Anouk and Zoé Vergé-Dépré, Switzerland’s fire and ice beach volleyball sisters united for LA28

Their father, Jean-Charles, is a former French volleyball international and now works as Anouk’s physical coach. The sport runs in the entire family’s bloodline, with mother, Sandra Bratschi playing professionally in Switzerland.

Now the Vergé-Depré family are firmly united behind one team, the goal is crystal clear: to earn a spot at LA 2028.

Team ‘Zouk’, inspired by Swiss-Guadeloupean roots

Born and raised in Bern, Anouk and Zoé embrace their heritage of growing up in the picturesque nature of Switzerland with the cultural influence of Guadeloupe, a French overseas territory nestled in the Caribbean Sea.

Their team name ‘Zouk’ is a creole word meaning ‘a place to dance’, describing a music genre from the islands, as well as being a combination of their own two names.

“It gives us a good feeling and the joy of playing,” Anouk explains. “It really is that fire of playing, that fire of living. We thought it’s really something symbolic for our team.”

Indeed, their cultural heritage is key to the identity and spirit of the team, sporting the Swiss flag in competition, though always inspired by Guadeloupe’s culture. They have plays named after childhood references and memories from the island, such as the aptly named ‘mango’ set.

“Whenever we have time off and we have a longer break, we will go there and reconnect,” Zoé says, while Anouk adds, “We have a multicultural family, so there is always a mix of different things. That’s also made us who we are today.”

A multicultural background has brought an array of languages into their lives, not least by growing up in the quad-lingual country of Switzerland. The sisters speak Swiss German and French at home, while demonstrating fluent English for our interview.