• Source: Maret Grothues

Maret Balkestein-Grothues (Dutch: [ˈmaːrəd ˈbɑlkəstɛiŋ ˈɣroːtɦys]; née Grothues; born 16 September 1988) is a Dutch volleyball player who plays as an outside hitter. She is a member of the Netherlands women's national volleyball team, and is the current team captain. On 6 May 2021 she signed for the Greek powerhouse Panathinaikos.
Grothues started playing volleyball with the Dutch club Krekkers in 1996, inspired by the male national team winning the Olympic gold in Atlanta 1996. She made her international debut in the Dutch national team at the opening match of the Montreux Volley Masters against Cuba in June 2008. Grothues did not play in the national team in 2014, due to an Achilles heel injury. At the 2010 World Championship she won the "best server" trophy. She played at the European Championships in 2012, 2013 and 2014. In 2015, she was promoted to team captain prior to the 2015 European Games in Baku, Azerbaijan. As of 2016 she has 244 caps.
During the 2016 Summer Olympics, where the Dutch women made their Olympic return after 20 years, Balkestein-Grothues injured her ankle during the second game of the group stage. Thus she only returned for the knockout rounds, seeing limited minutes as the Netherlands finished fourth.




Awards






= Individuals

=
2010 FIVB World Championship "Best Server"
2021–22 Greek Volleyball League MVP




= Clubs

=
2008–09 Dutch Volleyball League Champion, with DELA/Martinus Amstelveen
2008–09 Dutch Volleyball Cup Winner, with DELA/Martinus Amstelveen
2009–10 Dutch Volleyball League Champion, with TVC Amstelveen
2009–10 Dutch Volleyball Cup Winner, with TVC Amstelveen
2013–14 French Volleyball League Champion, with RC Cannes
2013–14 French Volleyball Cup Winner, with RC Cannes
2014–15 French Volleyball League Champion, with RC Cannes
2016–17 Turkish Volleyball League Champion, with Fenerbahçe
2016–17 Turkish Volleyball Cup Winner, with Fenerbahçe
2021–22 Greek Volleyball League Champion, with Panathinaikos
2021–22 Greek Volleyball Cup Winner, with Panathinaikos
2022–23 Greek Volleyball League Champion, with Panathinaikos
2023–24 Greek Volleyball League Champion, with Panathinaikos




Personal life


Maret Grothues married the Dutch hockey player Marcel Balkestein on 5 July 2014, becoming Maret Balkestein-Grothues following Dutch convention.




References






External links


FIVB profile

Kata Kunci Pencarian:

• Maret Grothues
• Maret (name)
• Yekaterina Gamova
• Aydın Büyükşehir Belediyespor
• List of Dutch sportspeople
• Panathinaikos women's volleyball
• 2015 Montreux Volley Masters squads
• 2010 FIVB Women's Volleyball World Championship
• Marcel Balkestein
• CSM București (women's volleyball)