World League 2010

    Man, I start to hate our setter.... Almost no balls to our MB :wall: :mad:

    Quote from viva2

    Pol-Cub 3:0 :dance6:

    Yes, great result for Poland. Cuba finally defeated! It was very exciting match! Although both teams made lots of mistakes I must say that it was pretty good match ;) Both teams showed some great skills, great actions. We crushed Cuba in block today! It seems that we improved our serve too! For me MM was MVP of this match! Great block, great serve! Good job Marcin! Can't wait for matches in Poland. I hope we'll win all of 6 matches that are left. Sure, it will be very difficult, but it's not impossible! Keep it up guys!
    Cuba - Poland 0:3
    (25:27, 23:25, 12:25)

    The main problem of Netherlands is service...they can't do 2 great services...Dick Kooy is the only one who can service nice

    I'm so ENORMOUS diasappointed...........


    The Dutch gave the victory as a present to Bulgaria.....


    1. 5 of 6 players served today catastrofal/like a pussy (except Kooy)


    2. coöperation van Harskamp-middleblockers catastrofal


    3. van Harskamp !!!! He does almost everything wrong ( wrong choices) in important situations, is very predictable (!!!) and he gave too less sets to MB and Kooy ( statistics: Rauwerdink got 20 sets, Klapwijk 28 and Kooy only 13...I can't understand that.)


    Bulgaria was weaker than yesterday; in each set Dutch team gave it away themselves in a childish way....

    Wow, that was easy! :thumbsup:


    We grabbed the second one like in training. Terrific work by Kaziyski and Nicolov, 30 pts. overall. Our setter used MB rarely, too. Which is something I don't wanna see in future. But what I like was confidence, strength and simply class shown today. Thanks, boys! :dance6:

    I don;t think it was so easy and also that Bulgaria was much weaker. I'm happy, because Bulgaria wants to visit Argentina one more time!

    Jekov cannot use everytime middle blockers like yesterday . Sometimes Prandi changes tactic to play like in Stoev time only with receivers and opposite . But the most important is that it's also effective.

    Bulgaria won for the second time? Well, I'm not surprised...

    The most important 3:
    POLAND-SZCZECIN-VOLLEYBALL


    5th place - Prediction Game - World League 2011 :D

    I wish Bulgaria to qualify to final six, and if Poland NT will not (but I hope they will), then I wish Bulgaria to win Word League this year.


    Go Poland, Go Bulgaria :super:

    Bulgaria didn't qualify since 2007 and has reached only on 1/2-final lost to France 0-3. I'm watching Italy-Serbia now and from this pool Serbia can take 12 points from China (maybe second games are going to be harder), 9-12 points from France and from Italy 5-8 points which makes about 26 - 32! Bulgaria in turn must not loose even a point in next 4 games. We're playing with Brazil last two games and these are going to be like they play in final! Next week Netherlands are playing Brazil at home. Sergio is coming back. There is some probability in which Bulgaria can be first. It must take next 4 games, 1 win from Brazil and Holland to take only 1 point from Brazil - then Brazil - 28 and Bulgaria - 29 :box: And Brazil will qualify as best second :D
    I hope Bulgaria will fight till the end

    Quote from charalampos

    Italy-Serbia 2-1 (21-25,25-20,25-18,8- 9)
    go italy :super: :super: :super:

    Italy win 3-2!!! :win: Great match, and a super Lasko 29pts. :super:

    I am writing this after all games from the third week to give my impressions from what I've followed:


    1. Netherlands - Bulgaria games


    Netherlands played two strong games, Bulgaria was better in the first one and slightly better in the second, but the bigger experience ensured the two straight set wins.
    Prandi let the team to play their old style of play - efficient serving and receiving, many attacks from the outside hitters and the opposite, and with improved block.
    Dutch players have very high (360 cm + high) attacks, so without our jumper Todorov the block pts weren't so many, but we got a lot of counter attacks which we used very well.
    Bulgarian NT played very consistently, patiently and classy in these two games, despite the lack of preparation. Prandi wisely let them play their style to get the victories, but in Varna they should start playing like in the ECH and better - more MB spikes, better defense and Jekov should show his best. We need this to take victories from Brazil, which are possible, because they will travel a lot and we will train for three weeks in Bulgaria.


    2. Cuba -Poland.
    Poland showed how they beat us on the ECH semifinal and why are they the European champions with classy game against Cuba. The Cubans played very simple game, they are practically without tactics and lost. Cuba, Bulgaria and Poland are on one level, theoretically, but for now Poland plays with the most efficient tactics (from 2009 on).


    Mozdzonek was great in the second game :)


    4. France - China games


    I just can't recognize France from 2009 here. They played very bad at the ends of the set in all games until now.



    to be continued...
    ... continued:
    Earvin Ngapeth shows great potential, but overall France for now plays average games. They need to show that they are better than this if they want to stay in the league.


    5. Italy - Serbia.


    Two tense games between two young teams. I consider Italy a young team, because the play like they just met, and Serbia is in fact a young team with brave heart.
    I was hoping Serbia to take more pts, because Italy are a candidate for best second team, but they are strong in home. Even Lasko showed mentality at their hall.


    Sasa Starovic is a killer, very impressive player - both technically and mentally.

    Quote from Doll

    Italy win 3-2!!! Great match, and a super Lasko 29pts.


    Congratulation for Italy, deserved victory :thumbsup:

    Italy had a good evening against Serbia and made the pool situation a bit more interesting. Italy's visits in France next weekend and in the last one in Serbia will decide on the pool winner. This Italian team is definitely playing better than what they showed in the ECH qualifiers, I guess they didn't have much time to prepare then, now they seem close to their maximum. I am saying this because we all know they can't really demonstrate something extraterrestrial with this generation. Anyway, good Italy tonight, good performance by the MB-s, great Vermiglio again, I like him generally, and surprisingly efficient Lasko :) Btw, I noticed some tactical mistakes, especially when they tried to stop Starovic, their block couldn't, I don't know why, cover his line attacks well, the libero was waiting a bit too far from the side line covering bounced balls from the block and Starovic's diagonal, but with the lower blocking efficiency against Starovic's line attacks, the young Serbian made quite a few points passing the ball between the antenna and the first man blocking at position 4. This is maybe something for Anastasi and the Italian statisticians to clarify...



    Also, I am extremely happy for the two convincing 3-0 victories over the Netherlands :woohoo: I don't agree that they came easy, but I think that we are simply better than the Dutch team at the moment. As I mentioned already yesterday, we improved all of the elements a lot compared to the start of the league, but what we are still missing for now are the devastating services, Kaziyski's anger to destroy the opponent and some more stabilty at the block. The first and the last thing are gonna come, probably, in the next 3 weeks when we will practice in Varna for Brazil and when Teodor Todorov recovers from the shoulder injury, about Kaziyski I think he needs some more rest, but since we can't afford it right now, a strong opponent like Brazil will be motivating enough for him :) What I am particularly happy about is the team spirit and overall court composition that we saw in Apeldoorn. I also agree with Blange that we didn't make many mistakes after the 20th point of each set, we were very concentrated in the decisive moments of the game, which makes me an optimist :)



    Congrats to Poland for the great 3-0 away win in Havana. They are also getting stronger with every game they play, I am eager to see their home peformance now.



    Talking about calculations weeks before the end of the intercontinental round is a bit pointless, in my opinion. There is a quite good chance for Pool A with Bulgaria and Brazil to have 2 teams in Argentina, depending on how the Netherlands will react in the next 2 weeks. The only problem might come from Italy/Serbia, but there France could be unpredictable, so let's just wait and see!


    Serbia lose for the first time as they go down to
    Italy



    Italy celebrate on their way to the impressive five set win
    over Serbia    Florence, Italy,
    June 20, 2010 - Italy reversed Friday's 3-2 defeat at the hands of
    Serbia and beat the Pool B leaders in another five-set thriller (21-25,
    25-20, 25-18, 20-25, 15-13) thanks to an outstanding 29 points from
    Michal Lasko in Florence on Sunday, to move to one point behind Serbia
    at the top of the group.


    Serbia, last year's runners-up, stay on the top of Pool B
    with five wins and one defeat, the same record of Italy who much now
    play the remaining three weekends of the Intercontinental Round away.


    In the first set both teams, using
    similar lineups from Friday's match, went point to point until 9-9, then
    Serbia took a slight lead thanks to Italy’s mistakes especially in
    attack. Serbia maintained the lead helped by the good performance of
    Sasa Starovic (six points in the set) – top scorer of the match in
    Montecatini – and closed the first set 25-21 despite Simone Parodi
    trying to recover the match with a great serve.


    The second set
    began as the first one and Italy and Serbia fought point by point. In
    the second part of the set Italy kept the lead despite making many
    mistakes with their serve before finding the right rhythm to pick up
    the set 25-20.


    Italy preserved the concentration during the third set
    before taking a lead thanks to some excellent defence, notably
    from Lasko, who scored the decisive point in the set, which finished
    25-17 for Italy.


    However, the 2009 silver medallists are made of strong
    stuff and didn't lie down. The fourth set was very tight but Serbia took
    the honours 25-20 to take it to a tie-breaker.


    Italy went
    ahead 5-2 before the team of Igor Kolakovic fought back. It was only at
    the end when Italy got ahead to win the set and the match. Top scorer of
    the Serbian team has been again Sasa Starovic scoring 26 points.


    Bulgaria claim convincing second win over the
    Netherlands




    Despite some promising attacking play the Dutch couldn't see
    off Bulgaria as they went down in their second FIVB World League match    </td></tr></tbody></table>Apeldoorn, the
    Netherlands, June 20, 2010 - Bulgaria recorded their second win over the
    Netherlands on Sunday with a convincing straight sets (25-21, 25-20,
    25-22) victory away in Apeldoorn.


    Bulgaria took a quick lead
    early on and with their powerful attacking and steady passing they made
    the hosts work hard for every point. But with the support of the home
    crowd they brought the score level before the Bulgarians finished off
    the set on top.


    Both
    sides were even early in the second set before the spike of Dutch
    captain Rob Bontje saw the Netherlands take the lead. Outside hitter
    Matey Kaziyski helped bring the visitors back into the game and despite a
    late Dutch fightback Bulgaria saw out the win.


    The
    Netherlands used powerful spikes to take the side into an early lead in
    the third. Bulgaria came back before letting the hosts back into the
    game with an error strewn period. However the visitors regained and with
    a final error from the Dutch they picked up the set and the match.


    “I
    definitely did not expect to win two matches in straight sets here,"     Bulgaria
    captain Vladimir Nikolov said.     "We are still growing as a
    team, our preparation was quite short."

    After three rounds, Brazil tops
    Pool A, followed by Bulgaria while the Netherlands occupy the third and
    Korea prop up the group in last place.