Europeans Abroad: Uzelac and Kuznetsova take their teams to the Brazilian Cup semis
News
European volleyball players are spread all over the world during the 2023-2024 club season, playing big roles in their teams. Many of them are currently away from the continent, competing in some of the top leagues on the planet, and we’ll help you follow their journeys by providing periodic updates on how they’re doing.
Brazil
Two of the four teams that remain on the hunt for the title of the women’s Brazilian Cup have European players in their squads and the athletes from the continent played a huge role in helping them overcome the quarterfinal round this week.
On Monday, Serbian outside hitter Aleksandra Uzelac, who’s currently the Brazilian Superliga top scorer, had another outstanding performance, firing 21 points and helping her team Fluminense defeat favorites Osasco São Cristovão Saúde in the tie-breaker on the road. She took home the match’s MVP award.
Aleksandra Uzelac“I have to congratulate the entire team. It was a very tough match and we had to work very hard to win it. We came ready to fight and I can’t tell how proud and happy I am with what we did. This team can do anything we want, I really trust my teammates and I can’t wait for the semifinals.”
Serbian outside hitter
Another quarterfinal round was decided in five sets and had a European player making a difference. It was Russian outside hitter Sofya Kuznetsova, who delivered 24 points and pushed her team Dentil Praia Clube to an amazing comeback against SESI Vôlei Bauru – the team was down 2-0, but recovered to win in five sets.
Fluminense will play Gerdau Minas in one of the semifinals, while Praia will meet SESC Flamengo in the other.
USA
Two European players were on the court in the historic opening week of the new American women’s league, the Pro Volleyball Federation, which features seven clubs.
The Europeans were on opposite sides of the net, with Bulgarian opposite Emiliya Dimitrova registering 14 points (12 kills, two blocks) to lead her team Grand Rapids Rise to a three-set victory over the Columbus Fury, of Spanish outside hitter Maria Priscilla Schlegel, who got four points, with two kills, one block and one ace, on Thursday.
Emiliya Dimitrova“It was really exciting to be on the court. We didn’t have much time to prepare with the entire team, but we built a strong relationship as a team. I’ve played in a lot of places around the world and Grand Rapids feels like home. I’m really looking forward to this season. We had a lot of people in the stands tonight and we hope that our win helps bring them back.”
Bulgarian opposite
Five other European players are set to appear in the Pro Volleyball Federation inaugural season – Bulgarian Hristina Vuchkova, Czech Magdaléna Jehlářová, Germans Saskia Hippe and Vanessa Agbortabi and Italian Valeria Papa.
Japan
Polish national team captain Bartosz Kurek and his team Wolfdogs Nagoya had a successful weekend in the Japanese V. League, getting a pair of wins against the VC Nagano Tridents – the Wolfdogs are currently third in the standings with 18 wins and six losses.
The team from Nagoya was dominant on Saturday and counted on 24 points (23 kills, one block) from Kurek to win in three sets. On Sunday, the Tridents were able to steal a set, but the Wolfdogs still won 3-1, with Kurek delivering 28 points (27 kills, one block).
Hungarian opposite Krisztián Pádár and his team Toray Arrows also played twice, but the weekend was a mixed bag for them, as they fell to the Osaka Sakai Blazers 3-1 on Saturday before coming back to beat the same opponents also in four sets on Sunday. Pádár tallied 14 points (11 kills, two aces, one block) in the first match and led his team with 25 (20 kills, four blocks, one ace) in the second.