Water polo ladies back in action five months after 'Paris'
It has been over five months since the Dutch women's water polo team last competed in an official match. Sabrina van der Sloot secured a stunning bronze medal for the Netherlands by scoring in the final seconds to defeat the United States 11-10, during the Olympic Games in Paris.
Captain Van der Sloot will also be present on Tuesday, January 14 as the Netherlands begins the group stage of the World Aquatics' World Cup Water Polo in Alexandroupolis. From Tuesday until Sunday, January 19, the Dutch team will compete with top countries from the Olympic Games and Israel (who were promoted from Division 2 last season) in Division 1, aiming to qualify for the Super Final in April.
In addition to Van der Sloot from Paris, Coach Evangelos Doudesis has called up six other 'Paris participants' for the World Cup: Sarah Buis (GZC Donk, goalkeeper), Simone van de Kraats (CN Sabadell, Spain), Lola Moolhuijzen (Vouliagmeni NC, Greece), Lieke Rogge (ZV De Zaan), Nina ten Broek (CN Terrassa, Spain), and Kitty Lynn Joustra (Vouliagmeni NC, Greece).
For this tournament, Doudesis did not select Laura Aarts, Vivian Sevenich, Brigitte Sleeking, Maartje Keuning, and Bente Rogge, who were part of the bronze-winning Dutch team in Paris, along with Iris Wolves who has retired from international play. The experienced players are given more rest by the coach, allowing other players to gain international experience. Storm Willemsen (Polar Bears), Tess van der Meer (ZVL-1886), Lois den Ouden (ZV De Zaan), Robin Jutte (Orizzonte, Italy), and Amalia Christodoulou-Out (Olympiakos, Greece) may make their debut for the Dutch team in the coming week.
Aside from the seven Olympia participants and the five debutants, the coach also selected Britt van den Dobbelsteen (ZV De Zaan, goalkeeper), Maxine Schaap (Padova, Italy), Fleurien Bosveld (Polar Bears), Marit van der Weijden (GZC Donk), and Noa de Vries (FTC, Hungary).
The coaching staff includes Richard van Eck (assistant coach), Ineke Yperlaan (team manager), Michel Verkade (S&C trainer), Eszter Györi (youth national team coach), and Niels Hagen (physiotherapist).
Heading towards 2028...
“We've had an incredibly successful but also intensive period, with two World Championships, one European Championship, and the Olympic Games in a span of one year. After Paris, we took a few months off, but we are excited to start the new cycle towards Los Angeles 2028. We look forward to competing in the World Cup and preparing for the 2025 World Championships in Singapore this summer,” said Evangelos Doudesis.
Water Polo World Cup Division 1 Group Stage Draw
Group A: Greece, United States, Spain, Hungary.
Group B: Netherlands, Israel, Italy, Australia.
The top two teams from each group will compete for positions 1 to 4, while the third and fourth-placed teams will battle for positions 5 to 8. The top 6 teams in the tournament in Greece will advance to the Super Final in April.
Netherlands' Schedule (*)
Tuesday, January 14 20:00: Netherlands vs. Australia
Wednesday, January 15 16:00: Italy vs. Netherlands
Thursday, January 16 16:00: Netherlands vs. Israel
Friday, January 17: 3A-4B / 3B-4A / 1A-2B / 1B-2A
Saturday, January 18: 4A-4B / 3A-3B / 2A-2B / 1A-1B
Sunday, January 19: 3A-4A / 3B-4B / 1A-2A / 1B-2B
(*) Dutch timings. It is 1 hour ahead in Alexandroupolis.
All matches in the World Cup are free to watch after registration on Eurovision Sport.
