Maique working hard to be on the court at the VNL

Maique Nascimento was one of the last players to be left off Brazil’s roster for the Tokyo Olympics last year. Motivated by a productive club season with Fiat Gerdau Minas, the 24-year-old libero is back at it and looking for a bigger role with the team in 2022, starting at the Volleyball Nations League.

Maique, who’s currently training with the team at the Brazilian Federation training facility in Saquarema, helped Minas win the Brazilian Cup and finish second in the Brazilian Superliga, the Club South American Championship and the Mineiro Championship, and making it to the final of every tournament they played.

He was also selected as the Best Libero of the South American Club Championship and of the Superliga, establishing himself as the top player in the position in the country’s league with his second consecutive annual individual award.

“Each season is different and I feel more mature now,” he explained. “I believe I’ve progressed in some areas of my game and to get these awards just shows me I’m on the right path. It’s great to see I’m doing my work right and being recognized for it. That motivates me to keep pursuing my best as a player and a person, under any circumstances.”

Maique has been a part of the Brazilian national team since 2018 and was in the squads that won gold at last year’s VNL and the South American Championship and the 2019 FIVB World Cup. He used to split the libero duties with Thales Hoss, who was given priority by coach Renan Dal Zotto when he decided to have just one player representing the position on the 12-men roster that would compete in Tokyo last year.

This year, Maique will compete for the starting spot with 33-year-old Thales, but also with 24-year-old Alexandre Elias, who was also called up after a solid Superliga season with Volei Renata.

“Thales and Alexandre are both excellent liberos and I have a great deal of admiration for them,” Maique said about the other liberos in the squad. “I’ll remain focused on my work and my goals and on earning my space within the national team.”

Thales and his Brazilian teammates will start the VNL at home, as the country’s capital Brasilia will host a pool in the opening week, from June 7-12. The South Americans will take on Australia, Slovenia, USA and China before heading to Sofia for the second week of the competition.

All matches of the 2022 VNL will be streamed live on Volleyball TV. Don’t miss out and get your Volleyball TV Pass now!

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