27/08/2020 12:36
Julia Orzol – the rising star of Polish Volleyball
CEV U19 Volleyball European Championship 2020
Zenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina, August 27, 2020. “The situation with the coronavirus and lockdown somehow disrupted everything. We had a break of three months. Now, we just want to play and show our very best side,” says Julia Orzol, captain of the U19 national team of Poland currently competing at the European Championship in Zenica.
Orzol is the absolute leader of Team Poland – on and off the court as well. The 186-cm tall player of the Polish team Wieżyca Stężyca was born on October 11, 2002. Orzol originally hails from Olsztyn, a city of about 175,000 inhabitants, located in the north of Poland in an area known as the ‘Land of a Thousand Lakes’.
She spent several years in Legionowo, near Warsaw, where she attended school. She had the opportunity to become a professional player at a very young age, but decided differently, moving to a club in Stezyca, which is closer to her home. When she finishes high school in a year, she will most probably move to Wisconsin, USA, where she will have the opportunity to play collegiate Volleyball and pursue her academic education at the same time.
Julia has been playing Volleyball for 10 years already and she says that this sport has become an integral part of her and that she cannot imagine life without Volleyball. “The whole situation with quarantine and coronavirus somehow disrupted everything. We had a break of three months. We just want to play and perform the best we can. This is only the first step,” Orzol says.
She is proud to be the captain of the U19 national team of Poland: “The atmosphere in the team is fantastic! We have had two months of preparations for this tournament and it is a pleasure to play with my teammates! This is one of the last tournaments that we can play together in age group competitions and we are enjoying every minute spent together on the court!”
Poland head coach Wieslaw Popik says Julia Orzol is the quintessence of a team leader and captain. The White-and-Reds will need Julia’s more than ever on Thursday when they play Serbia in Zenica with a spot in the semis of the continental tournament at stake.
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