The Sunday Mail
Brighton Zhawi
SCOOPING the National Volleyball League’s most valuable player award has whetted Helgga Chingwere’s appetite for more success.
The 23-year-old UZ Wolves player has targeted the forthcoming Zone VI Club Volleyball Championships in Malawi as a platform to unleash the super volleyball inside her 1,75m frame.
“I really feel humbled to realise that other people are noticing an improvement in the way I played this season.
“Being identified as the best player of the year, nationally, is a great honour and a dream for every player.
“We have Zone VI in Malawi this December. I am working towards that.
“There is still room for me to do better,” Chingwere said.
It has been a wonderful year for Chingwere, who recently graduated with an Honours Degree in Geographical Biogeosciences.
“The year was full of successes. We opened the volleyball league with gold and got gold again at year end during the local games. Three other players in my team also got national recognition.
“This year, I was also awarded the best server in the Harare league. It was indeed a good year for me and the entire team,” said Chingwere.
Despite all these successes on the court, Chingwere only started taking volleyball “seriously” when she was at university.
“I started playing serious volleyball at university.
“In 2015, I was just taking a walk around the school with my friends when I saw some people training.
“I joined them and that’s how I started playing volleyball, although in high school I used to play inconsistently.”
“As a junior, my Tunisia trip made me realise my potential.
Chingwere’s love for the game grew deep thanks to the exposure and a friend who always urged her on.
“When I started playing volleyball, my friend and former UZ Wolves captain Progress Gasa would push me to be a better player.
“Now, my coaches and family are also doing the same,” she said.
