Shaoxing, China, December 3, 2019 – A fully-recovered Tatiana Kosheleva senses a strong run for her new club Guangdong Evergrande Volleyball Club at the 2019 FIVB Volleyball Women’s Club World Championship, where they opened their campaign with a four-set win over last year’s runners-up Itambe Minas of Brazil.
Arguably one of the best outside hitters coming from the Russian women’s volleyball programme, Kosheleva suffered an injury to her right knee which was a tough blow in her career as she was sidelined for more than a year.
She returned to the court last year and played for a Brazilian club based in Rio de Janeiro and had a brief stint for an Italian club soon after. However, the Russian athlete had to work hard for her recovery. Now in China playing for Guangdong Evergrande, Kosheleva is back to her best and hopes that her team can perform well at the Women’s Club World Championship.
“I’m so happy and proud of myself because I did a lot of work to be back on the court. I want to thank my family, friends and fans who supported me, believed in me and waited for me patiently to get back on the court,” Kosheleva said.
“Last season was difficult for me because I didn’t have stability then. I want to thank my team in Brazil because they were God-sent, and I had a lot of support from them. And now in China, I have made a lot of progress with this amazing team which has great coaches and players. I also want to thank them, and I hope we can continue in this tournament with great motivation.”
Kosheleva’s opening day performance was remarkable as she scored 28 points to lead her team to victory. She may have scored heavily in the match, but her motivation in the game was always to be a team player.
“I am a team player because for me togetherness is more important and that gives me an amazing feeling,” Kosheleva said. “When you are like one body and have the same emotion, that’s the most amazing thing. Volleyball is not about individual players but it’s about being a team.”
Kosheleva joins a talented cast of Chinese players at Guangdong Evergrande. As she is the most experienced player in the team, she has one simple piece of advice for her teammates.
“This is one of the best tournaments in the world and it’s every player’s dream to play here,” Kosheleva said. “For my girls, this is the first time in their careers to be in this tournament. I just say one thing to them – enjoy the moment on the court!”