It’s pretty good to be Amanda Benson these days.
After being picked to the Pac-12 freshman team last year and leading all freshmen in the nation with 4.61 digs per set, Benson has elevated her play throughout her sophomore season and helped lead the Ducks to a No. 11 national ranking.
“Amanda has been so good for us in the back row,” Oregon head coach Jim Moore said. “She’s really stepped her game up this year and is someone we all trust to get the job done”
While most players would take the summer off after playing volleyball throughout the entire school year, Benson was given the opportunity of a lifetime when she was selected as a Pac-12 all star and traveled to China to play the sport she’s always loved.
“It’s a chance to visit China and experience a totally different culture – there was no way I could pass that up,” Benson said.
What made the experience even more of a pleasant one was the fact that Moore and Metro would be the two coaches in charge of coaching the squad.
“I just a call from Stacy over the summer and she said told me how I was selected for the team,” Benson said. “She was like ‘Jim is going to be the coach too’ so I was just really excited for that summer.”
The all star team consisted of players from every conference team. They all met at USC to get know one another and practice together for a couple of days before traveling to China. The players went from competing for a conference and national championship with one another to all of a sudden being teammates. So, it took a few days to really get acquainted and comfortable with one another.
The trip to China was broken down into two portions with the first half of the trip taking place in Sanming and the second half in Beijing.
“It was an experience just getting there,” Benson said. “We left LA and it was a 14-hour flight to Shanghai, then had a six-hour layover before a three and a half hour flight followed by a two and a half hour bus side to just get to our hotel.”
In Sanming, the team went 3-1 when they played against the Fujian national team and the Chinese Junior National Team. It was the first time many of the Pac-12 players had faced competition from a different nation, let alone in a different country, so that helped bring the squad even closer knowing they were in this together.
“It was a little awkward at first meeting with the girls and playing on the same team, but once we started playing, it all came together,” Benson said. “Being in a different country and only having each other helped bring us together.”
The second half of the trip saw the Pac-12 squad face much more talented teams in Beijing. Due to the increase in talent, the all star squad went 1-2 in matches against the Chinese Junior National Team and a Beijing professional team. 
All together though, the trip was about much more than just playing volleyball for Benson. Not only did she get to travel to another country, she was able to take time and tour some of the best places China has to offer like the Great Wall of China and Silk Street Market.
Now that Benson is back in familiar territory with her Ducks teammates, it’s clear that her trip to China has done nothing but elevate her game to a whole new level. With Benson playing at this level, Oregon has a chance to make a deep run in the upcoming NCAA Tournament.
Follow Ryan Kobstecka on Twitter @Ryan_Kostecka