Volleyball
From Norway to NCAA champion and back – The journey of Bjarne Nikolai Huus
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Article Tue, May 22 2018
Luxembourg, May 22, 2018. Many Volleyball players from the USA (and Canada) travel across the ocean and try to establish themselves as pros in Europe. Norway’s Bjarne Nikolai Huus, on the other hand, moved to California to pursue his education and to grow as a Volleyball player and as a person at the same time. He definitely achieved his goal – since he just graduated in psychology after becoming NCAA champion with the Volleyball team of California State University, Long Beach, aka Cal State Long Beach.
Huus, 23, started playing Volleyball at the age of 13, following in the footsteps of his elder brother, Bendik Gabriel, who is now coaching Norway’s youth and junior Beach Volleyball national teams. Their father played soccer – and football was a major part of Bjarne’s life until he turned 13. After starting his career with one of Norway’s most decorated Volleyball clubs in his home town of Førde, Huus joined Top Volley Norge. “I started there at the age of 16 and spent three years with the programme. This is a high school where the coaching staff and especially Haruya Indo has nurtured the most talented, young Volleyball players in Norway, including those, like Andreas Takvam or Jonas Kvalen, who are now playing professionally abroad,” Huus recalls.
Bjarne Nikolai Huus and Christian Sandlie Sørum with the silver medal they won at the 2013 FIVB U19 Beach Volleyball World Championship
His breakthrough came in 2012 and 2013, namely in Beach Volleyball. After finishing fourth at the 2012 U18 European Championship, Huus and his best friend Christian Sandlie Sørum won a silver medal at the 2013 edition of the U19 World Championship in Porto. “After finishing fourth at the European Championship the year before, we knew we could do some damage,” Huus recalls. “Of course, when you stand on the podium, you have mixed feelings after losing a final but looking back, it was a truly exceptional achievement. It was the first such medal for Norway in many years, even though many more poured in in the following years. It was an unforgettable moment, especially since I won that medal together with my best friend. We started playing together with Christian at Top Volley Norge and somehow we established our partnership just by asking each other.”
After achieving further success with Norway at the NEVZA U19 Volleyball Championship, Huus started making plans for his future. “In my senior year at high school I recorded some highlights and videos to show my skills and sent these to a number of coaches in the USA. Those working at Long Beach liked me and on top of it, the college still had some money left to spend on my education. I was very lucky because after coming here I realised that coaches start scouting players when they are much younger than when I applied,” Bjarne says.
Bjarne Nikolai Huus playing for Cal State Long Beach at the NCAA Championship
Huus was the only foreigner on the team for three years, before Long Beach brought in two more, including one from Denmark. Cal State Long Beach has traditionally had a good Volleyball programme, with former players on the team including the likes of Scott Touzinsky, David Lee, Paul Lotman and Tyler Hildebrand, to name only a few. “However, we won the NCAA title for the first time since 1991,” Huus proudly recounts. “Their last final came in 2004, and even though the roster included some of the players who won Olympic gold in 2008, they still lost it. After our success in the final with UCLA, the police escorted us back home and the City Council honoured us at a special reception. Moreover, students living the campus started recognising us and congratulated us openly on our achievement.”
After celebrating such historic success, Huus graduated in psychology and he is now ready to move back to Norway. “I am planning to play some Beach Volleyball with the Beach Volley Vikings for the next one month and a half. I will play in Baden together with Anders Mol and will spend a few weeks at their training base just outside of the city of Bergen. After that, on July 20, I will join the training camp of the national team to prepare for the 2019 EuroVolley qualifiers. We have a new coach, Tore Aleksandersen, and a good generation of players, so if we all stay healthy, I think we can have a shot at a spot in the Final Round. That would be awesome for Volleyball in Norway,” he says.
Huus and his teammates from Cal State Long Beach lift the trophy for the winners of the 2018 NCAA Volleyball Championship
Huus, who is ‘only’ 188 cm tall, feels like ‘shorter’ players still can find their spot in modern Volleyball. “There is a lot of physicality in the game and especially in the USA they have many players to choose from and many big guys are playing the game. However, I do think that to stay competitive, coaches have to sacrifice a bit of physicality because the quality of the reception and passing remains just equally as important. To me, being shorter is a challenge, but as you can see, shorter guys like Benjamin Toniutti can still play at the highest level. I think the ideal team should be looking for the right combination of size and technique.”
Bjarne’s ultimate dream is to play in the Olympics one day, but right now, he hopes to be able to turn pro after going back to Europe: “Living off Volleyball is something I have always dreamed about, so this coming fall hopefully I will be able to play professionally somewhere in Europe. Once I am done with playing indoors, I think I will switch to Beach Volleyball, but Volleyball remains my priority at the moment.”
Huus celebrated a historic achievement with Cal State Long Beach at the NCAA Finals
His time in the USA is something he cherishes very much: “I have grown as a person and as a Volleyball player at the same time throughout these four years. There are many good coaches here, including some with Olympic background, and the level is extremely high. Two of my teammates are now travelling to China with Team USA to play in the Volleyball Nations League. Maybe there is less attention to the technical details, since you play hard all the time, but here I learned how to compete and how to go through the days where you do not perform well. Moreover, I could pursue my education and this is extremely important since we should not forget that there is a life after Volleyball. That is why, one day, I would love to come back to Long Beach and give back at least something of what I received.” This is a truly ambitious plan for someone who is only 23, but rather a realistic one given his determination and self-confidence.
Huus, 23, started playing Volleyball at the age of 13, following in the footsteps of his elder brother, Bendik Gabriel, who is now coaching Norway’s youth and junior Beach Volleyball national teams. Their father played soccer – and football was a major part of Bjarne’s life until he turned 13. After starting his career with one of Norway’s most decorated Volleyball clubs in his home town of Førde, Huus joined Top Volley Norge. “I started there at the age of 16 and spent three years with the programme. This is a high school where the coaching staff and especially Haruya Indo has nurtured the most talented, young Volleyball players in Norway, including those, like Andreas Takvam or Jonas Kvalen, who are now playing professionally abroad,” Huus recalls.
Bjarne Nikolai Huus and Christian Sandlie Sørum with the silver medal they won at the 2013 FIVB U19 Beach Volleyball World Championship
His breakthrough came in 2012 and 2013, namely in Beach Volleyball. After finishing fourth at the 2012 U18 European Championship, Huus and his best friend Christian Sandlie Sørum won a silver medal at the 2013 edition of the U19 World Championship in Porto. “After finishing fourth at the European Championship the year before, we knew we could do some damage,” Huus recalls. “Of course, when you stand on the podium, you have mixed feelings after losing a final but looking back, it was a truly exceptional achievement. It was the first such medal for Norway in many years, even though many more poured in in the following years. It was an unforgettable moment, especially since I won that medal together with my best friend. We started playing together with Christian at Top Volley Norge and somehow we established our partnership just by asking each other.”
After achieving further success with Norway at the NEVZA U19 Volleyball Championship, Huus started making plans for his future. “In my senior year at high school I recorded some highlights and videos to show my skills and sent these to a number of coaches in the USA. Those working at Long Beach liked me and on top of it, the college still had some money left to spend on my education. I was very lucky because after coming here I realised that coaches start scouting players when they are much younger than when I applied,” Bjarne says.
Bjarne Nikolai Huus playing for Cal State Long Beach at the NCAA Championship
Huus was the only foreigner on the team for three years, before Long Beach brought in two more, including one from Denmark. Cal State Long Beach has traditionally had a good Volleyball programme, with former players on the team including the likes of Scott Touzinsky, David Lee, Paul Lotman and Tyler Hildebrand, to name only a few. “However, we won the NCAA title for the first time since 1991,” Huus proudly recounts. “Their last final came in 2004, and even though the roster included some of the players who won Olympic gold in 2008, they still lost it. After our success in the final with UCLA, the police escorted us back home and the City Council honoured us at a special reception. Moreover, students living the campus started recognising us and congratulated us openly on our achievement.”
After celebrating such historic success, Huus graduated in psychology and he is now ready to move back to Norway. “I am planning to play some Beach Volleyball with the Beach Volley Vikings for the next one month and a half. I will play in Baden together with Anders Mol and will spend a few weeks at their training base just outside of the city of Bergen. After that, on July 20, I will join the training camp of the national team to prepare for the 2019 EuroVolley qualifiers. We have a new coach, Tore Aleksandersen, and a good generation of players, so if we all stay healthy, I think we can have a shot at a spot in the Final Round. That would be awesome for Volleyball in Norway,” he says.
Huus and his teammates from Cal State Long Beach lift the trophy for the winners of the 2018 NCAA Volleyball Championship
Huus, who is ‘only’ 188 cm tall, feels like ‘shorter’ players still can find their spot in modern Volleyball. “There is a lot of physicality in the game and especially in the USA they have many players to choose from and many big guys are playing the game. However, I do think that to stay competitive, coaches have to sacrifice a bit of physicality because the quality of the reception and passing remains just equally as important. To me, being shorter is a challenge, but as you can see, shorter guys like Benjamin Toniutti can still play at the highest level. I think the ideal team should be looking for the right combination of size and technique.”
Bjarne’s ultimate dream is to play in the Olympics one day, but right now, he hopes to be able to turn pro after going back to Europe: “Living off Volleyball is something I have always dreamed about, so this coming fall hopefully I will be able to play professionally somewhere in Europe. Once I am done with playing indoors, I think I will switch to Beach Volleyball, but Volleyball remains my priority at the moment.”
Huus celebrated a historic achievement with Cal State Long Beach at the NCAA Finals
His time in the USA is something he cherishes very much: “I have grown as a person and as a Volleyball player at the same time throughout these four years. There are many good coaches here, including some with Olympic background, and the level is extremely high. Two of my teammates are now travelling to China with Team USA to play in the Volleyball Nations League. Maybe there is less attention to the technical details, since you play hard all the time, but here I learned how to compete and how to go through the days where you do not perform well. Moreover, I could pursue my education and this is extremely important since we should not forget that there is a life after Volleyball. That is why, one day, I would love to come back to Long Beach and give back at least something of what I received.” This is a truly ambitious plan for someone who is only 23, but rather a realistic one given his determination and self-confidence.