Nimir on Trentino's Tumultuous Path to the Superfinals
Interview
Usually the best players in volleyball are anointed early. Clubs and national federations are working around the clock to find and develop the next Wilfredo Leon or Isabelle Haak. Dutch opposite Nimir Abdel-Aziz had a different path however. While he was no stranger to elite volleyball, playing on the Dutch national teams and top clubs like ZAKSA Kędzierzyn-Koźle, it was in a position you might not recognize him in. Before the 2015-206 season, Nimir Abdel-Aziz was a setter. Now, he is one of the sport’s most ferocious attackers, bouncing balls into the celling like they were made of rubber and leaving opposing blockers with fingers facing the wrong direction. And he keeps on getting better.
Nimir’s most recent season sounds like a movie script, battling Wilfredo Leon at the top of the Italian league and leading Trentino to an undefeated Champions League tournament as a setter. The relaxed, soft-spoken, hitter sat down with us to discuss some of the highlights of the season.
Trentino made splashes in the offseason, adding not only Nimir to the roster, but several other high profile players such as Marko Podrascanin and Ricardo Lucarelli.
Nimir on expectations for the 2021 season“We started the season with high expectations, because there was a completely new team with big names. So everybody was expecting to play on a really high level immediately. But when you are a new team you need some time to get used to each other and find a rhythm.”
With a new format this year, we saw some of Italy and Russia’s top teams gain entry into the first round of Champions League. This set up one of the most exciting early round matchups we have ever seen – Dinamo Moscow against Trentino. After both teams had dispatched the unlucky third team in their pool, Amriswill, it set up a do-or-die game for a spot in the 4th round. However, the match didn’t quite live up to the hype. Thanks to 15 kills and 4 aces from Nimir, Trentino cruised to a 3-0 win and set up a monstrous winning streak that turned their season completely around.
Nimir on the 2nd round win against Moscow“This tournament was a turnaround for our team in this season. We played three really good matches, we know Dynamo Moscow is a really strong team. I think the three days we were there we showed a really strong level, won unexpectedly easily, and after that we started to play much better.”
Due to a combination of injuries and illness, Trentino found themselves in a strange situation heading into their first tournament in Trento. Both of their setters were unavailable for the tournament, so they turned to their star opposite to assume the role. Despite not playing any setter since his time with the Dutch national team, Nimir dusted off his playbooks and took over the setting in an important first tournament of the 4th round.
Nimir on returning temporarily to the setter role“For me, this position (setter) is maybe the most difficult in this game, because you touch the ball on every play. And I saw that, because I had to play it without practicing and it wasn’t so easy. But luckily my teammates helped me out a lot, because of course every ball was not perfect. As a team I think we showed something amazing in these matches, because even though I was not setting perfectly we were able to win all three matches.”
What followed surpassed everyone’s wildest expectations, as Trentino dispatched elite Russian team Novosibirsk and top German club Friedrichshafen en route to a perfect record.
The Berlin Recycling Volleys are a mainstay of the Champions League, winning the German Bundesliga 7 times in the last decade. However, there are no attackers or servers in Germany who can match the ferocity of Nimir, who dropped 40 points in the two matches against Berlin without even playing in the last set of the second game.
Nimir on playing in the Champions League playoffs“This is the part of the Championships with only a few teams left, so every team is going to be difficult. Berlin showed a really good level, but we played two really good matches.”
In the semifinals Nimir took care of his biggest obstacle yet, Italian rivals Perugia and Wilfredo Leon, who he dethroned as the leading scorer in Italy this season. After a dominant 3-0 victory in the first match, it only took winning the third and fourth set in the second match to secure Trentino’s first spot in the Champions League finals since 2016.