MORGANTOWN, W.Va.  – The West Virginia University women's basketball team departed on Sunday for an 11-day trip to Europe, where the Mountaineers will play a trio of games in addition to tours of Italy and Greece.
 
The NCAA allows teams to take foreign tours every four years. This year's tour brings WVU to Rome and Sorrento, Italy, as well as Athens, Greece. The players, coaching staff and support staff are joined on the trip by several members of the Mountaineer Athletic Club.
 
"It's about getting the team together and team bonding," coach Mike Carey said. "We have a bunch of new players. We're excited to go."
 
On Sunday, the team traveled from Morgantown to Dulles International Airport in Washington, D.C., where the Mountaineers will board a flight to Leonardo da Vinci-Fiumicino Airport in Rome. The squad be in Rome from Monday, Aug. 5, through Thursday, Aug. 8 and will play the Dutch National Team at 1 p.m. EST on Aug. 7-8. WVU will tour the Colosseum, the Vatican, the Sistine Chapel, St. Peter's Basilica and the Spanish Steps.
 
The Mountaineers head to Sorrento on Thursday, Aug. 8. They'll stop to tour Pompeii and Mt. Vesuvius while en route. In addition to some free time to explore Sorrento, WVU will participate in a pizza-making class.
 
West Virginia departs Italy on Aug. 11 and will fly from Naples International Airport to Athens International Airport. While in Greece, the team will practice that Sunday and take on the Greek National Team on Aug. 12 in a 12 p.m. EST tipoff. In Athens, the Mountaineers will visit the Plaka District, the Acropolis, the Parthenon, Glyfada Beach and, at the special request of coach Carey, the Attica Zoological Park.
 
"I, personally, want to see Greece," senior guard Lucky Rudd said. "Greece has always been a dream vacation for me. I'm looking forward to Greece the most and the beach we're going to."
 
WVU will depart Greece on Thursday, Aug. 15, and will return to Pittsburgh late that night.