Women's World Grand Champions Cup 2017

  • JPN BRA 8-3 in 5th set.... Nippon Go Nippon :lol:


    10 - 4, 11 - 4, 12-4, 13-4 Nippon Go Nippon :) BRA is on the uphill battle task to reverse the outcome


    “There are decades where nothing happens; and there are weeks where decades happen.”

    Edited once, last by samsara ().

  • Congratulations to the Japanese team :flower: JPN - BRA 3 - 2 (25-18, 25-27, 25-15, 16-25, 15-6)


    Okay, the Japanese team has again showed the world that it can beat the much higher, the WR #3 and the regular champion of the WGP, the Brazilian team, time and again... that the previous wins were not just fluxes!


    Most likely BRA just depreciates its medal metal to the lower grade one.


    Btw the USA team just send a thank you note to the JPN for the assistance :-)


    Indeed this is a huge anomaly in the elite club of world of the women's volleyball... a reality that is hard to digest!!


    “There are decades where nothing happens; and there are weeks where decades happen.”


  • Thank you for telling! No wonder the KOR team performed so pathetic today, the team misses not only KYK!


    Too bad this board has no Like or Thumb Up function to show member's approval or positive feedback... makes it rather unresponsive and relatively quiet.

    Just watched the game. China vs Korea. :sos: I dont think kyk or other Korea's players can make things different. CHN take Zhu out after 15:0. and send many bench players in.Still end up with 25:4 :what: This Korea team just too weak.They should give this wild card to serbia.
    :whistle:

  • Just watched the game. China vs Korea. :sos: I dont think kyk or other Korea's players can make things different. CHN take Zhu out after 15:0. and send many bench players in.Still end up with 25:4 :what: This Korea team just too weak.They should give this wild card to serbia.
    :whistle:


    Nope, I didn't mean that the inclusion of KYK or others would turn the table for the KOR team today, but then one could expect a more non-lopsided match.


    Indeed I said the same at Post #235 :-) but then "... the 5th team can be taken from the rest of TOP-7 [SRB ITA NED] but in that case the host can end up at the bottom of the pool, which ain't nice either...". Do you see it now? :P :D :D


    “There are decades where nothing happens; and there are weeks where decades happen.”

    Edited 2 times, last by samsara ().

  • Russia is once again facing the same problem as in the last years: Kosheleva and Goncharova are their best individual players, but with them on court, everyone else plays worse :white:


    In WGP Russia didn't get good results but their MBs did a great job, also used well by Filishtinskaya, thanks to an overall solid reception. With Kosheleva on court it's clear that the other OH has to be a defensive specialist who can cover the whole court together with the libero to keep Kosheleva out of reception. That explains the presence of Frolova who in terms of hitting must be the weakest player ever in Russian NT, but in all fairness to her, she gets the job in passing done well enough. Better than Shcherban and Parubets obviously, otherwise she wouldn't be on court (yes, I already see another comment coming about every 70 year old person in the world being absolutely unable to think reasonably :whistle: ).


    In today's match Kosheleva and Goncharova attacked 59 and 49 balls of Russia's 155 :aww: IMO they're not going to get very far with that, especially not when the other OH is almost like a 2nd libero. But then, Serbia is not much different either with their reliance on Boskovic and Mihajlovic. Just that those two nowadays seem stronger than the Russian duo...

  • Looks like China can clinch the title with a 3-0 or 3-1 win against Russia and a five setter between USA-Japan tomorrow.

  • Russia is once again facing the same problem as in the last years: Kosheleva and Goncharova are their best individual players, but with them on court, everyone else plays worse :white:


    In WGP Russia didn't get good results but their MBs did a great job, also used well by Filishtinskaya, thanks to an overall solid reception. With Kosheleva on court it's clear that the other OH has to be a defensive specialist who can cover the whole court together with the libero to keep Kosheleva out of reception. That explains the presence of Frolova who in terms of hitting must be the weakest player ever in Russian NT, but in all fairness to her, she gets the job in passing done well enough. Better than Shcherban and Parubets obviously, otherwise she wouldn't be on court (yes, I already see another comment coming about every 70 year old person in the world being absolutely unable to think reasonably :whistle: ).


    In today's match Kosheleva and Goncharova attacked 59 and 49 balls of Russia's 155 :aww: IMO they're not going to get very far with that, especially not when the other OH is almost like a 2nd libero. But then, Serbia is not much different either with their reliance on Boskovic and Mihajlovic. Just that those two nowadays seem stronger than the Russian duo...


    Did u actually watch the game or you just checked the stats? Frolova does not get the job done in reception, she gets aced so many times, and I`m not just saying it, if I watch the game again I will count how many times she got aced, plus the reason Filishtinksya does not uses the MB much is because a lot of Frolovas passes are not good, she makes Filishtinsskakakahd ( ok this one is hard to spell) run all over the court to set the ball.


    And the funny thing is that if you go over to other blogs and youtube, u can see a lot of people talking about the same thing, how can she be on the court and playing for a team like Russia? A lot of people even making fun of her.


    I totally agree that Mihajlovic and Boskovic are stronger than Kosheleva/Goncharova.
    The problem with Goncharova is that whenever she gets a bad set she just pass the ball over as a free ball, it is good because at least u r not making a mistake, but at the same time as a OPP u gotta try something instead of just passing a free ball over.
    And at this match it was clear after a while especially in the 4th and 5th set, both of them could not take anymore, they were just exhausted.

  • You need to read carefully. I said she gets the job done WELL ENOUGH, not she gets the job done PERFECTLY. Which means that Shcherban and Ilchenko would most likely do worse. Kuzyutkin has decided for this system for now, I assume he uses WGCC as evaluation because what really counts for Russia is ECH and I bet every Russian player and coach agrees with me on this. Time will tell if he is right or not, I never said I liked Russia's current game :roll:

  • You need to read carefully. I said she gets the job done WELL ENOUGH, not she gets the job done PERFECTLY. Which means that Shcherban and Ilchenko would most likely do worse. Kuzyutkin has decided for this system for now, I assume he uses WGCC as evaluation because what really counts for Russia is ECH and I bet every Russian player and coach agrees with me on this. Time will tell if he is right or not, I never said I liked Russia's current game :roll:


    Yeah ECH is what matters, of course they will look good once they will be playing against Bulgaria, Turkey and Ukraine. :lol:

  • Imo in reception Frolova is much better then all other Russian options even if she got aced a lot. The other options are simply
    worse. Though I agree this is not 'the way to go' for Russia, especially in the long run.


    I can't help but notice how so many people are making fun of her, and hating on her not necessarily based on her performance but rather because of her looks and length. Yea I dont like her weird short hair either and no she's not a slavic goddess like some other Russian players but this is not Miss World godd**n it :aww:

  • Russia is once again facing the same problem as in the last years: Kosheleva and Goncharova are their best individual players, but with them on court, everyone else plays worse :white:


    In WGP Russia didn't get good results but their MBs did a great job, also used well by Filishtinskaya, thanks to an overall solid reception. With Kosheleva on court it's clear that the other OH has to be a defensive specialist who can cover the whole court together with the libero to keep Kosheleva out of reception. That explains the presence of Frolova who in terms of hitting must be the weakest player ever in Russian NT, but in all fairness to her, she gets the job in passing done well enough. Better than Shcherban and Parubets obviously, otherwise she wouldn't be on court (yes, I already see another comment coming about every 70 year old person in the world being absolutely unable to think reasonably :whistle: ).


    In today's match Kosheleva and Goncharova attacked 59 and 49 balls of Russia's 155 :aww: IMO they're not going to get very far with that, especially not when the other OH is almost like a 2nd libero. But then, Serbia is not much different either with their reliance on Boskovic and Mihajlovic. Just that those two nowadays seem stronger than the Russian duo...


    Thanks Matthias, an interesting exposition, it helps explain why a player like Frolova (which is not tall enough as well as no longer young) can play as an OP in the RUS team. I just think the current RUS team is weaker than the one at the 2015 World Cup... but I don't know WHY when most players are the same ones... can only guess perhaps it's caused by the key players are getting older passing their peaks esp. the twin towers: Kosheleva and Goncharova; or some key players are not as fit as in the past, Or its peer competitors are improving when the RUS team is static or declining; etc etc ???)


    Problems with the RUS team are both Kosheleva and Goncharova are not the complete players, think that they have their serious drawbacks at reception & passing and even not good at serve (if I'm correct with their flaws) yet the two are too important to be left out making the rest of players must cover their deficiencies... and the attacks solely rely on the two, setter just feed them ignoring others incl. the middle.


    Then your insights on the SRB team: Boskovic and Mihajlovic...


    I wanna hear your analysis on the CHN team that's obviously relying much on Zhu Ting... isn't the CHN team on the same path as the SRB???


    And if I switch my focus to the BRA team they also have the backbone on Tandara & Natalia... what's their differences than the SRB and CHN?


    Even ITA has Egonu, Folie and Chirichella... and if these three key players are taken out the team will be limp.


    Thus my basic understanding: every Top team has its own Key players, mostly two to three players, at any time these key players are absent, the team won't be the same one again, they will be limp when facing with the other top contenders or peer competitors.


    Thanks for enlightening :)


    “There are decades where nothing happens; and there are weeks where decades happen.”


  • Really????? :white:
    May it be a (negative) record in an international competition since the RPS?


    2015 WC Serbia deafted Algeria 25-7 / 25-11 / 25-3


    and guess who were serving for China? ZHU.... poor girl she had to serve 15 times in a row.

  • Imo in reception Frolova is much better then all other Russian options even if she got aced a lot. The other options are simply worse. Though I agree this is not 'the way to go' for Russia, especially in the long run.


    I can't help but notice how so many poeple are making fun of her, and hating on her not necessarily based on her performance but rather because of her looks and length. Yea I dont like her weird short hair either and no she's not a slavic goddess like some other Russian players but this is not Miss World godd**n it :aww:

    :win:


    Another thing: I bet most people who complain about her haven't seen a single match of hers in Russian league last season. I watched a couple of matches of Yenisey and I was very surprised by her performance because of her height and age, she was the decisive player for her team throughout the season both offensively and defensively. So the call to NT was absolutely deserved IMO, but her attack just won't do for world class level.

  • Imo in reception Frolova is much better then all other Russian options even if she got aced a lot. The other options are simply
    worse. Though I agree this is not 'the way to go' for Russia, especially in the long run.


    I can't help but notice how so many poeple are making fun of her, and hating on her not necessarily based on her performance but rather because of her looks and length. Yea I dont like her weird short hair either and no she's not a slavic goddess like some other Russian players but this is not Miss World godd**n it :aww:


    People were not making fun of her looks, but of her play. It is really weird to see such a short playing in the Russian team. And she can`t jump any high at all, sometimes when she gets set and the block is there already it is funny the way how the tries to spike, because she can`t really jump.

  • As for Kosheleva and Goncharova: the thing is that they should not be judged by their performance in this tournament. Whether rdbfabio likes it or not, Russia's goal is ECH and their training is planned towards that, so right now they are in the middle of preparation but have to play 5 matches. I'm sure they do a lot of weights besides playing the matches, so of course none of their players are in top shape right now. I'm sure Russia will show up in a much better shape in two weeks.


    As for the reliance on key players: the main difference for me is the number of balls attacked by the players. As I pointed out, Goncharova and Kosheleva today carried about 2/3 of the team's offense which does not happen in China/Brazil/Italy with their key players. Sure Zhu Ting will get the balls at the end of close sets and tie-breaks, but other than that China/Brazil/Italy play varied attacks. Serbian setters tend to overuse Mihajlovic and Boskovic despite having great middles but Terzic said he was going to change that, we'll see in ECH as well...

  • Matthias I agree, actually whenever I see her play I'm pleasantly surprised because of all the waaay too extra negative comments about her. People acting like she's the worst OH ever while she is pretty decent generally. Yea, I agree Russia needs a better balanced/defensive OH in the long run. But give Frolova a break already... :whistling:

  • As for Kosheleva and Goncharova: the thing is that they should not be judged by their performance in this tournament. Whether rdbfabio likes it or not, Russia's goal is ECH and their training is planned towards that, so right now they are in the middle of preparation but have to play 5 matches. I'm sure they do a lot of weights besides playing the matches, so of course none of their players are in top shape right now. I'm sure Russia will show up in a much better shape in two weeks.


    As for the reliance on key players: the main difference for me is the number of balls attacked by the players. As I pointed out, Goncharova and Kosheleva today carried about 2/3 of the team's offense which does not happen in China/Brazil/Italy with their key players. Sure Zhu Ting will get the balls at the end of close sets and tie-breaks, but other than that China/Brazil/Italy play varied attacks. Serbian setters tend to overuse Mihajlovic and Boskovic despite having great middles but Terzic said he was going to change that, we'll see in ECH as well...


    Got your key points about the team reliance on key players based on the number of attacking balls fed on them.... I reckon that.
    And yes, team's own priority thus the training program to achieve peak performance at the targeted event, just the same as other sports. In short, judgement will be more accurate when being given to the utmost important events like the WCh and OG when All Top teams (i.e. the Title Contenders) in no doubt are setting the same highest priorities there!


    For any Top EUR team whereas the competition within that zone is severe in achieving the slots for the 2018 WCh naturally the focus is on the pretty close ECH (cf. this WGCC). And it's a fact that CHN/BRA/USA all have much easier competition within their respective confederations... different scale of challenges :-) the USA is even exempted this time as the defending champion.


    “There are decades where nothing happens; and there are weeks where decades happen.”

  • Just watched the JPN v BRA game without spoilers. Weird, very entertaining game with the ups and downs from both sides. Japan won this game without Koga or Nagaoka, good for them. :super: Nabeya, once again strong off the bench.


    Correct me if I'm wrong but it seems like Japan won on serves. They kept Brazil out of system. This "in system" thing is something I'm just learning about--I assume it means: good receive, good pass, good set ... so you can hit with a play you want. When Brazil gets that they crush it. They didn't get a lot of that in this game. Good blocking from both teams.


    I recorded it on the TV's DVR overnight and it cut off at 3-1 in the 5th set. Had to go download the thing to see the finish. Pins and needles for me. :lol:

  • Just watched the JPN v BRA game without spoilers. Weird, very entertaining game with the ups and downs from both sides. Japan won this game without Koga or Nagaoka, good for them. :super: Nabeya, once again strong off the bench.


    Correct me if I'm wrong but it seems like Japan won on serves. They kept Brazil out of system. This "in system" thing is something I'm just learning about--I assume it means: good receive, good pass, good set ... so you can hit with a play you want. When Brazil gets that they crush it. They didn't get a lot of that in this game. Good blocking from both teams.


    I recorded it on the TV's DVR overnight and it cut off at 3-1 in the 5th set. Had to go download the thing to see the finish. Pins and needles for me. :lol:


    I know how that it, that`s why I always set to record the next 1 or 2 shows scheduled after the game.


    i`m glad Japan won, again they beat Brazil. I went years and years always hoping for Japan to beat Brazil ( they did in 2011), and the time is finally here. Japan is not scared of Brazil anymore and their game play.


    But Brazil did not play well, Yeah Japan served really well and this got Brazil in trouble. Roberta/Tandara/Natalia were not having a good game early on already, and they never played well, but Ze Roberto failed to replace them...oh wait he did replace them when Japan had 24-20 and Naiane and Monique saved that set from Brazil.
    Also Japan had a couple of blocks which made a huge difference and do did Araki. A lot of crazy digs. I wish they had beaten Russia or at least taken 1 point and they could be looking at a medal.