Sisters' Act: Anna and Isabelle Haak
Story of the Day
The third day of the CEV EuroVolley 2021 Women Pool D competition has been another day of breathtaking emotions and memorable matches.
Juliet Lohuis and Celeste Plak played a great match against Finland, scoring a combined total of 21 points and leading the team to win the game in three straight sets.
On the other side, Turkey went into the match with three consecutive ACES and Gunes and Karakurt, who showed their power to the world with their spikes.
It's not a secret that Turkey aims for the top of the podium this time, and during today's match, they won in straight sets without taking a sweat, even though Ukraine fought until the end.
Today Sweden is having a rest day, and we take advantage of it to interview sisters - Anna and Isabelle Haak; both are Sweden's top players.
They play in the same national team, but they also were opponents in the 2020 edition of the CEV Champions League Volley week in Plovdiv (Bulgaria) in 2020.
The two sisters are now on the same side of the court for the first time in one of the biggest volleyball stages for the European teams.
First of all, it is not common to find two sisters who play the same sport at the same level. So, how was your passion for volleyball born, and how do you bring it to CEV EuroVolley 2021?
Anna: "Well, I think our passion was born in our backyard in Sweden when we were just playing around the volleyball net. Our mom had played volleyball too, so she introduced us to it. After a lot of games in our backyard, we just kept going playing on the court."
So what does it mean to you that your sister is playing on the same team?
Isabelle: ""It is like having a safe place to have your sister with you. We don't see each other often during the season, so it is nice to be back together for a couple of months. It is just a nice feeling playing together and a lot of happiness together!"
Anna, what is your sister's point of strength as a player, and what could she improve?
Anna: "Well, she has a lot of strengths, as you have seen. She hits hard and can jump high. She can hit over the block, and she has super speed when she serves. On top of that - she has an excellent block. I think her defense has improved. As you saw her a few years ago, we were playing in Sweden, and there was much room for improvement. But she has gotten better at that. But if I have to say one thing, I mean, there is always improvement possible for that."
One of you plays as the opposite, and the other plays as an outside spiker. Why did you choose such different roles?
Isabelle: "Actually, at first, they wanted me to be a middle blocker because I was so tall, but I guess later they realized that I was better off as the opposite. And I agree that it was a good change and it is also fun for me. I never really practiced a lot of reception, I just went from middle to opposite, and that's how I ended up being there."
Which match from EuroVolley 2021 are you waiting for the most and why?
Isabelle: "We have some key matches that we need to play and hopefully can give them a good game. We’re looking forward to the games against Romania and Ukraine, but I am also excited to play against Turkey because they have a great team, and I know some players myself, as well as the coach."
What are your feelings, the personal and for your team, about this CEV EuroVolley 2021 edition?
Anna: "Well, I am just very proud and happy to be here together with other girls playing our first European Championship ever. I am excited to see how far we can take this with our amazing team from Sweden because it has been a few years since Sweden played a tournament like this. I am also very proud of how everyone is handling it right now, and it is also fun to be here and share it with others. The atmosphere is perfect here!"
