Mountaineers Add Belgian Outside Hitter Bertels for 2026
January 08, 2026 12:11 PM | Volleyball
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – West Virginia University volleyball coach Jen Greeny has announced the addition of Saar Bertels, an outside hitter from Eppegem, Belgium, to join the team in the fall of 2026.
"Saar will give us an immediate all-around presence that will continue to make West Virginia volleyball better. She can attack well from multiple positions, giving us flexibility in our offense that we always train in our gym and look for when evaluating players, "Greeny said. "Saar is experienced with high level volleyball in Europe. To earn the achievements she did in the European Championships is no small feat. It was also very significant to us that she helped lead Belgium to a finish never attained before in the history of Belgium volleyball – a third-place finish behind European and world volleyball powers Turkey and Italy."
"Saar naturally embodies our five values," Greeny continued. "We could tell that right away. She will fit well into our team culture. She chose us over three Top 25 teams, four NCAA Tournament teams, and three B1G Ten teams. Saar will continue to move this program forward and we are so excited she is one of us."
Bertels competes for Asterix AVO Beveren under coach Kris Vansnick, one of the top professional programs in the Belgian Liga A. The 6-foot-1 outside hitter has been a member of the Belgian National Team system for five years, representing her country at every youth age group since U16.
Internationally, she competed with the Belgian Senior National Team in the Volleyball Nations League, one of the highest-level international competitions in the sport. Bertels helped lead Belgium to a third-place finish at the 2024 CEV U20 European Championships, marking the nation's first top-three result at a junior continental event. She was named the tournament's Best Scorer and Best Spiker after totaling 287 points and averaging 3.99 points per set.
At the professional level, Bertels has appeared in the CEV Champions League twice, gaining experience against elite European clubs. Her club career includes multiple domestic titles, including the Belgian SuperCup, Belgian Cup, BeNe Cup, and the Belgian Liga A championship. She has competed in the CEV Cup and BeNe League, contributing to Asterix's consistent presence in European competition.
For more information on the Mountaineers, follow @WVUVolleyball on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
"Saar will give us an immediate all-around presence that will continue to make West Virginia volleyball better. She can attack well from multiple positions, giving us flexibility in our offense that we always train in our gym and look for when evaluating players, "Greeny said. "Saar is experienced with high level volleyball in Europe. To earn the achievements she did in the European Championships is no small feat. It was also very significant to us that she helped lead Belgium to a finish never attained before in the history of Belgium volleyball – a third-place finish behind European and world volleyball powers Turkey and Italy."
"Saar naturally embodies our five values," Greeny continued. "We could tell that right away. She will fit well into our team culture. She chose us over three Top 25 teams, four NCAA Tournament teams, and three B1G Ten teams. Saar will continue to move this program forward and we are so excited she is one of us."
Bertels competes for Asterix AVO Beveren under coach Kris Vansnick, one of the top professional programs in the Belgian Liga A. The 6-foot-1 outside hitter has been a member of the Belgian National Team system for five years, representing her country at every youth age group since U16.
Internationally, she competed with the Belgian Senior National Team in the Volleyball Nations League, one of the highest-level international competitions in the sport. Bertels helped lead Belgium to a third-place finish at the 2024 CEV U20 European Championships, marking the nation's first top-three result at a junior continental event. She was named the tournament's Best Scorer and Best Spiker after totaling 287 points and averaging 3.99 points per set.
At the professional level, Bertels has appeared in the CEV Champions League twice, gaining experience against elite European clubs. Her club career includes multiple domestic titles, including the Belgian SuperCup, Belgian Cup, BeNe Cup, and the Belgian Liga A championship. She has competed in the CEV Cup and BeNe League, contributing to Asterix's consistent presence in European competition.
For more information on the Mountaineers, follow @WVUVolleyball on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
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