A student who had not played volleyball since school has made a telling impact on the court in his second year at university after re-discovering his love for the sport.
Filip Ghenuche-Draghici started his first year at the University of Leicester (UoL) in the men’s second team in 2022 but this year was promoted to the men’s first team.
And the 21-year-old middle blocker has made quite an impact, including helping the team triumph in the annual Varsity match against De Montfort University.
“The coach told me putting me on the bench for the first half was done on purposed to ‘keep me hungry,’” said Filip.
“Putting me on the pitch was a noticeable game changer. This resulted in a 3-2 win to us. The highlight of that match was during the 5th set where I dominated the net.”
Getting into the UoL volleyball teams was the opportunity for the criminology and forensic psychology student to regain the love he has for the sport, since it’s been several years since he played in school.
“I love the explosiveness of the sport. It’s one of the only sports where you truly cannot do anything by yourself and teamwork is essential,” Filip added.
He explained how the volleyball team had welcomed him and other newcomers with open arms.
“It’s like a massive family,” he said.
