Asterix Avo BEVEREN to embark on #CLVolleyW journey with new look
News
Belgium’s multiple national champions Asterix Avo BEVEREN return to contest the early rounds of the elite CEV Champions League Volley 2027 with a complete new look. Not only did their long-time head coach Kris Vansnick leave for an international career with France’s LEVALLOIS PARIS Saint Cloud, but also eight players from last season’s roster either retired from Volleyball altogether or went on to pursue their careers elsewhere. Asterix Avo BEVEREN will start their journey in the #CLVolleyW this coming Wednesday, October 21 with a home match versus Slovenia’s OTP Banka Branik MARIBOR.
Asterix Avo BEVEREN was founded in 1969 under the name of Asterix KIELDRECHT. The team has been involved in the CEV European Cups since 1994. Major achievements were the gold medal in the Top Teams Cup (now known as CEV Cup) in 2001 and a silver medal in the CEV GM Capital Challenge Cup in 2010. The team reached the group stage of the elite CEV Champions League only once, in the 2024 edition. The club has won the national league as many as 18 times, 19 times the Belgian Cup and 14 times the Supercup. They have also won the BeNECup twice in as many editions of the newly introduced competition featuring the national champions of Belgium and the Netherlands.
The new team is a mix of experienced players and quite a lot of young talents. Young but not inexperienced, as most of them were part of the national team of Belgium contesting the VNL and EuroVolley (or EuroVolleyU18W) earlier this year. Unfortunately, two players, Lise Verhelst and Ella Joosen, came back from those campaigns with serious injuries and will need some time to recover. With an average age of 22 years, Asterix Avo BEVEREN is one of the youngest squads in the Champions League. Under the leadership of head coach Frederik De Veylder, captain and setter Elise Van Sas and outside hitter Nel Demeyer, young Tigers such as Flore Maes, Sarah Hauben, Jasmine Debout, Ana Van den Spiegel and Kaat Peeters will fully show their potential. The team also has two Dutch players, namely Lette Wiegerinck and Iris Scholten.
Frederik De Veylder“I am proud to be the coach of this ambitious group of players. It is always difficult to rate the potential of a new team. We have worked very hard during the last months to build a well-oiled machine. The matches in the CEV Champions League will be the first real test for the team, and I am very much looking forward to it.”
Head coach of Asterix Avo BEVEREN
Flore Maes“I participated in the summer campaign of the Yellow Tigers [the Belgian national team], but now I have to assume much more responsibility in the team. I really look forward to playing in the top European club competition, and hope that we will be able to make a lot of progress.”
Outside hitter of Asterix Avo BEVEREN