Gabi: I have the opportunity to play for everything I wanted
Coming towards her second season in VakifBank Istanbul, Gabi is achieving the goals she has set herself before joining the Turkish club. With two trophies in the bag, newly crowned Turkish champions set their eyes on the last achievement they are aiming for - the Champions League title. The Brazilian outside hitter and her teammates will be facing A. Cararo Imoco Volley Conegliano in the SuperFinal of the competition on the 1st of May. Missing out on the chance to claim her first ever #CLVolleyW title last year, Gabi’s motivation to become the champion this season is even higher.
Playing outside of Brazil for the first time in her club career and joining the team that was built to be in the finals of all competitions, as she described VakifBank, was a challenging dream. Before she could reach or win any final, both Turkish and Champions League were cancelled due to COVID-19 outbreak. Now coming towards her second season in Giovanni Guidetti’s squad, Gabi feels settled and focused to claim the trophies she came to Turkey for. “When you play in Turkish or Champions League, you play against the best in the world. I can share my day with the best ones, so all the time we are at another level. Playing important games all the time is pushing me as a player. I’m feeling great, the team and staff are really amazing. I have this opportunity to play everything that I wanted: the finals of Turkish League, the Turkish Cup and my first final of the Champions League. I’m really excited and hope I can win my first title”, she said when discussing her time in Turkey.
In the final of the Turkish League VakifBank faced Fenerbahçe Opet ISTANBUL, who were also competing in the Champions League this season. Having to face the play-off stage of the domestic league before the SuperFinal is a great test for VakifBank, according to Gabi. “We are facing this time in a good way. We can still play some games and we have elements we can improve. To become champions, especially when playing against Conegliano, who are a great team, I think we can still improve some stuff. I think this play-off will help us to be in a better shape for the SuperFinals”, she explained.
With two trophies in the bag, the team can solely focus on their last opponent of the season. Gabi agrees with her coach, who called Conegliano the big favourites of the SuperFinals.
GabiConegliano are on a streak of over 60 consecutive victories. They’re showing a really great power, their bench players don’t change the level of the team, this is really important. They are the big favourites, but we faced them in the last FIVB World Club Championship, so it’s a great moment to have a kind of payback. They are the team to beat this year.”
outside hitter of VakifBank Istanbul
If VakifBank are indeed not the favourites, they certainly have their strengths too. “We know that we can trust each other. Our spikers do so well from high balls, we have Maja Ognjenovic who can control and change the game, it does’t matter if you receive well or bad. Our connection is much better after we struggled in the semi-finals. Each one of us can do it as an individual, but we can do it together, so it will be easier to face any problems in the final”, Gabi described her team.
Gabi will not be the only Brazilian playing the #SuperFinals this year. Another member of Brazilian national team, Ricardo Lucarelli, will be competing in the squad of Trentino Itas. “I have to be honest, I will cheer for Lucarelli. He is a good friend and this is his first time playing Champions League. I hope he will play amazing game and that he’ll do an amazing job”, she admitted.
