Women's Club World Championship 2017

  • Gabi is 3rd best receiver , Hill is 5th.
    Gabi 11th best spiker , Hill 15th.
    Gabi 9th best score , Hill 11th.



    Plus Ana Beatriz should be 2nd MB or even the best MB, she is the best score among all MB, best server among all MB, and 3rd best blocker, only behind Poljak. Bia played better than Juciely.

  • Yeah I get your point. But I just realized something, there were no prize money for individual awards, so it does not better that much after all., well it does matter but for me $$$ is money. I think Marco Ivovic got U$50K for MVP at World League.

    Most people are saying Juciely deserves the award so I don't think this is about nationality. Ana Beatriz did play well and I said that on a previous page but I believe she only scored more than Juciely because Rexona were competing for top 4 places while Osasco were competing for last 4.

  • I hope u enjoyed watching these games. At the end of the day the most important things for the Japanese teams was the experience playing with the big girls.


    I think both could have done a little bit better if they had Nagaoka and Nikolova, and of course if they have the fans cheering on them.


    Remember when I told u, Japanese volleyball biggest problem is not just the height but their lack of athleticism is their biggest problem. Look at Rexona`s team, they are a short team, Monique OPP is only 1.79cm, Gabi the best OH is only 1.80, same height as Koga. But the Japanese could never beat a European Team like Rexona can, because they are not only too short, but they are just too physically weak.


    Of course they did not win anything, but overall they played "well", consider the fact they were a bit out of rhythm because the final of Japanese League was what? over 1 month or more ago, while all the Europeans just finished their season less than 2 weeks ago. And Koga did fairly well.

    Volero seems to have more good players on the court at any given time than Eczacibasi

  • I`m sorry, but saying Gabi had a terrible tournament makes no sense. Did u even watch all Rexona`s games?.


    Gabi had the best reception among all OH, and 3rd among all players. And she was the 4rd best score among all OH, only behind Tandara, Zhu and Drussyla.


    Did u watch her 17 points against Volero for example?


    Again she had a great tournament, and there`s no shame when u dont play well against Vakifbank.


    That makes me think u r a Osasco Fan.


    Gabi did such a terrible tournament, I dont know where she was with her head at...cause it was not technical only, I felt that a lot of times were lack of interest..completely off...I really wished Bernardo had use Buijs more...specially Today, the team needed someone in attack to score balls when pass is not A, and Buijs was our best chance to that...


    Anyway...Congrats VakifBank, they are the better team and definetly deserve this title! :drink:

  • My positive takeaway for the Japanese, well ... the Red Rockets, is that after they got a brutal punch in the face in that first set of the tournament they didn't curl up into a little ball of defeat. I'm proud of them for that. They are young, not so strong, not tall, but I contend they contended. They lost a few sets with only 15-20 points but so did everyone else.


    I think in addition to a few more hours in the gym, that a few more years of maturity and experience will help them a lot. Finishing a set is important, and I think psychology and experience are important in this regard. Koga and Yanagita just turned 21 (so did Zhu and Zhang Changning, and Boskovic, but they seem like pretty special players)


    I forget which opponent it was that was being interviewed after one of their games where the Rockets had a weak set and the interviewer asked the opponent if she thought the Rockets were a little tired. And the woman laughed at the guy.


    Even when the Japanese teams lose, I love seeing their opponents with a look of incredulity on their faces "Why won't these kids just go away". That's one of the reasons I like Goncharova and Kosheleva. They seem respectfully and lovingly snarky.

  • Roberta does not know how to set for Carol, that is the reason. She doenst have the precision, even tho they play together for ages now...


    I see a lot fo you guys like Roberta, but honestly, I think she has still a long way to go, I think she makes a lot of precision errors... the sets are always a bit off for me, so spikers cant reach full potencial...I think she does not have much control of her place inside the court, so she has a hard time adjusting the position of the set when she moves, so the balls are always a bit to short, or a bit to far in the net....


    Rexona attackers are much smaller then Vakif players, we cant even start to compete with that kind of game... so playing with most balls to Drussyla and Gabi is not wise....of couse they were blocked...she should have used more the MBs, I dont think she did set even 10 balls for each MB... and even if she did would have been really hard. Rexona needs stronger attackers to think about any success in future World Championships. Just for the stile of the European teams...I can see RExona beating Osasco many times, but honestly, when it comes to beat the Europeans I believe Osasco has much more chances, cause they do have strong attackers, in a good day, Bjelica, Tandara can compete with the European blocks, Rexona dont have that kind of player...

    Roberta? Remember this is her first season as a starter. She benched all last season for Tompson, and only got the starting position at the at Game 3 of the semi-final.
    Carol had injury last summer, and kept her out from the NT, and also she got sick in December and missed a couple of games. Which means, Roberta and Carol have not played that much together.


    And Rexona can beat any European Team on any giving day, either that is Turkish or Italian, there`s nothing wrong with loosing for Vakifbank. If Vakifbank were playing at the Olympics they would be among the favorites to win a Gold Medal.

  • Gabi is 3rd best receiver , Hill is 5th.
    Gabi 11th best spiker , Hill 15th.
    Gabi 9th best score , Hill 11th.



    Plus Ana Beatriz should be 2nd MB or even the best MB, she is the best score among all MB, best server among all MB, and 3rd best blocker, only behind Poljak. Bia played better than Juciely.

  • I like Guidetti's new attitude. He's more calm and keep giving the players guidance even when the team was trailing. I remember how he could be a hothead and impatient when his team was in trouble.

  • I never understand why the national flags and the national anthem in a club tournement. They are not national teams and they are formed by players all around the world.

  • if i will base on stats i would give it more to tandara than gabi


    spiking- 7th vs 11th
    blocks- 27th vs 15th
    serves-3rd vs. 29th
    digs- 12th vs. 18th
    reception-16th vs. 3rd


    so gabi didnt have a terrible tournament but she still wasnt the 2nd best oh

  • After winning CEV CL and FIVB CWC, Vakifbank management should try their best to keep this roster intact.

  • It is just impossible to keep a roster completely, the question is always, how many key players you can keep and how are your reinforcements for leaving players? This is valid even for VakifBank, despite there will hardly ever a player leave for monetary reasons...

  • Vakif kept their starting rotation from last year replacing only Robin and Bujis with Zhu. By the end of the season Bujis was a bench player just as she has now become in Rexona. Once again her questionable reception has bumped her from being a regular rotation player.


    There are very few players of Hill's quality who would be content to only play part of the season, CL and CWC, as the three foreigner rule keeps her off the floor during the Turkish League season. Hill's primary motivation is being part of a tight knit team environment which Vakif currently provides. She is a very social person. Also Guidetti has functioned like a healer as she for two years in a row had her reception confidence broken by the USNT and it has taken him half a season to put her back together again. Don't know if its the coach or the environment but something has changed in her confidence during the last two NT seasons.


    One of the lesser known concerns is that the rise of terrorism in Turkey has created anxiety in her parents and family so there is a strong voice asking her to transfer to a safer country such as Italy. Especially now as the USA has endorsed supporting Kurdish forces in Syria much to the disapproval of the Turkish government. This puts US citizens in Turkey more in the spotlight then they would prefer.

  • I never understand why the national flags and the national anthem in a club tournement. They are not national teams and they are formed by players all around the world.

    Indeed. And I find it disrespectful to the international players who are putting all the effort to the court and are the main reasons behind the titles. :wall:

  • I respect your point of view, and I know people will think I`m trolling and hating on the American Players.


    Hill talked about safety issues in Turkey, but she`s not the only one. Everyone has the same problem in Turkey. Sokolov said when he lived in Turkey he would fear even when he was sitting on a Red Light.


    But Thaisa for example said she has no fear at all living in Turkey, she even said she feels safer in Turkey than in Brazil.


    I live in Portland, and that is where Kim Hill is from, her parents lives here. And she always gives the Local Papers Interview, and she has said only good things about living in Turkey. It is funny that she lived there for 2 years, and only now that she`s leaving the "safety" issue became a problem. Or maybe u guys are the ones saying she`s leaving because of safety issues.


    But if it is true she`s leaving, it has nothing to do with safety. Vakifbank is the one that does not want to keep her. ( again, if it is true she`s leaving)


    Both seasons she has been really inconsistent, last season she was supposed to be a starter but she was really weak and Anne took her place in the starting six, she was not on the bench because of the foreigner rule. she was simply not playing well, but of course Anne was not playing well either they that`s why she kept switching each other, she had a really bad season but played really well in the playoffs.


    And same thing happened this season. She has been inconsistent again, she got to play a lot in the Turkish League, she has good games, but she had bad games also. I don`t get why, but when it comes down to American Players you guys only remember the good games they had, but forget the bad games they had. It is not secret Zhu carries this team, either u like it or not. In the Turkish Cup Zhu did not play well, and of course they lost, Hill played but there`s nothing she can do when ZHu is not playing well, same thing happened against Galatasarry, Zhu did not play as usuall, and they lost. Vakifibank got lucky playing against a "broken" Vitra for 3rd place. If Vakifibak had lost, they would be out of CL next year.


    I know u guys think she dd amazing in the FINAL 4, but look at her stats in the semi-final and u will see she only attack 20%, and that is really bad.


    And USNT has nothing to do with her poor performance. In the World Cup against Russia and Serbia, she flopped. Same thing happened in the Olympics against Serbia, she flopped.
    And the reason is because, she has a hard time playing against tall blocking teams. She played OK against Vitra because there were without Thaiza. If she was there, I can guarantee u she would have not been so lucky.


    She played well against Rexona, because they are a short blocking team.


    So basically, maybe Vakifbank is letting her go, because they are looking for a player that can play well all season long and not only at the end of the season? And they know Zhu will not be able to carry the team offensively all the time?


    ( The kissing American`s ass in this Blog continues, but I will happily keep it straight up whenever I read S$#$# ) :thumbup:






    Vakif kept their starting rotation from last year replacing only Robin and Bujis with Zhu. By the end of the season Bujis was a bench player just as she has now become in Rexona. Once again her questionable reception has bumped her from being a regular rotation player.


    There are very few players of Hill's quality who would be content to only play part of the season, CL and CWC, as the three foreigner rule keeps her off the floor during the Turkish League season. Hill's primary motivation is being part of a tight knit team environment which Vakif currently provides. She is a very social person. Also Guidetti has functioned like a healer as she for two years in a row had her reception confidence broken by the USNT and it has taken him half a season to put her back together again. Don't know if its the coach or the environment but something has changed in her confidence during the last two NT seasons.


    One of the lesser known concerns is that the rise of terrorism in Turkey has created anxiety in her parents and family so there is a strong voice asking her to transfer to a safer country such as Italy. Especially now as the USA has endorsed supporting Kurdish forces in Syria much to the disapproval of the Turkish government. This puts US citizens in Turkey more in the spotlight then they would prefer.

  • Just a reminder regarding some of your conclusions. The loss to Gala shows the importance of Rasic as one of the best MB's in world. She missed both of those games due to injury. With Rasic VB probably would have swept every major medal. The difference between the very best teams is very small and the littlest changes can have large consequences. Rexona was in every set against VB right up to the end of each. VB has a harder time replacing Rasic then Zhu. You might recall that last year VB played right to the gold medal match in CL without Zhu but with Hill and lost to a highly insprired home team, Pomi, led by a throw back sensational performance by Piccini. In the Turklish League finals VB took gold and Hill was MVP.


    On the terrorism issue the biggest event last year were the killings at a major night club that the players frequented. That's pretty close to home when you might have been there just a few days before but decided to stay home on New Years. It'a petty clear to even the most casual observer of Turkish politics that it is going through a dramatic shift that has seen an increase of violence.


    Regarding Hill's inconsistency. It really is not her attacking that has taken her out of games for the USNT it has been her inconsistency in reception. She is better then Larson or Robinson when it comes to attack regardless to the height of the MB's. It was her reception errors that forced Karche to put her on the bench. But if you look back at last years club stats you will that she was receiving at a very high level at the season end just as she did this year. The USNT does not have a big finisher like Zhu to bail out bad passes. Well they do but she doesn't get invited to join the team.


    When Hill is in her confidence mode she is one of the top defensive OH's in the world. WC 2014 clearly showed that. At CL and the CWC she delivered in the big matches when everything was on the line. That is what a team like VB wants and that's what they have gotten from Hill for the last two years.


    With Hill in the lineup they have silver and gold in CL. They have one gold in Turkish League and now gold in CWC. It would have been fun to see what last years CWC might have brought but unfortunately the Olympics moved it to the fall and the teams were out of their rhythms and had added new players but had no time to acclimate them to each other.


    Whether she stays or goes will not be just because VB doesn't want her based upon her performance because in the big picture she has delivered at the most important times. She was there for two reasons. CL and CWC and in both instances she helped the team achieve gold. She will never be an impact player in the Turkish league because of the 3 foreigner rule and if she is playing then that means that Zhu is probably injured as VB will always need a strong Turkish OH to compete.


    I would like to see her stay but also think she would have a great season playing along side of Hodge at Imoco and Bricio. It would be great to see an Italian team take a strong run in CL without being the host team and I think based upon her one year in Italy when she, Klineman, and Barun led Novara to a dream finish where they unexpectedly played right to the fifth set for the Italian crown only to lose to a resurgent Pomi that she could do that.


    Typed in the Starbucks, at Freddies, near Washingtion Square...Tillamook cheese is still the best....

  • I disagree with you on Hill's situation.. But this is what I thought when considering all the information out there.


    In the beginning when I heard the rumor that Hill is leaving, I had the same thoughts as you. I watched many VakifBank's games and Hill really didn't play that well, especially her offense. And I thought VakifBank was definitely the one that wanted her to go. But after I read more news and thought it through, I changed my mind.


    First, Hill said in the interview published by the Polish media that what really shocked her was the Istanbul nightclub shooting that happened on NY even. It is a popular place to hang out in Istanbul and VakifBank team celebrated the end of season there last year. And she said many of her colleagues often went there to hang out and relax. We all know that Turkey hasn't been that safe for the past year, attacks here and there. But players live in safe part of town in Istanbul and they shouldn't be close to any of those threats. But the NY even attack was totally different, it happened at a place where she went not long ago and if not the attack, she probably will go there again. When those kind of terrible things become really close to her, it is totally understandable that she feels not safe. I would feel the same. Not mention being a US citizen probably would make it worse there and her family must be really worry about her when they heard the nightclub shooting and their daughter went to the same place before.


    Secondly, it makes more sense for a club to evaluate each player at the end of the season. They would evaluate what they gain as a club for the past season and how much they invested in. And then they will decide each player's contribution to team and figure out if it's worth to keep her. Telling a player that the club no longer has interest in her during the season is just not smart. I don't think VakifBank as a mature volleyball club would do this kind of thing, especially when the rumor came out, they were still competing for CL.


    And even it's true that VakifBank doesn't want to keep Hill, there aren't many good candidates out there that can replace her. Who can attack better than Hill and at the same time be able to serve, receive, and dig well as outside hitter? Kosheleva has good offense but she can't receive, Robinson is good at receive and defense but I don't think her attack is that good. Of course Larson or Kim would be good option, but chances are they will stay at where they are right now. And I really think Hill plays well when she is able to play big chunk of minutes. In the beginning of season, Zhu and Gozde played most of minutes and Hill got to play here and there. Her minutes weren't that consistent due to the 3 foreign players rule of Turkish league. Also Hill said in interview it was hard for her to refocus onto volleyball after the Olympic games last year, I guess she needs time in the beginning of season to re-adjust and find her rhythms. When it comes to CL and club world championship, she played much more time than Gozde and VakifBank won all the game, the core four (Zhu-Sloetjes-Rasic-Hill) seems invincible and I truly enjoyed how they played as a team. Though one can argue Hill's stats is not that elite against high blocking, but she was never famous for that, it's her all-round skills made her good, and I think she is a really important piece for VakifBank and can assist Zhu when she needs.


    So overall I believe it's Hill wanted to leave Istanbul at that time. But now things are a little tricky after the team won both CL and world championship. She might want to stay. After all Turkey seems to be stable for the past couple months. We don't know what she is thinking right now, but she could think 2 different ways: 1). She has won everything she could during the 2 year stay in VakifBank: Turkish league, CL, and world championship. Maybe it's time to go somewhere else safe, that make her family less worried, and explore new opportunities; or 2). VakifBank is rather strong at this point, and Zhu-Sloetjes-Rasic would most likely stay for the next season, she has been enjoying playing with them and if she stays too, she will have chance to win more championships in the next season, who doesn't want to win?!


    I won't be surprised that Hill stays for another year, and if she leaves, it doesn't surprise me either... It all comes down to what she values more and how the safety situation in Turkey changes. Personally I want her to stay. Adding 1-2 more players alongside the core squad next season, VakifBank would be fun to watch and hard to defeat!


    Again I am new to this blog and just wanted to share what I thought.