Setter Niverka Marte believes in communication

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, July 8, 2020 – Good communication is one of the most indispensable tools for a setter to be successful in the game of volleyball, so Dominican Niverka Marte has taken it very seriously ... literally.

The 29-year old setter of the Dominican Republic Women’s Team easily qualifies as a polyglot since in addition to her native Spanish, she is fluent in English and Portuguese and has reached a medium level in French and Italian.

“I can communicate with people in different languages but in the court there is a different kind of communication, and only one language. I mean understanding people’s minds and making sure we are all on the same page,” Marte said. “Eye to eye goes along with body language also.”

Marte’s volleyball career has been running in parallel with her other career as a senior student of International Relations at UBIS University of Business and International Studies in Geneve, Switzerland.

“I love diplomacy and also the academy for a career,” she confesses, “but I also would like to manage my own business and that’s something I’ve been thinking also.”

Even though setters regularly have long careers, Marte plans to play two more years with her national team and then look for other opportunities outside of the sport.

 “I don’t see myself playing volleyball in my late 30’s as it has been the case of many setters because, as time goes by, the position becomes easier to handle combined with the fact that in this game you never stop learning.”

A converted setter who started her volleyball career as a wing-spiker, Marte was selected as best setter at the 2015 FIVB World Cup in Japan. She has played in Peru, France and Turkey.

The 1.78 meters tall Marte was asked about the setter and attacker she admired the most.

“The truth is that I don’t have a favorite setter or attacker as I intend to learn from everyone. I really like the style of the Asian setters but I also like some of the qualities of the setters from other countries. I can’t point out one special who I can say she is my favorite.”

Among the attackers, “Nive” says the ones who have called her attention are those who not only are very good attacking but also dominate other elements of the game like receiving and blocking.

“Ting Zhu of China and Kim Yeong of Korea are among that group, mainly because they always keep very good attitude during the game with the rest of their teammates,” she said.

What is she doing during this time of forced isolation due to the pandemic Covid-19 and the impossibility to train with her team?

“Well the exercises I’m doing are those in the morning via Team meeting and then in the afternoon I do some now and then, like cardio and stuff like that. I always try to stay physically in shape,” she responded.

“The inactivity is what affects me the most because I am used to keep my body at a high performance level all the time. Not being able to do that is very difficult. That’s the reason I keep doing something to consume the energy I am used to.”