The Belgian volleyball world is rubbing its eyes in disbelief. Tectum Achel, the team that finished the regular season in an anonymous seventh place, has turned into a real giant killer. After already shutting out favourites Aalst in the Challenge phase, they pulled off the ultimate shock on Monday evening: runners-up Haasrode Leuven were expertly knocked out of the play-offs on their own court.

While the Sportoase fell into collective trauma, the Limburg enclave celebrated a comeback from the ashes. At the centre of that wave of euphoria stands Michiel Fransen. The 23-year-old opposite, who after six years at Achel is in fact heading to Leuven, is currently playing the volleyball of his life. With the cramps still in his calves and the adrenaline barely settling, the next giant is already waiting: Knack Roeselare.

The path Tectum Achel have taken this season reads like the script of a sports movie. From painful defeats against Guibertin and Waremme to the play-off semi-finals. The engine misfired for a long time, and the coaching change from Jan Vanvenckenray to the duo Joost Weltens and Allan Van de Loo initially looked like a desperate move, but eventually became the catalyst for an unprecedented transformation. Michiel Fransen is the face of that change. At 2.02 metres, he has become the anchor on the opposite side and is experiencing his real breakthrough. The fact that he now has to face the reigning Belgian champions in the REO Arena does not faze him. “The pressure is completely off,” he says calmly.

Michiel, let’s go back to Monday evening. After Yannick Bak’s final ball, the Sportoase was silent. Have you already managed to take in what you accomplished there?

Michiel Fransen: “It’s starting to sink in, yes. The atmosphere in the dressing room yesterday… that was pure release. We really went through an incredibly difficult season. There were moments when belief inside the group also faded a bit, but to be in the semi-finals now? That doesn’t just make our season good, it makes it complete. But don’t worry, it didn’t turn into a huge party. Most of the guys went home quite quickly. I didn’t touch a drop of alcohol myself. With the match against Roeselare in mind, that wouldn’t have been wise anyway.”

You were the absolute underdogs. Leuven were the clear favourites on paper and had home advantage. Why did it work now, while you had barely managed to put up a fight against them over the past two years?

“Leuven normally doesn’t suit us at all. That fast game from setter Matthias Valkiers is something we often struggle to contain. But we knew that if we wanted to beat them, we had to blow them away from the service line. In our home match in Achel, our pressure was simply too low and then you see Leuven take off. In the Sportoase, we flipped the switch. We put them under such heavy pressure in reception that they never found their usual rhythm. And yes, when you see us win the opening set 11-25… that does something to you. That wasn’t just a set win, that was a statement.”

That 11-25 was indeed surreal. Where did that sudden sharpness come from?

“It was collective flow. Berre Peters started with a fantastic serving run and from that moment everything clicked. Defensively, we dug balls that three months ago we would have left on the floor. But the most important thing was the risk we dared to take. Our new coach, Joost Weltens, had said beforehand: ‘I’d rather see you hit the ball out three times with full conviction than play scared because you’re afraid of making an error.’ We carried that trust with us. We played free.”

Speaking of Weltens: replacing the head coach in the middle of the season was a bold move. What exactly changed so that the pieces now fall into place?

“Look, under Jan (Vanvenckenray) we simply couldn’t find the flow anymore. There was a lot more talent in this group than was coming out of it, and at some point belief had faded a bit. Joost and Allan were very direct from day one. First we talked as a group, then they held individual talks with everyone. What’s bothering you? What needs to change? They really listened to the frustrations that were there, sometimes also on a personal level, without going too deep into that now. They got everyone pointed in the same direction again. Training is sharper, tactical discipline has increased massively. You saw that in the kill blocks against Leuven: we were always in the right place.”

Together with the Dutchman Yannick Bak, you form a lethal duo on the wings. Do you feel right now that no block in Belgium can stop you?

“We’re in a phase where we dare to swing very high. Our setter Mario Schmidgall is setting us fantastically as well. Last Wednesday we only faced two kill blocks in the whole match, and that says a lot about the level we’re reaching right now. But we need to stay realistic: against Roeselare, there are Pieter Coolman and Lennert Van Elsen, two guys who are on a different physical level. That will be a completely different story, but we’re not going there to be extras.”

The spiciest detail of this semi-final is of course your personal situation. You signed with Haasrode Leuven for next season. How awkward was it to take an European ticket away from your future teammates?

“That was definitely complicated, especially before the match. You do think about it for a moment. But once the first ball is served, only Achel matters. Hendrik Tuerlinckx (VHL coach) came up to me after the match. He called me MVP and said with a wink: ‘Next year I want to see you do that too, but for us.’ There are no hard feelings. They understand that I’m giving 100 percent for my current club. It’s only bitter that next year I won’t be playing Europe with Leuven because of my own doing, but fine… then we’ll focus on the league and the cup.”

The schedule is brutal. Achel have played almost non-stop top matches over the last 40 days through the Challenge play-offs and the quarter-finals. How heavy do the legs feel now?

“The fatigue is there, I won’t deny that. Training load is extremely low right now; we hardly do anything physical anymore, just tactical work and calm ball practice. But the adrenaline from winning does a lot. As a top athlete, you want to play these matches. A semi-final against the reigning champions… that’s why you do it. The legs feel heavy, but the head wants to move forward.”

And now Roeselare. In the regular season you lost twice 0-3. Do you really have a chance against a team that has had three weeks to rest and prepare for this match?

“Roeselare are the overwhelming favourites, let’s not pretend otherwise. They’ve shown in the Champions League that they are an absolute top team. Their rest could be an advantage, but it could also work against them. We’re in rhythm, in flow. They have to find their on-switch again after three weeks. In our home match against them we had a lot of injuries; I didn’t even play myself. Now we are complete. Our only chance is that same service pressure again. If we can throw them out of their rhythm, we can make it hard for them.”

For Martijn Colson, this is special too: he plays tomorrow against his future employer, Knack Roeselare. Do you notice extra motivation in him?

“We haven’t talked about it much among ourselves, but it will surely be special for him. It would obviously be a fantastic story if he could already knock out his future club now. Martijn is a down-to-earth guy, but I can see in his eyes that he’s ready. Just like the rest of the guys who are leaving, such as Yannick Bak and me.”

This feels a bit like Achel’s last dance. The end of a cycle in which many leading players are leaving. Is that why you are playing so freely now?

“Maybe. For many of us, this is the end of a beautiful chapter. I’ve been playing here for six years, I grew up here from a boy at the top sports school to the player I am now. We want to finish this in style. Last year we were also in the semi-finals, but then we were hopelessly beaten by Roeselare. Now we’re more experienced, more mature. Whether we reach the final? We’ll see. But our season is already a success. Everything that comes now is the cherry on top.”

You were originally trained as a middle blocker, then switched to outside hitter in your fourth year at the top sports school, and now you’re shining as an opposite. Where is your long-term future, also with the Red Dragons in mind where you’re on the longlist?

“Opposite is really my best position. I see the block better there and, at 2.02 metres, I can use my power to the fullest. Hendrik also sees me as an opposite for next season. With the Dragons, I’m still listed on the wing for now, but I actually want to step away from that and focus only on my role as main attacker. For now, only position 2 at Achel matters. I want to give everything one more time for this club.”

What is the ultimate scenario against Roeselare?

“That we make life very difficult for them. That the Roeselare fans get worried for a moment. If we play our own game and that risky serve is on, a lot is possible. We’re going for the win, of course. But we stay realistic: it will be incredibly hard. Whatever happens, though, we can look ourselves in the mirror. Achel is back on the map.”

Text: Kenny Hennens
Photo: Tectum Achel

Semi-final schedule (Best of 3):

First leg: Wednesday 22 April – Knack Roeselare vs. Tectum Achel and Greenyard Maaseik – Lindemans Aalst (20:30)

Return leg: Friday 24 April – Tectum Achel vs. Knack Roeselare and Lindemans Aalst – Greenyard Maaseik (20:30)

Possible third match: Sunday – Knack Roeselare – Tectum Achel and Greenyard Maaseik – Lindemans Aalst (17:00)