Busto Arsizio, Jennifer Boldini’s replacement is Dana Schmit
The Eurotek Laica UYBA welcomes a new player at the helm: Austrian setter Dana Schmit, who was immediately available to join the group to cope with the injury of captain Jennifer Boldini. The athlete, who has already been at the e-work arena with her teammates since yesterday afternoon, will be available to coach Enrico Barbolini as early as Sunday for the upcoming championship match against Vallefoglia and will wear jersey number 8.
Born July 20, 1997, in Austria, 178 cm tall, Schmit is a player of great international experience, with a resume built mainly in Austria, Germany, Switzerland, France and Italy. After her beginnings in her home country, she played in leagues in Germany with Straubing, in Switzerland with Lugano and in France with Volero Le Cannet, Marcq-en-Barceul (in between also a stint in Finland with Hämeenlinnan Lentopallokerho) and Mulhouse. With the latter club she won the national Super Cup, the Scudetto final and played the Champions League as a starter under Francois Salvagni. She arrived in Italy in 2023, playing first in Olbia, then in Mondovì and finally for a training period in Novara in the last summer. In’the last season, in addition to playing for Mondovì, she played the final phase of the competitive year with the Swiss team VC Kanti Schaffhausen. In addition to her club activities, she is also the setter for the Austrian national team, with which she has played in numerous international competitions.
UYBA therefore moved quickly after Boldini’s stop and found in Dana Schmit the ideal profile to guarantee experience, reliability and promptness. The player immediately responded to the club’s call and enthusiastically integrated into the group, ready to partner in the directing department with Nanami Seki.
For coach Barbolini, Schmit’s arrival represents an important asset at a delicate time of the season. Her ability to adapt quickly to new contexts, technical solidity and international mentality are characteristics that will be able to give balance and continuity to the team, while also keeping the level of training high.
“I must immediately say that I am very sorry for what happened to Jennifer: she is not only a player, but also the captain and a point of reference, I wish her the best. It’s been an urgent call and I said yes right away: I want to help the team in this difficult situation and I am coming to a club I have always heard great things about: even Silke Van Avermaet, whom I know well because she is a friend of mine, has always spoken golden words for UYBA, already since last season. I arrived here yesterday but I already feel at home: president Giuseppe Pirola himself came to pick me up at the station and took me immediately to the arena, where I had already been with Novara in pre-season training. I spoke immediately with coach Barbolini and all the girls gave me a very nice welcome. I arrive here after a lot of experience in Europe: perhaps the most important years were the French ones: in Le Cannet I understood that I could really play at a high level, with Mulhouse, together with Silke, we achieved degrees. I know Italy well thanks to the experiences in Olbia and Mondovì and so I believe that also in Busto Arsizio the acclimatization will be very fast”, her first words.
