DASMARIÑAS — Farm Fresh import Helene Rousseaux has been a fixture in international volleyball, particularly within the last year.
Before her 38-point PVL debut in a 22-25, 25-23, 25-19, 25-21 win over Nxled, the former Belgian national team stalwart received a rare badge of honor in the sport before suffering a gruesome injury nine months later.
READ: Rousseaux's 38-point PVL debut sparks Farm Fresh win over Nxled
Rousseaux, 34, was handpicked to be part of a special exhibition series headlined by some of the brightest world volleyball stars hosted by Korean sporting legend Kim Yeon-koung in June last year.
The inaugural 2024 KYK Invitational, now an annual series, featured Rousseaux along with an all-star cast of global dynamos in Brazil’s Natalia Pereira and Sheilla Castro, Russia’s Nataliya Goncharova and Anna Lazareva, Japan’s Miyu Nagaoka and Kotoe Inoue, Argentina’s Yamila Nizetich, and Thailand’s Pleumjit Thinkaow,
Not to mention, Jaja Santiago (Sachi Minowa) was invited to the second edition of the prestigious event earlier this year.
Rousseaux’s Team World just fell short to KYK’s Team Star, 24-25, 25-25, 19-20, in a special three-set showcase.
That turned out to be a once in a lifetime experience for the Belgian power hitter, one that became more of a ‘personal highlight’ than a mere career milestone.
“Kim Yeon-koung is really one of my very good friends, so it was a pleasure, of course, to be there and share that moment with her and with all these amazing players,” Rousseaux told SPIN.ph.
“It was a special moment for sure, but it was more of like a [special] event than a real game to win or something. In my career, I wouldn't just put it there as a volleyball [milestone], but as a person, it was one of my highlights for sure.”
With class and humility, Rousseaux refused to put herself in the ranks of serial winners like KYK among the world’s best, but considers herself a consistent hard-worker nonetheless.
“I won’t say anything about my level like that. I didn't win that many titles or something as some of them did like they had Olympic gold and stuff like that,” she said.
“My national team was not that strong, so I don't have these titles, but I'm just trying to do my best. I felt like I was not at that level with them.”
What miracles are made of
Rousseaux was sent crashing back to earth just as she began to scale new heights after her KYK Invitational stint with Turkish club Papara Göztepe.
In just the first few minutes of their league championship series in March this year, the Belgian ace had a horror fall from a spike attempt where she twisted her left ankle.
It could’ve easily been a career-ending injury based on the gruesome optics of how her ankle snapped almost instantly upon landing on the floor.
But in just a matter of months following her ankle cartilage restoration surgery, Rousseaux had a miraculous run fueled by world-class physiotherapists she worked with during her surprisingly fast recovery.
“I’m doing really good. I had the best rehab somebody could wish for,” she said.
“The [physiotherapist] that I worked with is amazing. I'm really lucky that I had him and that I can be back where I am now. By working with him, I had no doubt that I'll be back like this.”
‘This’ was more than just her return to volleyball. It was also the fact that she maintained her peak form and showed her mettle in a 38-point opening salvo in the PVL.
But as great athletes like her do, the raw numbers would've meant nothing without a win.
“It’s really nice, but in the end, the most important thing, really I mean it, is that we won the game,” the Foxies import said.
“If I had 30 points and we lost, it wouldn't mean anything, so I'm mostly happy about the win for sure. I feel really, really happy that I could help my team, but maybe another day, the other players will help more since that's what team sport is about.”
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