Israel Superleague

    Top 5 Teams out of 10(starting line up):


    Maccabi Tel-Aviv:


    Setter: Nicolas Efron (ARG)


    Opp: Sean Faiga


    OH: Ariel Hilman, Serguey Zhyvolozhny (UKR)


    MB: Omer Rubinstein, Omer Dunnenberg.


    Hapoel Kfar Saba:


    Setter: Adi Goren


    Opp: Alex Damiao (BRA)


    OH: Leonardo Figueredo (ARG), Udi Zel Zion.


    MB: Yevgeni Shirokich, Guy Avigdorov


    Arazim Raanana:


    Setter: Tyler Hildebrand (USA)


    Opp: Victor Bird (PUR)


    OH: Maor Nutkevitch,Michael Vytsozsky


    MB: Amitai Sasson, vamos Changos


    Hapoel Mate Hasher:


    Setter: Ido Cohen


    Opp: Eli Efrati


    OH: Eliav Dadosh and another foreign player, still unknown.


    MB: Alex and another foreign player, still unknown.


    Maccabi Hod Hasharon:


    Setter: Ziv Bar Netzer


    Opp: Eli Klinestein


    OH: Mauricio Arrua (ARG) and another foreign player, still unknown.


    MB: Alex Laurian, Zvi Karaso.


    Maybe this way people will know a bit more on the Israeli leage, it starts in the 28th of October and it should be in a nice level this year.


    Also, the Israeli players that are playing abroad this season are: Alex Shafranovich, Itamar Stein ( Montpellier, PRO A France), Yohai Dadon (Ajaccio PRO B France) and Jacky Gaft (Seat Volley Naefels, Superleague Swiss).

    Interesting topic.


    The coming of Stein and Shafranovich in Beauvais last year was a huge surprise for most French VB fans. Yet They played really good, taking a big part in the victory of Beauvais in the French cup. I was wondering if other Israeli players are as good as them, and if some of them could be playing in European championship in the upcoming years...


    Maybe you'll be able to answer this question ... :)

    To answer your question, I would say that at current moment, Stein and Shafranovich are the best Israeli players (though the player from Naefels, Jacky Gaft is 22 and becoming better by every year reminding the way Shafranovich plays) but there are a few young guys who will be at their level in a few years.


    The problem is that Israeli players can't play outside of Israel until there are 21, the player Ariel hilman who is 21 years old (from Maccabi Tel-Aviv) is a very good Outside, very strong spiker and solid Serve and attack, the Opposite of Tel-Aviv Sean Faiga is also pritty good and he is only 19.


    I think that by every year that passes, there will be more Israeli players playing outside of Israel (last year there were 2 and now 4).


    Also, I have to say I know a lot about the French league and I personally think that Shafranovich could have played in the best teams in PRO A (Paris, Tours and Cannes).


    Another problem as you can see by the player's list in the best teams I wrote earlier is that most of the players are from south America and they were brought here by Israeli agents, only the players of Arazim Raanana were brought by a European agent (the Opposite Bird helped his team St. Quentin to make it to PRO A).

    Quote from MAR

    Also, I have to say I know a lot about the French league and I personally think that Shafranovich could have played in the best teams in PRO A (Paris, Tours and Cannes).

    I'm not sure that one of these team would want him as a starter (not at as their first choice at least, only if they failed to recruit a better player), and he's too good for a backup. Maybe he could be in such a team with a turn-over system (some kind of "three players for two spots" system).


    A lot of French teams like to play with a very good receiver (like Antiga or Boskan) + a powerful spiker (sometimes called "2nd opposite"), like Granvorka.
    Teams playing like Cannes last year (Trommel + Kunnari) with two capable receiver quite equally efficient spiker are not that common in France. And Shafranovich is that kind of balanced player. Therefore he would probably never play with Tours or Poitiers. Maybe with Cannes or Paris. (But Paris is very special, with Jiri Novak being an excellent receiver, scoring more points than the opposite)

    I personally think that Shafranovich can be in Paris instead of Victor Rivera, he is at about at the same level as Rivera, the problem in Poitiers is that they have Kilama and though he has great passing abillities, they need a 2nd Outside hitter to be a very strong spiker such as Baranek and Shafranovich is not as good as Baranek in Attack.


    I dont know that much about the Outside hitters of Tours but he could have played in Cannes of last year instead of Trommel )he did play in Friderichshafen).

    Yes, Shafranovich is close from Rivera.


    This year Tours plays with Marc Schalk (way better receiver than Shafranovich) and Kristian Knudsen (better spiker than Shafranovich) + Guillaume Quesque and possibly Earvin Ngapeth as backup.
    The problem with Shafranovich being in Tours's lineup would be the same than in Poitiers:
    - either he replaces Schalk and the reception might be in trouble
    - either he replaces Knudsen, and the attack might lack some power


    To be honest, I don't think this will really impact the power of the team, and Tours or Poitiers might do really fine with a player like him. But I believe that Tours and Poitiers are slitghly better like that.

    hi Mar! Can I ask if there is a player named Eyal Zimet playing in the Israeli Superleague? Thanks

    No, Eyal haven't played in Israel for several years, last year he was playing at the AVP tour.

    Thanks a lot Mar. :)

    Quote from MAR

    Here are couple of videos from the final of last season, can't see much vball but there's atmposphere, is someone decides to watch it, put the volume up: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xg-R82goLa0&feature=related


    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Zk1BA9QLlY

    Amazing video :white: :dance6: :rolll:

    The league starts tomorrow, there are 6 teams that will fight all the way till the end.


    On the 11.11.08 Sisley Treviso comes to play against Maccabi Tel Aviv (the Israeli champions), this is who they will face against: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_qwieaLWpKg&feature=related (put the vol up and from the 0:37 secong it's start to get really good).


    P.S.


    There might be live broadcasts of the Israeli league over the internet .

    1st round- 28.10.08


    Maccabi Tel Aviv 3-0 Neve Shanan


    Hapoel Kfar Saba 3-0 Hapoel Mate Hasher


    Arazim Raanana 3-0 Hapoel Bat Yam


    Hapoel Hamaapil 0-3 Maccabi Hod Hsharon


    Hapoel Kiryat Ata 3-0 Ramat Hasharon.


    As you can see, the league is preety divided but next week there are 2 tough matches, I have to say the league has improved the foreigners are much better and so are some of the Israeli players (there are players here from Pge Skra Belchatow, USA, ARG and PUR national team)

    2nd round - 4.11.08:


    Hapoel Mate Hasher 3-0 Hapoel Hamaapil


    Ramat Hasharon 3-0 Hapoel Neve Shanan


    Hapoel Kiryat Ata 0-3 Maccabi Arazim Raanana


    Hapoel Bat yam 0-3 Hapoel Kfar Saba


    The game of Maccabi Tel-Aviv VS Hod Hasharon will be played in a different time since Maccabi is now in Italy ready to win against Sisley Treviso

    Israeli league table:


    name points,matches,wins,losses,set ratio


    Maccabi Arazim Raanana | 8 | 4| 4|0| 12-0|


    Hapoel Kfar Saba | 7 | 4| 3|1| 9-4|


    Maccabi Hod Hasharon | 6 | 3| 3| 0| 9-3|


    Hapoel Kiryat Ata | 6 | 4| 2| 2| 7-6|


    Hapoel Mate Asher | 5 | 3| 2| 1| 6-3|


    Ramat Hasharon | 5 | 4| 1| 3| 4-9|


    Bat Yam | 5 | 4| 1| 3 | 3-9| 3-9|


    Maccabi Tel-Aviv | 4 | 2| 2| 0| 6-0|


    Neve Shanan | 4 | 4| 0| 4| 2-12|


    Hapoel Hamaapil | 4 | 4| 0 |4| 0-12|

    Maccabi Tel-Aviv and Maccabi Arazim Raanana are in the 1st and 2nd place respectively


    Tel-Aviv didn't lose a game so far (out of 12) and Arazim Raanana has lost only one.


    From the 3rd to 6th place there will be only 2 spots for the final four, it would be interesting to see what will happen.


    The league in generally is much better, good foreign players are playing here and some of the young Israeli players will be very good in couple of years (there's one very good Opposite, 19 years old, 2.03 M, he is the grandson of the coach Arie Selinger).


    The best foreigners here are:


    Setter: Nicolas Efron, Tyler Hildebrand (ARG and USA national teams) and a Russian guy who played in the Russian Superleague last year.


    Opposites: Alex Damiao and Victor Bird (A Brazilian that played in Belchatow last year and a PUR national team).


    Outside Hitters: Sergey Zhyvolozhny, Maxi Torchello (nat. team ARG) and Michal Kubiak (a very good young Polish player).


    MB: Radko Kolev (former BUL nat. team, played in Tours and in Toulose).


    I think next season, the league will be even better because the players here generally are very young (in Tel-Aviv and Arazim Raanana which are the best, there are 3-4 in each team that are under 23 and start in the 6).


    The national team play a tourney against Austria in a couple of days and then it is to England to play against Belarus and Engalnd in the world championship Qual.

    Quote

    MB: Radko Kolev (former BUL nat. team, played in Tours and in Toulose).

    To be honest, I know a little about this player.. He played in the Bulgarian national team in the period 1996-1998 but did not show up quite often. I think he played most regularly in the World League 1997. However, I am also curious where exactly in Israel he plays...

    Radko plays in Hapoel Mate Asher, they are in the 6th place with 6 wins and 6 losses, they have their an Argentinian Outside from the nat. team ARG named Maxi Torchello, a very good Israeli Setter who played as a 1st one in Greece couple of years ago and a good Israeli Opposite.
    Radko play quite well, good attack but not enough in Block