Kanadensiska Danielle van Huizen till Sollentuna

Efter långa förhandlingar har i dagarna kanadensiska Danielle Van
Huizen skrivit på ett förkontrakt med Sollentuna Volley som placerar
henne i Sverige och Sollentuna under säsongen 2006-2007…

… Danielle är center och kommer från spel med University of British
Columbia (UBC). UBC har tagit medalj i fyra av de fem senaste
nationella mästerskapen varav två silver. Danielle var under sitt
tredje år med UBC bästa blockare i hela Kanada, låg top 10 i
anfallsprocent och utsågs till "All Canadian".

– Vi är självklart mycket glada att Danielle har valt att spela med
oss. Hon kommer betyda mycket för vårt nätspel och blir med all
sannolikhet en viktig kugge i lagmaskinen Sollentuna, säger sportchef
Kathryn Kaas.

Här får ni veta lite mer om Danielle:

How long have you been playing volleyball? – I have been
playing volleyball since I was pretty young. My first team I played on
was in grade 7 and I have played ever since.

Why did you start? – I am the youngest of 5 children in my
family and every sibling older than me played volleyball really
competitively therefore I was influenced at a young age to start
playing. We always had a volleyball net set up in our backyard and our
whole family would play together, and my brothers and sister would try
and teach me how to play and from then on I started to love the game.
 
What do you like about beeing a middle-blocker? – I love being a
middle blocker because I love taking control of the net. I am in
control of all the blocking that happens and I feel it is my
responsibility and I love having that job.  I am tall with long
limbs and players have to work hard to get the ball past me and that
makes me a force at the net.

Some short info on teams you've played for? – I definitly became a
good volleyball player as soon as I got to university. During high
school I tried out for every provincial team but was turned down
everytime. The teams I played for throughout high school was just my
club team.  Our club team made it to nationals every year and we
got top 5 each time. My University team was the most succesful. We
medalled at nationals 4 out of 5 times, with 2 of those times being
silver medals. Our team was always the top ranked team in all of
Canada, but we always fell short of a gold medal at the national
tournament. 

A career high of some sort? – My career high would have to be in
my third year of university. Like I had said before, I was not very
recognized in high school but I became more noticed in university. In
my third year I was number one in blocking in all of Canada, top 10 in
hitting percentage and at the end of the season I was named an All
Canadian and was invited to try out for the national team. It was a
career high for me because I had gone from nothing to actually being a
noticed player in Canada. We also ended the season with a bronze medal
finish.

What do you feel about playing abroad/in Sweden? – I couldn't be
more excited to play in Sweden. I am excited to see the different
styles of volleyball and see how my skills may or may not contribute to
the team. It is exciting for me to play in Sweden because it is a big
experience for me and a chance to take my love for volleyball to
another country and learn new things from the people around me and my
new teammates. 

Do you know anything about the Swedish league? – I know a little
bit about the Swedish league through my boyfriend Jake who played for
Tierp all last year. I do not know much about the women's league
though, but I understand that there are lots of hours spent on the bus,
which will be something I will have to get used to!

I am very happy to be playing for Sollentuna volleyball. I have been
looking at their team via the internet all through last year and I am
excited to play for a team that is already well rounded, noticeably
succesful, and one of the best teams in the league. I know that I can
contribute to this team. I am excited to arrive in Sweden and meet my
new teammates, and I am sure we will have lots of fun together and we
will have a succesful season.