctekin because, while at Wisconsin, she had played them in a match that went to five sets, and the Tennessee coaching staff had impressed her. But those were not the only reasons why the Volunteers attracted her.
“I needed a more international team, or if the team was more welcoming to internationals,” Guctekin said.
Tennessee met this criterion for her, as the team has international members on the coaching staff and the court. Redshirt senior middle blocker Klaudia Pawlick hails from Hansk, Poland, and assistant coach and recruiting coordinator Gavin Watt, who is also the husband of Rackham Watt, comes from Edinburgh, Scotland. Both are familiar with the European style of volleyball, and both have helped Guctekin feel right at home.
While there have been some challenges to adjusting to life in a new American city, like trying to get around without a car, something easily done in the 15th largest city in the world but nearly impossible to do in the urban sprawl of Knoxville, thanks to the help of her teammates, who give her rides, Guctekin is feeling more at home.
Volleyball-wise, she has wasted little time making her presence known on the court. Over the summer, Rackham Watt placed a great emphasis on improving her team’s defense for the upcoming season, and as a defensive specialist, Guctekin has played a significant role in this effort.
Guctekin has not only years of experience playing volleyball at the collegiate level, but she has also played in some very hostile environments. While playing in the Big Ten, she faced perennial contenders like Nebraska, Purdue, and Penn State in the intimidating environments of their home gyms.
Guctekin will be able to lean on these experiences as the Lady Vols will hit the road for some tough matchups in an extremely competitive SEC this year. Even in non-conference play, Guctekin’s impact has not been lost on her coach.
“She’s been a huge difference-maker for this team, her experience level, her consistency,” Rackham Watt said. “She makes so many really difficult plays and makes them look easy. Her out-of-system setting, her serving … she’s a rock star for us.”
As the Lady Vols start SEC play this week, look out for the alternate-colored jersey flying around Tennessee’s court, making digs and a major impact.
That will be Guctekin, who, despite being thousands of miles away from home, is demonstrating what it means to be a Volunteer, giving her all for Tennessee.
For her, going to the Joan Cronan Volleyball Practice Facility is the closest thing in Knoxville to going back to Istanbul, so it is safe to say she has become very comfortable on the court and in the community here on Rocky Top.