05/02/2018 18:07
“Volleyball is all I want” – Camilla Weitzel
News from the clubs
Dresden, Germany, February 5, 2018. Not such a long time ago, Camilla Weitzel helped at DRESDNER SC’s home matches in the CEV Volleyball Champions League as a ball retriever. While her friends had to jump to reach the ricochets of the players during the warm-up phase, she just raised her arms. On Wednesday, February 7, at 19:00 the 1.95m tall blonde will not just catch and throw balls when DRESDNER SC face TS Volley DUEDINGEN in the return match of the 8th Finals of the 2018 CEV Volleyball Cup. She will wear the red jersey of DRESDNER SC with the number 17 – her current age.
The funny thing about the young middle blocker is that she did almost put an end to her Volleyball career this past summer. “I felt burned out and when I saw what other teens did in their spare time while I was busy, I felt the desire to act just as carefree as they did from time to time – having the freedom to decide what I want to do regardless of boundaries like hours and hours of practice.”
Six months ago, she simply was “low on battery” after four years at the youth team of DRESDNER SC, a heavy double burden to play alongside two different age groups in the German national team and Beach Volleyball tournaments during the summer. “I did not touch a volleyball for four weeks. But then I noticed how much I missed it,” says Weitzel. It is hard to believe what happened since then.
The 17-year-old came in when Ivana Mrdak injured her finger in November and head coach Alexander Waibl asked Weitzel to join the team. She quickly made her debut in all three competitions DRESDNER SC participates in and she even received the MVP award in the Bundesliga match against VC Olympia BERLIN. “It feels like an acknowledgement that the decision to go back to Volleyball was totally right,” she adds.
“Every day I learn a lot during practice,” Weitzel says humbly about the experience to work with the coaching staff and the other middles Barbara Wezorke, Saša Planinšec and Ivana Mrdak. At DRESDNER SC, she reclaimed the desire to become one of the best in the sport she loves. “I love the dynamic aspect of Volleyball, the complexity, as well as the quick decisions you have to make and that anything can happen until the last ball hits the ground.”
Now Weitzel and her team have set their sights on the quarterfinals of the 2018 CEV Volleyball Cup. To get there, DRESDNER SC have to win at least two sets against TS Volley DUEDINGEN on Wednesday. The first match in Switzerland ended 3-0 for the Germans. If the German squad advances to the next round, Camilla Weitzel will once again be very happy that she did not put an end to her career before it even started.
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