The past week was very exciting for Filipino volleyball fans as they witnessed world-class women’s volleyball action at the 2022 FIVB Volleyball Nations League at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
And for avid watchers of international volleyball and first-time viewers alike, among the volleyball stars that stood out is Belgium’s ace spiker Britt Herbots.
Herbots, who also currently plays for Italian club Firenze, was one of the most intense players you will see on the court and also one of the league’s top scorers. In fact, she topped all scorers in the Quezon City leg of the women’s VNL with a total of 94 points for an average of 23.5 points per game.
It was not all highs for the 22-year-old volleyball star, though, as she only ended with six points of that 94 against China in the first match here. Belgium likewise also had a rollercoaster of a leg with an even 2-2 record.
“I would say overall, we had ups and downs,” Herbots summed up their week in the country. “I would say against China — okay China is China — but I think we played well actually, and China is stronger than us, and we know that, so I was so happy with what the team brought against them. Against Canada, we had to win actually, but we didn’t play well at all. There are a lot of mistakes, not a good match.
“Poland we had an amazingly good game on them I think. They also pulled many errors for us, so they were helping us a little bit, but okay it’s volleyball. And today the match with all the ups and downs, that we saw the whole week. Great sets, bad sets, okay three to two we won; that’s the more important.”
And in that final game against fellow Challenger team Bulgaria, Herbots felt the loud crowd — all 1,543 of them — fueled her intensity and boosted the level of the game as they eventually used it to their advantage.
“I love it, I love it,” the Yellow Tigers’ scorer said. “Also, the fifth set was very important, I think they put a little bit of pressure on Bulgaria also because they started screaming like crazy; that’s what’s really nice here. Everybody’s super nice, always smiling, lovely people, and I enjoyed every single second that I played here in this gym.”
With the record from this week, Herbots and Belgium’s chances of making the final round all depends on their final pool phase week in Calgary, Canada.
And the wing spiker knows of that very same fact but believes they all need to take a breather before they barge back into the business.
She said, “Yes, we play last week in Canada against difficult teams. Every point that we’ll win over there will be an extra point that we can take. Of course, we will fight, we’re a fighters’ team; I think we showed that also here.
“I think, the most important thing is resting right now, because I’m dead, and I think all the girls are tired too. But we have to be ready for another week, and then hopefully a little bit of rest, and a little bit of vacation for everyone.”
The Yellow Tigers will try to growl into the final round when they take on reigning titleholders USA, Germany, Netherlands, and top-ranked Japan in Calgary, Canada for their last week of pool phase action.
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