The Brazilian volleyball player surprises with her service and opinion about Poland. “It’s a great country with nice people.”

ŁKS Commercecon Łódź has already had a lot of emotions this season (we’re only halfway through the regular season). There have already been unexpected failures, along with expressions of frustration and throwing the microphone. It has been better in recent weeks, as can be seen in the Tauron League table.

ŁKS took revenge in the Łódź Derby

“Łódzkie Wiewióry” is in third place, behind Grupa Azoty Chemik Police and PGE Rysice Rzeszów. They have already overtaken the excellently performing BKS Bostik ZGO Bielsko-Biała and their competitors from the same arena, Grot Budowlane Łódź. The derby against Maciej Biernat’s team opened the rematch round of the Tauron Liga regular season for both teams. This time, ŁKS had more reasons to be satisfied.

Alessandro Chiappini’s players had serious problems winning only in the first set. The triumph in the set was decided by an exciting fight for advantages, winning 30:28. In the remaining games, the fans may not have witnessed the pogrom, but in important moments ŁKS showed a better level, which ultimately resulted in a certain victory.

Interview with Amanda Campos, volleyball player from ŁKS Commercecon Łódź

Aleksandra Gryka was the MVP of the match of additional importance (after all, as they commonly say, “the derby has its own rules”). Amanda Campos also did well, scoring 12 points. The Brazilian came to Poland before the current season. She faced a serious injury that took many months of her career. An experienced player with a history in the Canarinhos national team, she is a key player in Chiappini’s team. Fans quickly noticed, among other things, her unusual service ritual. In an interview with “Wprost”, the 35-year-old talks about the history of this routine, the current season and the Brazilian’s life in winter Poland.

Michał Winiarczyk, “Wprost”: The Łódź Derby is a match with additional subtext. After losing 0:3 at the beginning of the season, now you won without losing a set.

Amanda Campos: We had a tight calendar. Before the match against Budowlani, we were given a few days to prepare specifically for this rival. We were aware of the nature of the match. We all know what the Łódź Derby means. We were waiting for this meeting and the opportunity for a rematch.

We needed time to get to know each other well as a team. Today, after many months of strong training, we are already a well-coordinated team and we are reaping the fruits of that. However, we still have to fight similarly fiercely on the pitch. We need full focus and preparation for each of the next meetings.

Is the victory over Budowlani more due to your dominance or taking advantage of your rival’s weaknesses?

Budowlani is a great team. When playing with them, you need full focus and a great tactical plan. You can’t say they weren’t prepared for us. Just like us, they analyzed for a long time, looked for weak points, etc. As ŁKS, we could implement everything we observed during preparations. We had a plan prepared for Construction. Combined with great commitment, everything worked out very well.

We had to put pressure on the construction workers. Yes, we won 3-0, but in the case of such an opponent, the match could even end with a tie-break. Everyone saw the first game, which was at a very high level. We must continue to have the same patience as in this match.

You mentioned the multitude of meetings – first you had several meetings every few days, a short break, and then now you are starting another series again with a short break during the holidays. Are you already feeling tired of the season?

I think it’s a difficult situation for all players, because other clubs also have similar series of matches. Look at volleyball players like Roberta Ratzke and Kamila Witkowska. We know they may feel exhausted. This is actually their second season in one year. They spent a few months in the national team and then had to join the team almost immediately. However, we have a great team – a mixture of youth and experience. You can see that there is chemistry between us, because even long trips become a pleasure with this team. I would go so far as to say that we have already created a kind of family. We have a similar mentality towards development and fighting for the championship.

This is your second season in Europe. You spent most of your career in Brazil. Was it difficult to move to a new environment?

I treated the trip to Europe as a challenge. I wanted the challenge of living outside my homeland. I’ve heard a lot of good things about the Polish competition. I have friends who have been playing here for some time – Roberta and Regis Bidias (current player of BKS ZGO Bostik Bielsko-Biała – MW note). They told me a lot of good things about Poland. Now, after a few months of living, I can fully agree with them. It’s a great country to live in, with nice cities and nice people.

I agreed to return to Europe after my stay in Turkey. I felt good there too. Even the serious injury I suffered there doesn’t change my assessment. Such things can happen anywhere. After recovering, I decided to fight for the championship of the league in which I had not played yet. I chose Poland and I don’t regret it. I have the opportunity to perform at a high level and share my experience with younger players… and to perform together with Roberta (laughter). I love her! I was with her in the national team and in Rio. It plays perfectly and works well on a daily basis.

Does the current weather in Poland bother you? In Brazil, you were used to the sun and high temperatures.

Yes you are right. We, Brazilians, are generally not used to the Polish weather. I tell the girls that at this time it’s summer in my country. For the first time in my life I will celebrate Christmas far from home… sitting in a sweater (laughter). There has never been such a problem in Brazil.

I take care of myself so that I don’t feel cold. However, I must admit that I love this winter weather when it snows. For us, seeing snow is like magic.

Where did your pre-service ritual come from? You have an unusual routine.

I have no idea when exactly it started. I once participated in an interview. One of the hosts asked me if I knew what Rafael Nadal’s pre-serve routine was. Before the action begins, he pulls his shorts and shirt sleeves. He told me that I could create something similar myself, which would allow me to focus on a good serve.

I don’t know how, but somehow I came up with it and it stuck. This routine has accompanied me for years. I feel good about it, so I have no intention of changing anything. Maybe that makes me more confident. Everyone has their own rituals. I don’t judge anyone. It works for me, which I am very happy about.

What do I wish you for Christmas?

Health, because it is the most important thing. I’ve had problems with it in the past. I suffered a lot just to be able to play volleyball again. I know how fragile health can be. I need nothing more than health for me, my loved ones and the entire team. I can handle everything else.