Wietse Van Aken is looking forward to the title with Kapelle-op-den-Bos:”We have our fate in our own hands again”

Wietse Van Aken played a strong first round, but lost his starting place in recent weeks. “Our coach has quite a few options at the reception corner,” he says. “I was struggling with my back, so it makes sense that other players are preferred. At Chaumont it became even more exciting in the third set after we had won the first two sets quickly. Fortunately, we were able to get the job done in three sets. Then the good news also seeped through that Haasrode Leuven B was left without points after the passage of Sporta Brussels. Fortunately, we didn’t hear that news until after the game, because otherwise it threatens to damage concentration. Already for the fourth time a new team became leader. We already took the lead once, but then had to relinquish it after a defeat against Haasrode Leuven B. Now we have our fate in our own hands again. If we close the remaining three games with three three-pointers, we will crown ourselves champions and that is also the ambition that lives in the group.”

Need three more three pointers

On Saturday, Van Aken will look for the first three-pointer in a triptych that can bring the title to Kapelle-op-den-Bos in his own room. “On paper, we have a calendar with three achievable assignments. The title rivals Sporta Brussels and Haasrode Leuven B, on the other hand, still have a difficult task. Of course we should not underestimate any match. For example, Leefdaal-Bertem already forced us to a five-setter, so that we threw away an expensive point. Our neighbor and rival VBT Machelen, on the other hand, went hard for the ax and lost the pedals after the lost derby.”

Wietse Van Aken dreams of the title and has his reasons for it. “I am studying graphic and digital media and I am also a leader in the scouts. This combination threatens to become too heavy, so that choices are forced. With a promotion to National 2, the pre-match is canceled and that saves a sip on the drink. In National 3 you will certainly lose half a day if you travel far. At the time I joined Mevoc Mechelen, which played in a sports hall in Leest where I live nearby. When I was twelve I followed my brother Wannes to Puurs. When I was fifteen I went to the Topsportschool in Vilvoorde, but after a year I had had enough and seemed to be struggling with a burnout in volleyball. In the meantime I am working on my third season at Kapelle-op-den-Bos, a cozy club where fun and pressure to perform go hand in hand.”