Italy Ilaria Maruotti (left), here with team-mates Anna Nicoletti and Eleonora Bruno
Ilaria and Gabriele, however, are they are not the only volleyball players in the Maruotti family: “My father started the tradition. My older brothers Gabriele and Federico followed suit. Federico then became a physiotherapist while Gabriele made the big step into the professional volleyball world.
Back to Ilaria: “I started playing when I was very young, like three months.” As my two brothers were already playing, I had no chance to escape. Basketball was the other option, but I didn’t like it,” Ilaria said.
However, volleyball is not the only topic in the Maruotti family: “We don’t speak a lot about volley at home. Sometimes we gossip about it. Thanks to my brother, I know many volleyball players of Italy’s men league. Last year my club published a calendar. My brother showed it to his teammates. Every time I meet some of them now, they recognize me as the ‘calendar girl’.”
Since two seasons, Ilaria plays in Italy’s top league. “Next year I will play for Modena, with my idol Francesca Piccinini. It is an honour for me, as until now I knew her only from TV. I still cannot believe it to play in the same team as Francesca. I will try to learn as much as possible from her.”
To read more news frrom this competition click on Junior World Championship 2013 W.
