Two-time Caribbean MVP, Shari Matthews, will seek to become Barbados' first volleyball pro when she pursues a professional contract in Europe later this year, the Daily Nation here has reported.

The 23-year-old, who graduates from North Carolina Central University in the United States in July, will leave the following month for Finland in hope of securing a contract with a professional unit there.

"My agent has already made arrangements for me head off to Finland in August, where I give it my best to impress enough to land a contract which promises some comfortable figures," Matthews said. "If I am not successful in Finland, I shall explore other possibilities in Europe. If I do not land a contract, I shall be returning to my studies to complete my master's degree."

Batting skills

A powerful outside attacker, Matthews was good enough to win her first Most Valuable Player award as a 16-year-old at the 2002 Caribbean Volleyball Championships in Trinidad & Tobago.

Standing just five feet, seven inches, she once again exhibited her tremendous hitting skills to repeat as MVP at the 2004 CVCs staged in Barbados.

Matthews has also been a standout for NCCU, winning several awards and setting new records in her stint at the southern US institution.

In 2006, as a junior, she captured the NCAA division two Volleyballer of the Year, Central Intercollegiate Athletics Association Player of the Year and Atlantic Region Player of the Year. In 2007, Matthews set a new record for kills at the university, counting 1,348 in just two seasons.