2017 FIVB World League

  • Mostly we're looking for a new MB to take David Lee's place after the 2018 WCH.


    BTW I'm not completely sure this was the plan A for the WL. I mean if Russell was able to play, he would be on court.
    Sander, Russell and Jaeschke are supposed to be the 3 first choices for the OHs. We have to find a 4th one able to play at international level, which is the point why the coach is trying DeFalco and so on.
    Patch is supposed to fight the opposite position as back up against Clark. We know what Carson can do at international level, now it's time for Ben to prove himself.
    Erik Shoji will be around at least for the next OGs, so Brinkley can slowly adapt himself to this level and fight with Watten for a spot.
    About the setters, I'd rather go with Micah and James Shaw. Let's see what happens.


    We have fews spots to set and it makes sense going around the world with the B team. I'm mostly worried about taking the first division spot honestly. We need points this week.

  • Jendryk was invisible, McDonnell solid... IMO OPP position is critical :)


    I'd rather building Patch's confidence and experience in the next years, but I guess Speraw will keep going on with Anderson, he's 29 and can make the next OGs.

  • I hope the teams(and everyone) are safe in Iran.


    Hoping for peace to reign in this world soon. We don't need violence. We need more loving. :win:

    Favorite players: M: Maxim Mikhaylov, Murilo, Serginho, Aaron Russell, Otavio, Simone Giannelli, Ivan Zaytsev, Tsvetan Sokolov, Michał Kubiak, Mariusz Wlazly, Pawel Zagummy W: Sheilla, Zhu Ting, Natalia, Fe Garay, Fofao, Gabi, Thaisa, Foluke Akinradewo, Wei Qiuyue, Ding Xia, Carli Lloyd, Fabi, Natalia Goncharova, Yuko Sano, Saoris Kimura and Sakoda


    #FreeBritney

  • I hope the teams(and everyone) are safe in Iran.


    Hoping for peace to reign in this world soon. We don't need violence. We need more loving. :win:

    I hope and believe they are fine, that was the first terrorist attack in Tehran after 2 or 3 decades, and they already increased the security level and I thnk they will keep it like that for a while.


    Those terrorists will try more attacks for sure but I hope no more success, today's tragedy was enough

  • The 4th set in Japan between Korea and Slovenia was so weird that it probably deserves a separate analysis. Neither team wanted to win it, it seems. After the convincing 3rd part (something like 25-13), Slovenia destroyed the Koreans at the beginning of the 4th when they had a 13-8 advantage. The match was practically almost over. Kovac rested his opposite Gasparini already in set 3 and Stern started the fourth set from the first point. The score seemed to have relaxed the Slovenians and Kovac changed Vincic with Ropret. This decision/attitude paid off and the Koreans made a run of 8-1 points to take the lead at the second TTO at 16-14. Ropret, by the way, looked totally unprepared and made a mistake after mistake. And still, Korea almost failed to do what any good team would - punish their opponents. They also started making mistakes, their head coach was late with the time-outs, Slovenia woke up a bit, but got nervous, the refs made mistakes (I don't know why there was no Challenge system, I guess they don't use it in the lower divisions, or maybe just not this weekend in Japan). Slovenia's attitude cost them a point, although it should be a lesson learned if they want to do better in a few weeks in Australia.


    By the way, I read about important missing players in the Korean roster, I should say I don't know the Korean opposite. But it is truly impressive how often you can go full power in the very same way and get stuffed severely on a number of occasions without thinking twice.

  • Japan's serves are insane. They are putting a lot of pressure of Turkey's passing and to make it worse, Turkey's OHs are being inconsistent with high balls.


    The triangle of Nagaida, Yamauchi, and Otake is doing amazing.


    The referee made some really bad call, especially that carry that he called on the Turkish player on serve-receive. I thought overhead receive is legal in any form for receiving serve?

  • I dont see any problem with it. Lucas performed back slide perfectly well. I wonder why men no longer do back slide. It is quite efficient tbh.

    Usually, decent men MBs already spike with very high efficiency in front of the setter. It would be hard to improve this with back slide. Furthermore, conventional wisdom says that back slide is easier to block for men than for woman, due to higher blocking and more hang time. There could also be conflicts with opposite hitter from pos 1 who usually gets more balls in the men's game and jumps closer to the net than a womans opposite.


    Not saying it can't be effective for one or another team, and "conventional wisdom" could be proven wrong one day. But generally i don't see this element getting more importance for the men's game anytime soon.


    The referee made some really bad call, especially that carry that he called on the Turkish player on serve-receive. I thought overhead receive is legal in any form for receiving serve?

    A "carry" is not allowed on first contact. but of course this wasn't a carry :lol: . Generally i would say that the lack of a challenge system rather played into the cards of the japanese team :whistle:

  • I dont see any problem with it. Lucas performed back slide perfectly well. I wonder why men no longer do back slide. It is quite efficient tbh.


    Lucas rarely does the backslide. It's a one-foot jump after running behind the setter and against top pin blockers, that could be blocked or dug easily. It could also hurt your mddle blocking if it gets dug easily.There could be a chance the setter if he's frontrow to become the emergency middle blocker(or none at all if he's backrow) because the momentum of the slide could take you as far as offcourt. Plus the slide is too ancient for men if you have an opposite who can hit from backrow as if he was in frontrow. It's only good for surprise kills nowadays. I mean if you're gonna hit with a slide with volume attempts, it better be killed cause if it gets dug, life will get easier for the opponents.


    What he usually does is a back quick with Bruno. I honestly feel like this becomes totally confused as a slide attack because of the area he hits at.
    He also sometimes hits at the right side because of the nature of the set is similar to a set for an opposite.

    Favorite players: M: Maxim Mikhaylov, Murilo, Serginho, Aaron Russell, Otavio, Simone Giannelli, Ivan Zaytsev, Tsvetan Sokolov, Michał Kubiak, Mariusz Wlazly, Pawel Zagummy W: Sheilla, Zhu Ting, Natalia, Fe Garay, Fofao, Gabi, Thaisa, Foluke Akinradewo, Wei Qiuyue, Ding Xia, Carli Lloyd, Fabi, Natalia Goncharova, Yuko Sano, Saoris Kimura and Sakoda


    #FreeBritney

  • Canada wins the 1st set against Brazil. :lol:


    I`m sorry but I don`t want to see Bruno and Lucas AGAIN, Renan is so desperate to get good results and he`s been selfish and forcing these veterans to play. Just let Radke and Otavio play, Brazil is already in the finals, there`s no need to play with the Olympic Champions.


    Even Antiga is playing with a different roster this weekend.

  • What do you think about Chinese NT?
    In Turkey, I thought the team did their best though it lost to Turkey.
    However, this week in Finland, the players' situations are large problems during the match against Australia.
    I hope they change it and be better and better.

    My favourite roster of Chinese (in 2022)
    male NT:
    S - Yu Yao-chen, Chen Lei-yang
    OP - Jiang Chuan, Dai Qing-yao
    OH - Zhang Jing-yin, Yu Yuan-tai, Liu Li-bin, Fu Hou-wen
    MB - Zhang Zhe-jia, Peng Shi-kun, Li Yong-zhen, Jiang Zhen-yang
    L - Yang Yi-ming, Yang Tian-yuan


    female NT:
    S - Yao Di, Diao Lin-yu
    OP - Gong Xiang-yu, Sun Xiao-xuan
    OH - Li Ying-ying, Wang Yi-fan, Wu Meng-jie, Zhuang Yu-shan
    MB - Yuan Xin-yue, Wang Yuan-yuan, Zheng Yi-xin, Liu Yu
    L - Ni Fei-fan, Xu Jia-nan

  • Canada wins the 1st set against Brazil. :lol:


    I`m sorry but I don`t want to see Bruno and Lucas AGAIN, Renan is so desperate to get good results and he`s been selfish and forcing these veterans to play. Just let Radke and Otavio play, Brazil is already in the finals, there`s no need to play with the Olympic Champions.


    Even Antiga is playing with a different roster this weekend.


    I hope they get a better setter than Murilo though.


    It seems the best new setters now is a tall setter like Giannelli or Christenson. Murilo is tall bit I don't like his atttitude.

    Favorite players: M: Maxim Mikhaylov, Murilo, Serginho, Aaron Russell, Otavio, Simone Giannelli, Ivan Zaytsev, Tsvetan Sokolov, Michał Kubiak, Mariusz Wlazly, Pawel Zagummy W: Sheilla, Zhu Ting, Natalia, Fe Garay, Fofao, Gabi, Thaisa, Foluke Akinradewo, Wei Qiuyue, Ding Xia, Carli Lloyd, Fabi, Natalia Goncharova, Yuko Sano, Saoris Kimura and Sakoda


    #FreeBritney

  • Canada wins the 1st set against Brazil. :lol:

    I don't see what's so funny about it? Like losing a set to Canada is demeaning?


    I also don't see anything wrong with Renan using Bruno and Lucão. The NT will probably go with Bruno and either Raphael or William to Tokyo anyway and he's actually making more rotations than Bernardinho used to do in these early stages. I mean, Renan was in for Evandro, Douglas for Maurício and all four MBs have already played at least one full match so far, not to mention the liberos. Dal Zotto is doing a good job.

  • I really didn't like Italy today :S (despite they lost second and third set only 23-25, and also if they would have won it)
    USA played better but to be honest I wasn't in love with their game either...


    Our fight spirit hasn't arrived in France yet.