ITiana Taylors transition from NCAA to professional volleyball was far from seamless at first, but she relied on her excellent leaping ability, and the tenacity and intensity she mainly honed while playing basketball at East Carolina to guide her through her first pro volleyball season in Dubai.

It was in Dubai where Taylor, who played two seasons of hoops for the Pirates and one year of volleyball, progressed on the court with the Sharjah Ladies Club and that helped her recently land a spot on the U.S. Virgin Islands national team. She is in the Virgin Islands to practice with the squad, which will travel to Jamaica in July for international competition, as Taylor and her agent also look at options for a second pro season somewhere.

You learn (how to be a pro) day by day and practice by practice, Taylor said during a phone interview a few days before Mondays trip from Texas to the Virgin Islands. Thats what Ive been doing, and I still have my mental toughness from basketball and thats never going to go away.

I think that helps me out a little bit with the volleyball IQ, because if you are aggressive then its all right.

Taylor played in Dubai for two months this spring, ending in May, and it was during her trek back home to Pflugerville, Texas, when she got an invite to play for the Virgin Islands team. That invitation means Taylor will soon get to explore another part of the world while representing the Virgin Islands in Jamaica.

Her dad and two grandparents were born in the Virgin Islands, and Taylor said she has been there a handful of times.

In Dubai, her team first asked her to play in the middle before eventually switching her back to her more natural position as an outside hitter. Taylor said going through that brought about some of her learning curve.

It was very different than the U.S. and I was kind of shocked a little bit, but I had a great time and it made me realize that you have to do whatever it takes, she said. I still communicate with the girls and made so many friends out there. It also helped me make a lot of connections with other countries and everything, so it was kind of like a blessing.

It has been an eventful few years for Taylor, who said she hopes to play pro volleyball as long as possible and enjoy the experience.

She was the Pirates best post player in basketball from 2014-16, including averaging a double-double of 14.1 points and 10.0 rebounds per game in her final season. She then joined the volleyball team in the offseason and led the Pirates with 292 kills last year as ECU finished 15-15 for its first non-losing season since 2006.

With her pro career now beginning to hit full stride, Taylor said she is thankful for all of the coaches who helped her at ECU and set her up for success.

I wouldnt be able to travel the world like I just did in two months, so I am very grateful for it and thankful and happy, Taylor said. Especially at a young age. Its been like a dream come true.

Contact Ronnie Woodward at rwoodward@reflector.com, 252-329-9592 and follow @RonnieW11 on Twitter.

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Traveling Taylor back in Virgin Islands - Greenville Daily Reflector