“Over Christmas I was at my parents’ home together with my brother. We always make a big Christmas dinner on the 24th of December and open a couple of presents. When it comes to food I don’t change my diet over the Christmas period and I eat the same as my family of course. I would like to spend more time with them over the holidays but it’s the same every year with me only having a few days off. I visited my grandparents on the 25th but had to be back to training on the 26th, when we prepared for our games against Australia. I am excited to be a part of this team and going to the Olympic Games is a big dream and to have the chance to qualify is exciting. There are four or five teams in this tournament which are at the same level. So you have to be at 110 per cent in these two matches to get the wins and get the ticket to the Games.”
“During the prep camp in Poland we had gym sessions followed by regular two-hour court sessions in the afternoon. Due to such a short time being together and adapting back to our Volleyroos’ way and our style of play we have been touching the ball a lot and playing a lot. We then drove to Germany and played two friendly matches against a strong German team who are looking to do the same as us and qualify for the Olympics – but through Europe. It was nice to be back in Berlin where I played two years and had a lot of success with my teammates there winning two championships and making the final four of the European Champions League.
“We fly to China where we will again adapt to a different timezone, weather, culture and really lock into our first game against Korea, getting our bodies right, recovering as well as possible and getting the right amount of sleep.”
Continental Tokyo Volleyball Qualification schedule
Women
● Africa (January 5-9 in Yaounde, Cameroon): Botswana, Cameroon, Egypt, Kenya, Nigeria.
● Europe (January 7-12 in Apeldoorn, Netherlands): Azerbaijan, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Germany, Netherlands, Poland, Turkey.
● Asia (January 7-12 in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand): Australia, Indonesia, Iran, Chinese Taipei, Kazakhstan, Korea, Thailand.
● South America (January 7-9 in Bogota, Colombia): Argentina, Colombia, Peru, Venezuela.
● North, Central America and Caribbean (January 10-12 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic): Canada, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Puerto Rico.
Men
● Europe (January 5-10 in Berlin, Germany): Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Netherlands, Slovenia, Serbia.
● Africa (January 7-11 in Cairo, Egypt): Algeria, Cameroon, Egypt, Ghana, Tunisia.
● Asia (January 7-12 in Jiangmen, China): Australia, China, Chinese Taipei, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Korea, Qatar.
● South America (January 10-12 in Santiago, Chile): Chile, Colombia, Peru, Venezuela.
Source: Volley - fivb.org
