He was a bit afraid he might not adapt well in France, but so far it has gone perfectly, and on Wednesday evening he will visit Greenyard Maaseik with TLM (Tourcoing–Lille-Métropole) in the CEV Cup. The future looks bright for the 20-year-old setter from West Flanders, who now plays for a French top team.

But whether facing the Limburgers can be considered an “easy win” at this moment? The young man from Hooglede–Roeselare absolutely doesn’t think so. “They beat my former club Knack Roeselare twice in a short time. Underestimating Maaseik would be a big mistake, even if on paper we seem like the stronger team,” he says—cautious but confident.
Who is this guy making such statements? Those who follow volleyball closely know exactly who he is. Not a show-off, but someone quietly and steadily building his career.

“For six years, I combined football and volleyball in Hooglede, but eventually I had to choose,” Robbe explains. “My mother played volleyball at a high level, so that definitely influenced me. My brother and sister also chose volleyball, and one day we even made the newspapers: three kids from the same family winning the Belgian youth cups on the same day, each in a different age category,” he recalls fondly.

Robbe Ponseele: “I was playing for the third team of Knack Roeselare when the Topsportschool asked me to join as a libero. I said no. But the next year they asked me as a setter, and then I accepted. I have never regretted it. I would do it again without thinking twice. I learned so much and made so many good friends.
After that, I joined almost all Belgian youth teams. We won the WEVZA tournament once, but our best result was the sixth place at the U19 World Championship in Argentina.”

But after Topsportschool, you had to make choices.
“Exactly. Three Liga teams approached me. Achel dropped out quickly, and when choosing between Leuven and Aalst, I followed my gut: Aalst. Especially since Leuven had Valkiers as their setter, meaning my playing time would have been limited.
Of course, I didn’t start as a regular right away in Aalst, but I was very satisfied with the number of opportunities I got. The second year too, I was able to play quite a bit and wanted to stay. But Aalst initially didn’t want to activate the option for a third season. And when I was already negotiating with other clubs, they later told me I could still return. But by then, I had the choice between Antwerp, Maaseik, and Tourcoing—and I quickly chose the French team.”

Why Tourcoing?
“First of all, it’s not far from home. I can easily combine it with my studies in physical education in Torhout. And training for a year in a French top club seemed like a great opportunity to step up my level. I had already gained some great experience this summer when I was allowed to come off the bench several times with the Red Dragons in China, losing only to the hosts in the final. Thanks to that final, Belgium will compete in the VNL next season. Whether I will be part of it remains to be seen.”

Are you learning much in France?
“The agreement is that I participate in all training sessions and trips with the first team, but also get playing time with the second team to maintain rhythm. Tourcoing is a very strong team. We are currently second in the French league, and the top three are separated by only one point. It’s exciting!

At first, I was worried about understanding everything in French, but it turns out to be no problem at all. And many speak English as well. It’s a great group.”

How do you view the trip to Maaseik?
“For me it’s fun, since I still have many friends there. My strongest point is my serve. I won’t reveal too much about the rest of the team, but we play very stable and without real superstars. The Argentinian Martínez and middle blocker Stahl both played for Maaseik and are looking forward to the reunion. I’m confident. We have strong receivers, which often allows our opposite to be set up perfectly. On paper, I see us as the better side, but with their strong setter and their serving pressure, we should definitely not underestimate Maaseik.”

Text: MC
Photo: CEV / Tourcoing