At the Verhanneman-De Leeuw household, it’s all about volleyball — and they wouldn’t have it any other way.

“It’s a choice we made,” Yana smiles. “Now that all three of our kids are into volleyball too, we spent the autumn holidays driving from one sports hall to another for the Flemish Youth Champions League.”

But this Tuesday evening (6 p.m.), Yana herself will take center stage again. Her team, Darta Bevo Roeselare, faces her former club Asterix Avo Beveren in the Belgian Cup quarterfinals.
“We could have had an easier opponent,” admits De Leeuw.

Yana has fond memories of her time in Beveren. In 2010, she achieved the triple (league, cup, and Supercup) and reached the Champions League final (lost to Dresdner). In 2019, she won both the championship and the Supercup again with Asterix.

“That’s all quite a while ago now,” smiles the sixth-grade teacher. “I’m 35, but the ambition is still there. I’d love to win the Cup again with Bevo. I don’t have many seasons left to make that happen, so we really need to beat Asterix. On paper, Kris Vansnick’s team is the favorite, and they have home advantage, but we’ve surprised them before — nothing’s impossible.”

You’re still unbeaten in the league, but you had to come back from 0-2 against both Tchalou and Oudegem.

“That’s right,” says De Leeuw. “Against Tchalou, it was a match of two halves. We lost the first set despite leading 24-21. For two sets, we weren’t ourselves — then suddenly it clicked. When we play at our level, we can beat anyone. But we’re still too inconsistent. We play in flashes, and I honestly don’t know why.

On top of that, we start most matches as favorites, so our opponents come in with an ‘all or nothing’ mindset. They take risks on their serves and attacks, and sometimes we’re overwhelmed by that.”

How strong is Darta Bevo Roeselare right now, especially after losing Iris Van de Wiele and Tea Radovic?
“I think we’re playing at almost the same level as last season, thanks to a few targeted reinforcements — including from our own ranks. Janne Deleu has taken over Radovic’s role really well, Pauline Luyten is doing a great job, and Jasmijn Vanhoecke is making big strides. We also added Yana Wouters, a talented middle blocker with great height and blocking skills. She didn’t play much at Asterix, but she’s a positive, hardworking, attentive player — a great addition.”
Two former Asterix players facing their old club — extra motivation?

(laughs) “For me, after all these years, it’s not extra motivation anymore, but for Yana, yes — she’ll want to prove herself. We know what’s at stake: a place in the cup final. These matches are always thrilling.

We’re not a fully professional team like Asterix, who train during the day too, but we try to reach that standard: daily training, video analysis, fitness sessions, a physio at every practice, a nutrition specialist... These things also attract other players. We even have optional extra sessions on Tuesday afternoons for those who need individual work.”
You and your husband both in the cup finals — that would be nice!

“Yes! Matthijs is doing really well as Knack Roeselare’s coach. I’m not surprised — even as a player, he was a leader on court, an extension of coach Steven Vanmedegael. He’s already reached the semifinals after beating Aalst and will now face Maaseik. He’s in a great club that fully trusts him. There’s no reason for him to think about leaving.”

And what about your own future?
“Right now, I’m combining teaching with family life and volleyball. It’s too early to decide whether I’ll play another season. Maybe I’ll start thinking about it by the end of December.”

(Text: MC — Photo: Lotto Volley League)