BR Volleys: With Polynesian power into Super MATCH OF THE WEEK

The BERLIN Recycling Volleys face a double showdown for moving forward to the next round and pool leadership in the CEV Champions League Volley 2022 Super MATCH OF THE WEEK on Wednesday and Thursday (16 and 17 Feb) at Zenit ST. PETERSBURG.

The unbeaten Group D leaders have a good chance of securing a place in the quarter-finals after last week's 3-0 win at Vojvodina NOVI SAD.

Two possible Berlin key players in the double-header in Russia: Australian Nehemiah Mote and Frenchman Samuel Tuia. Their roots are just 500 kilometres apart in the Pacific Ocean, since this season they both play together in Berlin and bring Polynesian fire to the BR Volleys team.

Nehemiah Mote's parents emigrated from the small island of just 200,000 inhabitants to Australia in the 1980s to make a better life for themselves and their children. They build a large family in which Mote is one of nine siblings, of whom he and seven others were born in Australia.

Samoan blood is therefore a fundamental part of his identity. The 28-year-old moved to Berlin from German rival VfB FRIEDRICHSHAFEN before this season and has become an integral part of the middleblock from the very first game.

In the summer, Mote captained a young line-up of Australian volleyroos in the Volleyball Nations League and already had experience in the CEV Champions League before this season. With Friedrichshafen, "Nemo" played two seasons in the Champions League (19/20 and 20/21). He has not yet reached the quarter-finals: "Therefore, it is a big goal for me to succeed with Berlin this year. With the three victories, we have created all the chances. Now we want to take the final step, and winning the group is also within reach," said Mote.

The BR Volleys beat Novi Sad twice 3-0, won 3-1 at Benfica Lisbon and were awarded a 3-0 win at home due to the COVID cases and the no-show of Portuguese side. With four wins and twelve points, the starting position is thus ideal.

The block player's trademark is his distinctive tattoos - the term, incidentally, derives from the Polynesian word “tatau” - on his stomach and thighs, which, according to Samoan tradition, are done with handcrafted tools.

Mote, who visited his home island five times in his life, explains it with a term that is also common in volleyball, but has a completely different meaning here: "Service. Simplified into one word, service means giving the best you have to something or someone. That can be your family, your country, your culture or even your club. My tattoos, however, are still ongoing. I have one for my older son and I need another one for my younger one."

16,000 kilometres from the German capital, but only 500 kilometres from Mote's island Samoa, Samuel Tuia was born in the endless expanses of the Pacific at the capital of Wallis & Futuna, Mata-Utu.

The 35-year-old runner-up in the 2009 European Championships was spotted by French scouts as a youngster, initially as a suitable javelin thrower, but then made a career as a volleyball player and is already playing his fourth season with the BR Volleys. "We from the islands play volleyball with heart and passion. It's in our blood. We always give 100 percent effort and never give up at any point," Tuia explains the special mentality.

Both Tuia and Mote are fathers of two young children, who live with them in Berlin. Mote has his family with him all the time in his volleyball life, even in the VNL Bubble of Rimini 2021, as could be followed on the social channels of the player and Australia in the summer.

Tuia's older son is already at school in Berlin, while the outside hitter is already building a future for his family in Cannes as a bar owner after his professional career.

Now, however, Tuia is determined to take his team to the quarter-finals again, and he is not afraid of unusual methods. Last year, Tuia promised to sing a song to his former club Kuzbass KEMEROVO if his old friends would help out.

The Russians helped and won 3:2 in Warsaw in the last leg, although they were already eliminated at the group stage. Berlin reached the knockout round, Tuia kept his word and created a social media highlight with his singing of the Kuzbass song.

This year, there are also a few scenarios of how the BR Volleys will reach the next round even in the case of two defeats in St. Petersburg. This time, however, they want to make it to the quarter-finals on their own steam on the upcoming games.

One point would be enough to advance to the next round in the Match of the Week on Wednesday or on Thursday.  With an away win, the Berliners could even celebrate the group victory and Mote and Tuia would then surely - exclusively for their team - do a Polynesian victory dance.