This season, the Lotto Volley League is experiencing its most exciting competition in years, both in the men’s and women’s leagues. In the women’s league, the millimeter sprint to the play-offs has already begun – with just one point separating the first and fourth places – and seven matches still to be played.

It’s going to be a long sprint. Exciting, appealing, fascinating. Moreover, this weekend the return matches of the semi-finals in the ‘Belgian Cup’ will be played. “It ain’t over until it’s over.”

Marlies Janssens, Damesvolley Gent, and VC Oudegem
In the past, these teams traditionally ranked among the top in Belgium. Currently, these two East Flemish teams occupy the fifth and sixth places.

Marlies Janssens: "Bevo Roeselare is doing particularly well this year. Tchalou and Charleroi – albeit with a few foreign players – are also showing their strength, and Asterix Avo is confirming its status as a top team. With Oudegem, we are currently in sixth place. Last Saturday, we made an excellent move with our victory against Gent. In the second round, we scored six out of six points against teams that had defeated us in the first round.

We are clearly in the midst of a comeback. The gap is not insurmountable. We’re also seeing surprising results from other teams. That’s what makes this season so interesting. We’re just past the halfway mark of the competition. It’s far from over. We believe there’s still a lot possible."

This Saturday, the return match of the cup clash between Asterix Avo and Oudegem is on the schedule.

The first semi-final was only decided after five sets.
"So there are opportunities against the current cup holders. It’s possible. That’s why we’re heading to Beveren with a positive outlook. We don’t need to make up a 3-0 deficit, you know. We’ll show the same determination as last time. That day, we didn’t seize all our chances. On Saturday, we want to capture the right ‘momentum.’

We’re playing differently now, with Nel Demeyer providing more stability to the team. But we’re still looking for that constant factor. Those ups and downs, that inconsistency, need to go. The announced departure of our coach Fien Callens has no impact on the players whatsoever. We all want to perform, no matter what happens next season. Full focus on this cup match, and the rest will come later."

Stijn Morand, Damesvolley Gent, is five points away from the top four. Satisfied?

Stijn Morand: "I certainly wouldn’t call this season a failure. With a significantly rejuvenated team, we are steadily improving. We are higher in the rankings, and we are in the semi-finals of the Belgian Cup. That’s better than last year. You have to factor in inconsistency in such a growth process. So far, Gent hasn’t been able to pull off a major upset. Winning against a top-four team is something we definitely want to achieve in the second round.

In the women’s play-offs, six teams can participate. It might have been more exciting to do it with four teams, as in the men’s league. But this format is fine too. In fact, it’s favorable for Gent, given our current ranking. Besides, during the play-offs, the points earned are halved. So, a small points deficit isn’t a big problem. Ten matches still need to be played during that final phase of the competition."

That first upset could already happen this Saturday against Charleroi. The Belgian Cup final was a clear goal at the start of the season.

"I understand that everyone thinks it’s all over after Charleroi’s 3-0 win. But you need to look at the set scores: 27-25 and 26-24. During the league, there was also a 23-25 set. Winning or losing, it always comes down to a single ball. A single play that could have completely changed the outcome. That’s why I’m convinced it’s not impossible to turn things around this Saturday. We’ll obviously play with an all-or-nothing mentality. After a 3-0 or 3-1 win, we’ll play a golden set. That’s our absolute goal.

Is Charleroi less fresh because of their European matches? I think it’s actually an advantage for them to still be participating in the CEV Challenger Cup. The opponents might not be the toughest, but you always learn from such international encounters. You gain experience. This Saturday, it’ll be our cup match, our learning moment. If we at Gent don’t believe in it, we might as well not start. So…"

Text: Walter Vereeck
Photos: Xander Verhegge and Rudy Pollé