Maret Balkestein-Grothues, néeMaret Grothues (Dutch pronunciation: [maˈrɛt ˈbɑlkəstɛin ˌɣrɔtˈhys], born 16 September 1988) is a Dutch volleyball player who plays as a wing spiker. She is a member of the Netherlands women's national volleyball team, and is the current team captain.[1] 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.[2] 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.[1]
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.[3] Thus she only returned for the knockout rounds, seeing limited minutes as the Netherlands finished fourth.[4]
Champion, with Fenerbahçe
