Greek Panionios continues its impressive recruitment for the new season. The club officially announced the acquisition of Czech national team player Helena Grözer (née Havelková), who will be a teammate of former Bulgarian captain Elitsa Vasileva-Atanasijevic.
The 37-year-old outside hitter (188 cm) arrives in Greece with one of the most extensive resumes in European volleyball. In her career, she has played in the leagues of the Czech Republic, Italy, Turkey, Russia, Poland, China, Vietnam, and Puerto Rico, and for over a decade, she has been a key player for the Czech national team.
Among her individual accolades, the award for the most prolific player in the European League in 2011, the best outside hitter award in the same tournament in 2012, and a place in the ideal team of the Champions League in 2015 as the best outside hitter stand out.
After signing her contract, Helena Grözer admitted that she will play in the Greek league for the first time, despite having already accumulated rich international experience. She stated that she is impressed by Panionios' ambitions and hopes to help the team achieve its goals both domestically and in European club tournaments.
The transfer is also of interest to Bulgarian fans, as from the new season, Helena Grözer will partner with Elitsa Vasileva-Atanasijevic. Interestingly, just days ago, the former captain of Bulgaria was in Belgrade, where she watched live the match between the national teams of Bulgaria and the Czech Republic during the third week of the Volleyball Nations League. It was in the Czech lineup that Panionios' new acquisition was also present.
Panionios had already strengthened its squad with the experienced Dutch setter Laura Dijkema, who until recently was part of the 'Oranje' team, and the acquisition of Helena Grözer is another strong move in the club's recruitment. Thus, around Elitsa Vasileva-Atanasijevic, a squad with a lot of experience and serious ambitions for the upcoming season is gradually forming.

photo: Nikolay Varadinov