Silke Van Avermaet is experiencing exciting times in la bella Italia. From the Topsportschool in Vilvoorde, through Asterix Avo and Mulhouse, all the way to Italy’s Serie A1. Always moving upward, always taking the next step. Climbing the sporting ladder.

And then, suddenly during the off-season, came that phone call from Gorgonzola Novara.
“It was completely unexpected. I was captain at Busto Arsizio, I felt good there. But at Novara, the middle blockers were dealing with injuries and the club needed a solution to handle the demanding schedule. That’s how they ended up contacting me. When a top club like that calls you, you have to seize the opportunity. You have to dare to jump. These are chances you simply cannot let slip away.”

Is there such a big difference between the two teams?
“The bar is simply higher here. I’ve landed in a super-professional environment. The intensity, the expectations, the competition at training — you feel it every day. I start about half of the matches. Rotation is necessary because we constantly play top-level fixtures. The workload is huge. They brought me in precisely because of those injuries. For me, that’s fine. Another step forward at a top club, once again stepping out of my comfort zone. And I’ve already been named MVP several times. This is what I want, this is why I made this choice. To reach my sporting goals, Italy is ideal. Work hard, get the best out of myself. That’s my mission.”

Speaking of sporting goals: you won the first leg of the Champions League play-offs against Scandicci.
“We played the perfect match against Scandicci. But there’s still the return leg on Wednesday. That team, with world-class players like Antropova and Bosetti, is incredibly strong. They’re second in Serie A1. We’ll need to deliver the same — or an even stronger — performance. We can do it, the belief in our team is strong.”

“There’s much more coming up. The regular season has just finished. Now the Italian play-offs begin, with the same format as in Belgium: 1 vs 8, 2 vs 7, and so on. We’re fourth, Chieri is fifth, so we face each other in a best-of-three. We have home advantage, which is important. In the next phase — the semi-finals — we would meet Conegliano. They are the big favourites, but we can cause an upset.”

Switching teams halfway through the season is quite unusual.
“The integration went flawlessly. I immediately felt the trust within the group. I wasn’t seen as an intruder, but as a solution to their problems. Of course, everything was easier thanks to the support of Britt Herbots, who has been at Novara longer and guided me through everything — what, where, how. Volleyball is huge in Italy. Media attention is big, public opinion even bigger. If you lose, suddenly you’re not good enough. If you win a European top match, you’re world-class. I’m happy, I’m enjoying it.”

Text: WV
Photo: Instagram Silke Van Avermaet