Brazil to play at Roberta's pace in Tokyo

The veteran setter will have a big role during the Volleyball Olympic Qualifying Tournament, replacing the injured Macris

Roberta will be Brazil's starting setter during the Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Tokyo

Roberta Ratzke has been with the Brazilian women’s national team since 2015, but the setter’s most important contributions to the South American side could very well happen in the next few days, in Tokyo, Japan.

With longtime starter Macris Carneiro sidelined due to a back injury, the 33-year-old Roberta will be tasked with guiding Brazil during the Volleyball Olympic Qualifying Tournament, which starts on Saturday and will give six women’s national team berths for the Paris 2024 Olympics.

A Tokyo Olympic silver medalist, Roberta will try to make the most of Brazil’s potent offense, which counts on the likes of outside hitter Gabriela ‘Gabi’ Guimarães and middle blockers Thaisa Menezes and Ana Carolina ‘Carol’ da Silva, while also bringing a lot of experience for the South Americans as they attempt to confirm their presence in another Olympic edition.

The team, however, will probably play at a different pace, with the consistent and reliable Roberta taking over from Macris, who runs a fast-paced offense and is more creative and aggressive.

“Being on the national team has always made me proud, it's a real honor,” Roberta told Volleyball World. “Starting or not is a coach's decision, but I try to always be ready to contribute. Macris and I have different playing styles, but the most important thing for a setter is to have a good connection with the hitters and I've played with everyone here at either the club or the national team for some time, so I'll be ready to help if they need me.”

The opportunity of having a major role with Brazil comes in what could be considered the best moment in Roberta’s career, both at the club and the national team levels.

**Volleyball Olympic Qualifying Tournament - Match Schedule**

The 33-year-old setter is having a strong 2023 season, having helped her club team ŁKS Commerceron Łódź win the Polish League and Brazil triumph at the South American Championship while taking home the Best Setter awards from both events – Roberta was also handed the South American Championship MVP award from Brazilian captain Gabi, who recognized her importance in the team’s 23rd continental victory.

“Winning an individual award is always nice as it brings up positive feelings, but my mind is always focused on the team's success,” she said. “The South American Championship was a good tournament for us and it was important to perform well and take the title in front of our fans after not getting the result we wanted in the Volleyball Nations League. I feel like we’re reconnecting as a team. The South American Championship is behind us now but we’ll try and take the good things we did there and use them at the Olympic Qualifier. I hope we can play well and qualify because that's our main goal for the season.”

In order to qualify for the Olympics, Brazil will need to overcome some strong competition in Tokyo, where they will face Japan, Türkiye, Belgium, Bulgaria, Puerto Rico, Argentina and Peru. The Tokyo Olympic silver medalists will start their campaign against continental rivals Argentina on Saturday, at 16:00 local time (07:00 UTC).

“We’re going to play a lot of matches in just a few days and that’s going to be a challenge from a physical standpoint,” the setter reflected. “The tournament will go on very quickly and we’ll need to be ready. We played very well against Argentina at the South American Championship but we know they’re in good form after winning the Pan-American Cup for the first time and will be very motivated. Türkiye are also coming from two big victories and have some very good players, while Japan is a very strong and traditional team and will have a lot of support from their fans. But, even considering the tournament's format, we need to be ready to give our 100% in every match as we can't afford any bad performances.”

Besides Roberta, Brazil’s head coach José ‘Zé Roberto’ Guimarães will also have 29-year-old Naiane Rios as an alternative at the setter position for the Volleyball Olympic Qualifying Tournament.

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