Over the past few days, Belgian volleyball players have particularly stood out abroad. The most remarkable example came from Germany, where Nathalie Lemmens (Dresdner), Anne Koulberg (Potsdam), and Charlotte Krenicky (Stuttgart) were all selected for the ‘Team of the Week’ in the Bundesliga. Additionally, despite Suhl's 1-3 defeat against league leaders Schwerin, Lara Nagels received high ratings. Meanwhile, Pauline Martin (16 points – 43%) contributed to Stuttgart’s 3-2 victory over Wiesbaden, making it a successful week for Belgian players in Germany.

Another outstanding performance came from libero Britt Rampelberg in France. With 50% reception efficiency (20% perfect), she played a crucial role in Venelles’ unexpected 3-1 victory over Nantes, which propelled her team to the top of the league!

Ilka Van de Vyver also made an impact in Greece, scoring six points (75% efficiency) in PAOK’s 3-1 win over Aonnnne.
Mixed Results in Japan

Queenseis secured a 3-0 win against Saitama (Kaja Grobelna 17 points – 42%), but suffered a 2-3 defeat to the same team the following day (Kaja 26 points – 42%). The same scenario occurred for Osaka: a 3-0 victory over Himeji (Lise Van Hecke 4 points – 21%), followed by a 1-3 loss (Lise 7 points – 25%).

In Italy, Britt Herbots (Scandicci) and Laura Heyrman (Milan) didn’t even have to step onto the court as their teams secured 3-0 wins against Chieri and Bergamo, respectively. In Florence, Busto Arsizio narrowly won 3-2, with Silke Van Avermaet (5 points – 50%) making a valuable contribution.

Simon Vlahovic Records Six Blocks
The standout Belgian player of the week was Simon Vlahovic in Croatia. The former top sports school player delivered eight points (50%), including an impressive six blocks, in Ribola Kastela’s 3-0 win over Rijeka.

In Germany, Robbe Van de Velde continued to establish himself as a key player, scoring 5 points (33%) for Düren (coached by Christophe Achten), who won 3-0 against Bitterfeld. Simon Plaskie did not play for Berlin in their 3-0 win over Hachung.

Meanwhile, Sam Deroo and his Kazan team secured another win in Russia, beating Orenburg 3-0.

In Denmark, coach Dries Hoeyberghs finally celebrated a victory, as his Nordenskov team defeated Hvidovre 3-1.

Romania saw a win for Craiova (Marin Dukic, 6 points – 38%), who defeated Steaua Bucharest 3-0.

Belgian Players Struggle Elsewhere
For many Belgian players, the rest of the week was filled with defeats. Even in Azerbaijan, league leaders Murov suffered their first loss (1-3), despite a strong performance from Seppe Baetens (15 points – 59%).

In Spain, league leaders Guaguas also lost 3-1 against Cisneros. Tomas Rousseaux only entered the match in the third set and scored 5 points (27% and 2 blocks).

There were double losses in Italy: Milan won 3-1 against Perugia, despite Ferre Reggers being the match's top scorer with 25 points (48% and 3 blocks). Wout D’Heer also failed to secure a win with Civitanova (3-1), though he delivered a solid performance with 9 points (60% and 3 blocks).

In Poland, Gorzow suffered another home defeat (1-3 against Rzeszow), despite Mathijs Desmet scoring 15 points (36%). On a positive note, Igor Grobelny helped secure a narrow tiebreak victory for his team with 22 points (54% – 3 blocks) against Stal Nysa.

(Collected by Marcel Coppens)