Victoria Faye Kjolberg and Ane Guri Hjortland are a tandem you couldn’t miss on the beach volleyball courts at Jarun Lake. After three wins out of three games, they are the first in Group A, bravely heading for one of the medals. The European Universities Games Zagreb-Rijeka 2016 are the second student tournament in which the two of them play together, since Anne was prevented from participating in the last championship. In addition to the university jersey, they also wear the jersey of the Norwegian national team and play together in the first Norwegian League. Since they have such an extensive playing experience, it was interesting to hear what they say about their rivals at the Games.
‘The competition is different than, for example, the World League or professional leagues, but there are some really good teams. I think we‘re not the only ones who play professionally,’ said Victoria.
‘If we‘re planning to win the gold medal, we need to play every set and every point very well,” Anne added.
Not all professionals are ready to play at student competitions, but these girls don’t have that problem.
‘Injuries happen when you play sports. Beach volleyball is a non-contact sport, and the most common thing that can happen is a sprained ankle,’ says Victoria.
They explained that each training was essential, especially the repetition of the movements which help them not to get injured. To be with us at the Games, the girls had to play a qualifying tournament which is actually the only student tournament in Norway, seeing they don’t have a league. They are glad they are here with us in Zagreb.
‘It’s very nice here and we enjoy every day at the Games. The sand is great, the courts are near the lake and we can jump in straightway and enjoy. It’s great.’
If you want to see how the girls spend their time at the Games, you can check their Instagram profiles, where they publish photos daily:
https://www.instagram.com/victoriafaye/
