News in the spiker department for Prosecco DOC Imoco: for the 2025/26 season Nika Daalderop, a 26-year-old Dutch band from Numia Vero Volley Milano, arrives. Experience, quality and new blood in 190 cm, Daalderop is captain of the orange national team that will participate in the VNL 2025, and for next season in yellow and blue he will wear the number 16 shirt.
Nika Daalderop was born on November 29, 1998 in Amsterdam and grew up in volleyball with the local team before moving to the Talent Team, in the Eredivisie. At the age of 17 he left his country and began his trajectory abroad: he arrived in Germany and played in the Bundesliga with Aachen for a season, before moving to Stuttgart. She was not even 20 years old when she landed in Italy, she was welcomed by Il Bisonte Firenze, she immediately stood out as a high-level prospect for the A1 thanks to the 262 points scored in the first 25 matches in local competitions. After the pandemic she made the leap to the big names by moving to Igor Gorgonzola Novara, in her second season with mosquitoes she repeated the figures scored in Tuscany in her best period, consecrating herself as a level player in our championship. In the 2022/23 season, Daalderop made a further leap in quality by wearing the prestigious Vakifbank Istanbul jersey, where he won the CEV Champions League and the Turkish national cup. In the last two seasons it has been one of the rivals of Prosecco DOC Imoco with Numia Vero Volley Milano, with whom it has played a Scudetto final and two CEV Champions League finals.
With the Netherlands, Nika is ready to lead her national team to the Volleyball Nations League as captain after an escalation in international volleyball: after a path between U18, U19 and U20, she gets her first call-up to the senior national team as a minor, in 2015. His palmares include two laurels with the national team, the European silver in 2017 in Azerbaijan and Georgia as well as a European bronze in 2023. Before landing in our championship, Daalderop also experimented and won in beach volleyball: with Joy Strubbe he boasts two U20 European titles as well as an absolute title in the Dutch championship between 2015 and 2016, the year in which he finds an U19 world silver medal paired with Mexime Van Driel. Now she participates with the captain’s chevrons in the first stage of the VNL in Canada.
An experienced, well-established and complete player: in the last season with the clubs, in which she reached the bottom of all competitions, she made 52 appearances, totaling 552 points and 57 blocks at Italian, European and world level. Reliable and explosive, Daalderop has many solutions in the offensive repertoire and solidity in the fundamentals of the second line. A player accustomed to the top level, Daalderop brings her qualities and her standards of work in competitive groups to the Palaverde. Daalderop is the second Dutch player in the history of the Gialloblù to wear the Panthers jersey after Robin de Kruijf, a pillar from 2016 to 2024.
NIKA DAALDEROP STATEMENTS
“I am very happy to join Conegliano for next season, I can’t wait for the season to start and I hope to contribute to another successful season for the team. As an opponent, Conegliano has always impressed me as a team for what it was able to do, especially in moments of difficulty, keeping calm, anchored to the confidence of its means. That’s why I’m very excited to join this group and work with the staff, hoping to learn from the best. I haven’t spoken to De Kruijf lately, but Robin has only told me positive things about Conegliano over the years, of course. I hope that the Dutch will follow Imoco a little more thanks to my arrival, there is no die-hard cheering in my area, maybe remembering Robin and seeing me in yellow and blue they will become fond of the Italian championship.
I have already played with Gabi al Vakif, a great player and a figure from whom I take inspiration: she is one of the best players in the world in her position, as well as a valuable person off the court. I haven’t spoken to coach Santarelli yet, but we have crossed paths many times as opponents: everyone has praised his talents, given what he has won I think they have told me the truth, I can’t wait to meet him after so many challenges on the opposite side of the net.
My summer? it has just begun, with the Netherlands we have just arrived in Canada for the first week of the VNL, then we will go to Serbia before playing the third part at home; after that I will have time to disconnect a little, but not too much, the World Championships in Thailand await us at the end of the summer.
To the fans I can say that I am very happy, I know the warmth of the Palaverde and it will be nice to play there with all the warm yellow-blue crowd on our side, see you at the arena!”.
📸PHOTO CREDIT: https://www.planetzone.nl/