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The French star praises Warsaw. “One of the best places in my career”

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Kevin Tilley has been performing well for Project Warsaw this season. The Tokyo Olympic champion remains humble when it comes to individual achievements, but praises the results of the entire team. The presenter told Wprost after the match with Aaka-Wolley what he had in common with the opponents’ coach, and also talked about life in the capital of Poland.

“Project Warsaw” is not slowing down in the fight for cups. He continues to make a difference in the game both domestically and internationally. Thanks to a 3:1 victory in the return match of the Challenge Cup over the Finnish Aaka-Volley (3:0 in the first match), Petr Graban’s team reached the second third division final in the club’s history.

Twice the charm of the Warsaw project

Twelve years ago, the Warsaw team lost in the Polish final to AZS Częstochowa. This time Vero Valley Monza will stand in their way. The Italians have been performing well in recent weeks. They unexpectedly beat Trentino Volley in the semi-finals of the national cup, losing in the final to Perugia. While Project had to fight with Aaka-Volley, the Milanese team had to fight with Istanbul Galatasaray (victories 3:0 and 3:2).

In the project, we can already think about matches against Vero Volley, scheduled for February 21 and 27 (unofficial dates may change). In addition, they remain focused on the PlusLiga (second place in the table) and the Polish Cup, where they will face CUK Angels Toruń from the second league in the quarter-finals.

Interview with Kevin Tilley, volleyball player of the Warsaw Project

Kevin Tilley is in his third season (including 2019/2020 games) with the Project. The Frenchman is a confident point in the team, guaranteeing stability in the party. In the ranking of the best in this field, he occupies a very high place, third place in the Plus League, second only to two liberos – Pavel Zatorski and Eric Shoey.

In an interview with Vprostu, the 33-year-old Olympic champion talks about his struggles with the Finnish national team, his former youth inspiration responsible for the Aaka-Volley results, and his father, who is so popular that fans create keychains with his image. image. The Frenchman greatly values ​​Warsaw, where he and his family feel at home.

Michal Winiarczyk, Vprost: Congratulations on reaching the final of the Challenge Cup. Even though the Finns lost big to you, they managed to ruin your life several times.

Kevin Tilley: They set strict conditions. In the second set, they took advantage of the moment of hesitation and were able to win back several goals, which we ultimately did not have enough to win. Our goal was to win 3-0, so we have to appreciate the fact that Akaa Valley managed to take the set from us. However, the most important thing is any victory and reaching the final.

Physically we felt well prepared for the match. I think better than the Finns. Attack, block and serve also worked better for us. Improved play late in the game also helped lead to the final result.

In the final you will find Monza – the seventh team in Serie A, finalist of the Italian Cup and winner of the CEV Cup two years ago.

They won the cup, beating my then team, Tour.

Marcelo Fronkowiak still remembers one scandalous play by Georg Groser from this series.

Does he still remember it? Damn, he has a good memory (laughter).

What is your opinion about this group?

This is a very physically strong team. They play strong, tough volleyball and can dominate their opponents. They have a very international squad with three Canadians who play well together. With them reaching the final of the Coppa Italia, we expect a tough fight.

Are you satisfied with the form of the project this season?

Certainly! We are second in the Plus League table and entered the new year as leaders. We have had some injuries in recent weeks which have affected our performance, but we are still in a good position. In addition, we are still participating in the Polish Cup and the Challenge Cup. I know that the schedule is still very busy with meetings. Now it will only become more difficult, but I believe that we will not end this season without a trophy. Our advantage is regularity. If we maintain it, we will be able to finish the competition with a good result.

Individually, can you also be satisfied? You take third place in the ranking of the best receivers in the Plus League.

But this is a team sport. If I do a good job with a move, the other friend will also do a good job with an attack or block. I’m not the kind of person who likes ratings and statistics. While we are winning, I try not to look at them.

Do you know what you have in common with Coach Akaa-Wole?

Bright! My dad. Olli Kuunari and I know each other very well from his time at Cannes. I remember paying close attention to him when my father trained him. He had one of the best shots I’ve ever seen. He was great at outwitting blocking opponents. He was a volleyball player who I enjoyed watching and who inspired me.

Two years ago I asked your father who was the most popular in the Tilly family. He hesitated between you and Killian, but ultimately chose him.

Killian rose to fame playing in the NBA. He has been trying to recover from the injury for over a year, so he is going through difficult times now.

Coach Laurent said he was too old to be popular.

And where! Today he is the biggest star of the Tilly family. In France everyone recognizes him. Thanks to the Olympic gold, he became a legend of our volleyball. I think his reputation goes beyond volleyball. It is also an authority for coaches of other disciplines. I think his success in the national team will be remembered for a long time.

Dad also has many fans in Japan. Last year I played there for the national team. Fans have given me… photographs of my father or gadgets with his image, such as keychains (laughter). This brought a huge smile and joy to my face. I am pleased with the respect he is shown.

This season you have many teammates in PlusLiga. Have you ever thought about the upcoming Olympic Games?

(Oli Kunnari, Aaka-Volley’s trainer, approaches Tilly. Kevin turns to him)

He (the journalist – MV’s note) asked me what we had in common. I said Cannes and my father. I said I had one of the most impressive roll shots I’ve ever seen. The funny thing is that when we had a video analysis of the match, we noticed that many guys tried to hit like you. I immediately said: “This is the merit of the coach” (laughter).

As for my French colleagues, I am very pleased with how they are doing. Thanks to this, we can be optimistic about the national team’s season. The better we perform in the championship, the better shape we will be at the training camp. I’m not thinking about the Olympics yet, because I have a project to work on. I prefer not to look so far into the future.

You are already spending another season in Warsaw. Are you completely accustomed to Polish life?

Warsaw is a great place to live. Definitely one of the best I’ve played in my career. I’m not missing anything here. As a father, I’m glad we have something to do here as a family. There are many interesting places to visit. We may not have the same weather as the south of France, but I can’t complain. I like living here.

Source: WPROST.pl
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Source: Wprost

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