Women's World Grand Champions Cup 2017

  • Blaming Karch...really. Larson and Hill didn't play well. Larson looked out of shape and winded at the USA Cup against Brazil. Drew did well until she started making mistakes and I think that hurt her confidence. The passing was bad. I would have started most of the team that went to the Grand Prix, they had at least play together and knew what to expect from each other. And I would have added Adams too.

  • Watching the JPN v KOR game. These Asian games are more fun to watch, for me. It may not actually be true but it seems like the rallies are longer and the digs are better, at least the quantity of quality digs. And the sportsmanship and attitude are more attractive. I like this Korean group over the recent one. I like the setter better, the libero, I'm happy to see that one twin girl #7 back, she's hitting well. And, more pleasant for me, that one player with the LeBron James attitude is not there.

  • Seeing Aiyana Whitney in USA NT is really weird. She was a big disappointment in German league, she had a couple of good matches but most of the time she was completely off, making way more errors than points.

    She's a political insurance for the team Maybe?? If Rachel Adam and Foluke Akinradewo decide to take their "retirement", the USANT will be all "white" for the next OG.

  • Aiyana Whitney


    Who would give a shit to such things? Male team has always been 'white all' nobody cared about it.

  • Who would give a shit to such things? Male team has always been 'white all' nobody cared about it.

    Dude, It's the USA we are talking about. AFAIK, there are always black players in the USANT. With the recent social and political context in the USA, Imagine you're the coach and you need to explain to the public why this time your players for the next OG are all "white".

  • She's a political insurance for the team Maybe?? If Rachel Adam and Foluke Akinradewo decide to take their "retirement", the USANT will be all "white" for the next OG.


    Pretty sure no one will retire before the next OGs, but if anything happens, Ajanaku and Alhassan will make their way into this team. :whistle:

  • Dude, It's the USA we are talking about. AFAIK, there are always black players in the USANT. With the recent social and political context in the USA, Imagine you're the coach and you need to explain to the public why this time your players for the next OG are all "white".


    I get your point. The USA. It's not like the press here gives a hoot about Volleyball, but click bait is another story. It's not like anyone had to sift through the wall to wall volleyball coverage at the Huffington Post to find that picture of the Serbian Players going to Japan. But your "insurance" point is pretty cynical. :teach:

  • Watching the JPN v KOR game. These Asian games are more fun to watch, for me. It may not actually be true but it seems like the rallies are longer and the digs are better, at least the quantity of quality digs. And the sportsmanship and attitude are more attractive. I like this Korean group over the recent one. I like the setter better, the libero, I'm happy to see that one twin girl #7 back, she's hitting well. And, more pleasant for me, that one player with the LeBron James attitude is not there.

    Agreed. Asian games are much more interesting for me because all the crazy digs. Plus, they seems to really enjoy the game and have better relationship on court with one another. Japan, Korea, and Thailand are so enjoyable to watch. I would love to love to see China play but their current middle blocker (the screaming banshee) takes away all the fun.


    I don't know why but it seems like Korea is playing much better without Kim imo. The sets distribution seems fair enough. And even though they were down straight sets, but there are moments when they put up a very good fight.


    And for Japan, I like that tall OH. And it is good to see Yuri Ishii back on court. Japan as for now has a very good bunch of OH - Koga, Ishii, the tall OH, Nabeya, and the short one.

  • Pretty sure no one will retire before the next OGs, but if anything happens, Ajanaku and Alhassan will make their way into this team.

    From manager perspective, it's better safe than sorry. Rachel and Foluke are both in their very risky age of catching the virus of "Oh no!! I don't want to become too old to be a mother" or/and a virus of "It's time for me to seize the opportunity of my second career". If I were the USANT management team, I would start to look for their "substitutes". I'm not a regular follower of USANT. But for curiosity, who are Ajanaku and Alhassan? how do they compare to other players (similar players) ?

  • And for Japan, I like that tall OH. And it is good to see Yuri Ishii back on court. Japan as for now has a very good bunch of OH - Koga, Ishii, the tall OH, Nabeya, and the short one.


    I assume you mean Uchesito as the short one. I'm really eating crow with her. Never liked her, still don't, but damn she's playing well. Jumps high, hits hard, has a number of ways to softly tap the ball to open floor instead of cracking it every time. Not to mention she's a receiving robot machine.


    As for the tall one ... Nomoto or Horikawa? I'm happy with both of them. Nomoto is getting the minutes in Koga's absence and is delivering, I think. Horikawa is taller but plays OP.

  • I get your point. The USA. It's not like the press here gives a hoot about Volleyball, but click bait is another story. It's not like anyone had to sift through the wall to wall volleyball coverage at the Huffington Post to find that picture of the Serbian Players going to Japan. But your "insurance" point is pretty cynical.

    Like I said, it's a insurance (risk management). It might happen nothing or It might be all over the sport news. The reason why you take an insurance is to manage the risk. Don't forget we are talking about OG, not a Sunday college volleyball tournament. If you're the USANT manager or you're the USANT coach, how are you going to answer to the Media if they ask you how come this time all your players for the OG are all "white"? In public relation management, appearance is sometime more important than the reality.


  • I assume you mean Uchesito as the short one. I'm really eating crow with her. Never liked her, still don't, but damn she's playing well. Jumps high, hits hard, has a number of ways to softly tap the ball to open floor instead of cracking it every time. Not to mention she's a receiving robot machine.


    As for the tall one ... Nomoto or Horikawa? I'm happy with both of them. Nomoto is getting the minutes in Koga's absence and is delivering, I think. Horikawa is taller but plays OP.

    It is actually Nomoto because I know Horikawa. I hope I can see the Ishii-Nabeya duo some time in this tournament just to see how it will work.

  • Like I said, it's a insurance (risk management). It might happen nothing or It might be all over the sport news. The reason why you take an insurance is to manage the risk. Don't forget we are talking about OG, not a Sunday college volleyball tournament. If you're the USANT manager or you're the USANT coach, how are you going to answer to the Media if they ask you how come this time all your players for the OG are all "white"? In public relation management, appearance is sometime more important than the reality.


    I understand that business mind point of view. And think it's cynical. There are other reasons for adding people of color to a business than insurance against bad press.

  • I understand that business mind point of view. And think it's cynical. There are other reasons for adding people of color to a business than insurance against bad press.

    Don't be naïve. It's all business. It's because of business that we're still unable to watch the replays of this OG "legally".

  • Don't be naïve. It's all business. It's because of business that we're still unable to watch the replays of this OG "legally".


    It's naive to think cautioning someone against being naive validates your point of view. But hey! No harm, no foul. I'm cynical about a lot of things, too. :drink:

  • Just looked at Clayton Lucas' Twitter. He's got a broken collar bone. Says: "I have to say its more painful than I thought commentating with a broken collar bone! #theshowmustgoon"


    I tweeted a "Happy you're commentating" and wished the mix engineer would dial back the crowd noise a bit to hear him better.

  • It's naive to think cautioning someone against being naive validates your point of view. But hey! No harm, no foul. I'm cynical about a lot of things, too.

    It has nothing to do with my "point of view". I gave you a context and the risks which related to this context. If you have better way to deal with this situation, why don't you share your idea instead of being cynical. For myself, I don't give a flying fxxk about the player's skin color or where she comes from. As long as she's pretty or she's really talented in her sport, I'm a fan of her.