Hermans Egleskalns wants to do the job to the end with Tours

He wants to leave with the feeling of work accomplished. With the satisfaction of having fully met expectations. And by qualifying the Tours Volley-Ball in the quarter-finals of the CEV Cup. Because this 8^e of the final return Tours – Zagreb, Wednesday December 18, should be the last match for Hermans Egleskalns in the Grenon room.

“It's no secret, I came here to replace Ryan (Sclater) while he was injuredrecalls the sharp Latvian, double champion of France with Tours in 2018 and 2019. Now he's back in shape. I'm staying until the end of December and after that, it's the club that decides if it wants to keep me. » For the past month, the Canadian, the star recruit of the summer but who arrived with a knee injury, has gradually regained his bearings and confirmed his potential.

So Hermans Egleskalns, who remains the holder until now, has few illusions. “The club does not have many reasons to keep three points (with Julien Faganas in addition to Sclater and him)and then it costs money »he smiles. With no base for the moment, he takes the situation philosophically. “It’s going to be a little sad to leave, but that’s life. This is not the first time I have experienced a situation like this. It's a little stressful, but it's okay, I'll find something. »

“Now it’s not a question of who plays”

“Guera”, very altruistic, thinks of the interests of the TVB before his own.“Now that the team is in a good dynamic, it’s not a question of who plays. For Ryan, it's even better because he can enter the field when the team is doing well, it's easier for him to find a rhythm of play. I'm very happy about it, I can leave in peace . »

He is delighted to have participated in building the current excellent dynamic, with five consecutive successes in the championship (including the last Saturday at Plessis-Robinson, where he was named MVP), and a qualification in 8^e of the CEV Cup final within reach, after the 1-3 success in the first leg in Zagreb. “As soon as we started winning, we felt good and strong. Now we are in a positive wave, we have more confidence”estimates the 34-year-old Latvian, for whom the collective breakthrough took place during the match against Tourcoing, a month ago. “We lost, it’s a shame, but that’s the moment when we saw that we could play really well. And since then, we have had one victory after another. »

And before (probably) leaving TVB for the second time at the end of the month, Hermans Egleskalns intends to help the collective maintain this dynamic.

“Don’t underestimate” Zagreb

This will involve a derby won in the MSL in Poitiers on December 27. But before that, by a qualification validated in the quarter-final of the CEV Cup, by dominating Zagreb again on Wednesday. And even if Tours had won without shining in Croatia, the pointy warns: “It’s a team with quality, we shouldn’t underestimate it. This is what Friedrichshafen did in the previous round, it's a good lesson for us. »

He particularly points out the quality of the Croats' fielding. “There, when they started to serve strong, we had difficulty maintaining our level of play. Fortunately, they did not manage to maintain this quality of service throughout the match. But on Wednesday, they will want to put pressure on us in the service, we will have to be attentive. »

We will have understood, Hermans Egleskalns intends to succeed in his last one at Grenon. History of closing this second Touraine chapter of his life in style.

VB Tours – Mladost Zagreb, Wednesday December 18 at 8 p.m., Grenon room.