2008 Beijing Olympic Volleyball Tournament

  • AWARDEES:



    Most Valuable Player - CLAYTON STANLEY (USA)



    Best Scorer - CLAYTON STANLEY (USA)



    Best Spiker - SEBASTIAN SWIDERSKI (POL)



    Best Blocker - GUSTAVO ENDRES (BRA)



    Best Server - CLAYTON STANLEY (USA)



    Best Digger - ALEXEY VERBOV (RUS)



    Best Setter - PAWEL ZAGUMNY (POL)



    Best Receiver - MICHAL WINIARSKI (POL)



    Best Libero - MIRKO CORSANO (ITA)




    CLAYTON :obey:

    "[size=8]It's years and years of work and sacrifice and dedication. Along with a lot of these girls, we've sweat and we've bled and we've cried together in past Olympics. It just brought tears to my eyes, & I'm more than thrilled. This will be forever." -LOGAN MAILE LEI TOM (Silver Medallist - 2008 Beijing & 2012 London Olympic Games, 2011 World Cup runner up, 2003 & 2007 World Cup 3rd place, 2002 World Champs runner up, 4-time World GrandPrix Champs)

  • Great, three awards for Poland :D (only team which didn't play in the semis)
    Abut today's matches - incredible, amazing, fantastic! I could say much more words to describe the level of the final between USA and Brasil. It was the best final in the big event (OG, WCH, WC, ECH) I have seen since a long time. Great fight and big succes for US team. Americans beat Brasilians in WL final and had slight psychological advantage. American victory is totally deserved, although Americans weren't rather concider as gold medalist candidates befor ethe OG.
    Stanley and Ball were class for themselves. This final was tromendous end of the tournament. :super:
    Russia-Italy. Well... Russia was much better. Italy should be glad with its results. Not many people thought this team will go so far in the tournament.

    The most important 3:
    POLAND-SZCZECIN-VOLLEYBALL


    5th place - Prediction Game - World League 2011 :D


  • Corsano???? :what: :what: :what:
    How many games did he play? He was injured! Verbov was the best without doubt!!
    Best blocker? I don't agree... David Lee made great killing block against Volkov and Mikhaylov.
    Ball isn't the best setter again!! :mad: :mad: it's very very unfair....

  • WoooW! it is amazing, but it is shattering that individuals are the best and cannot have any teams successes 8|
    so, by now: congrats :)


    USA vs Brazil, my dreams comes true! :box: incredible, fantastic, enormous, level of match shows that it was OG final!
    (the opposite from girls final, for shame) I am fully (almost, because of Polish Players) enchanted! 8)

  • And who do u think is the best setter? Maybe Zagumny?


    Zhekov, of course! ;)
    Gottlib wrote, who he thinks is the best: Ball. I don't know why these doubts...

    The most important 3:
    POLAND-SZCZECIN-VOLLEYBALL


    5th place - Prediction Game - World League 2011 :D

  • Brazil's future in not that scary.


    There's a very talented new generation who finished 1st in the 2001 Junior World Championship and 2nd in the 2003 and 2005 ediitons of this tournament and 1st in the 2007 edition.


    Players like Giba, Dante, Marcelinho, Gustavo, André Heller, Rodigão and Sérgio will probably leave the team. Bernardinho hasn't decided yet if he would keep on being the coach of Brazil's Men Team.


    Although the new generation is talented, they lack international experience. I believe they will be ready as a team in 2 or 3 years.

  • Corsano???? :what: :what: :what:
    How many games did he play? He was injured! Verbov was the best without doubt!!
    Best blocker? I don't agree... David Lee made great killing block against Volkov and Mikhaylov.
    Ball isn't the best setter again!! :mad: :mad: it's very very unfair....

    These awards are awarded on the baze of some fixed statistical indexes, not because someone have made great killing blocks or fantastic digs

  • And again... Brazil will be dominating... I hate that... Let some titles - at least one to Bulgaria, when we'll get one?

  • Congratulations for US team for the gold. :)

    [color=#009900][color=#ffffff]


    "I'm so proud that the fans still sing my name. But I fear tomorrow they will stop. And I fear it because I love it. And everything you love you fear you will lose" - Eric Cantona

  • America was really great, really well oiled machine, no individualism there. Still is a mystery what creates such a team, I think it's different for each team.


    But what I noticed is that the level of play in this tournament wasn't as good as the last world championships. Especially Poland, Bulgaria and Serbia were a lot better back then. Of course the states weren't as good, but Brazil was definitely better back then and maybe even Russia and Italy. Anyone else agree? I watched some match from the world championships and they are just awesome. Also had the break through of Kazyiski and Soto... just awesome.


    Really looking forward to the next world championships to see if the level is as good again! In general it'll be itneresting to watch and see what all the teams are gonna do now that a lot of experienced players are retiring. And of course I wonde rhow Holland will hold up against the big teams now that our players are getting more and more experienced.

  • Now that you mention, I also agree that the other teams were a little weaker than what they showed in Japan 2006. But the two competitions are very different to compare - there are 24 teams in a WCH with 11 matches a team should win for the title, whereas in the OG there are only 12 teams with 8 games at maximum. I think the most important reason, however, is the season - the WCH is held at the end or during the first half of the regular season (October - December). The OG are held usually in August before the start of the national leagues, which makes it hard for the coaches to keep the players in good level.


    There are many discussions concerning why exactly the USA was the most prepared team. They simply used their summer and the corresponding World League 2008 games in the best possible way. All the other teams - Poland, Bulgaria, Russia, Serbia decided to give their key players a break at the beginning of the summer and some of them did not show their best during the OG in Beijing! Kaziyski, for example, enjoyed a summer holiday in Mallorca while his teammates were playing against Spain and Finland. I guess it was similar for some key players in the Polish and Russian NT. At the same time Stanley, Ball, Priddy and Millar were kicking ass in the WL... Simple as that!