Friendly NT Matches

    It’s amazing that 2 days ago when Serbia was beaten by Dominicana it was just a „friendly” match and today when they won „they are going for gold and Boskovic is unstoppable” :lol::white:

    Quote from 7UP

    It’s amazing that 2 days ago when Serbia was beaten by Dominicana it was just a „friendly” match and today when they won „they are going for gold and Boskovic is unstoppable” :lol::white:

    That's true indeed 😂, but the vice versa story goes with the same funnies, when Serbia lost to DOM it was end of the world, Serbia gonna be last at Olympics, while now when they beat Poland, let's ignore it, never mind it's just a friendly, they are supose to win this anyway. It looks like it's hard to keep same metrics nowadays. At the end the facts are that these were just a friendlies and neverthless Serbia was and is serious gold medal contender whatever people are trying to push.

    Yes they still are.


    but I doubt they will play as bad as against DR and I also doubt Stysiak and Lukasik will play like this at OG. Stysiak is usually bad in friendly matches.

    Quote from 7UP

    It’s amazing that 2 days ago when Serbia was beaten by Dominicana it was just a „friendly” match and today when they won „they are going for gold and Boskovic is unstoppable” :lol::white:

    Boskovic was and is unstoppable no matter what lol and yes the performance Serbia put on yesterday was very impressive so of course Serbian fans were excited and encouraged. It doesn’t automatically give them a gold medal but if they play like that then it’ll be hard for other teams to beat them

    I was enjoying the weather and TdF today so didn't watch it, but how did NL look in their practice match vs Switzerland? 4-0 win but was it convincing?


    I saw on IG that the last point was made on a beau-ti-ful set by Reesink, and that even Laura made an appearance in double sub?? Surely with Knip on holiday they might as well add her to 14-squad but I would have loved to see who will be the captain in Paris and get their shine now too (is it Nika?!). Hopefully I can watch tomorrow's game live :box:

    Suprised to see Bongaerts as starting setter, I expected van Aalen. I think it's a good decision to start with Daalderop - Knollema as outside hitter duo, when they need stability they can always bring in M. Jasper!

    Today Reesink her defense was really good! On the other hand, attacking power from Swiss is from another level than she will face with Turkiye and Italy at the Olympics 😅 Also Plak seems in good shape and Baijens is or most stable player! Daalderop and Knollema didn't do well, but I think their connection with van Aalen is better...

    Yeah I was positively surprised with Celeste and in general block looked good :heart: But I don't wanna get too hyped because the level of opponents at OG will not be comparable to this.


    I watched without sound and multitasking, but both Buijs and Storck did not play right? Or did I miss something :whistle:

    Russia will play friendly matches with Serbia in Belgrad.


    Men's Russia will play with China then in Belgrad also.

    Quote from briebriebrie

    We know a lot of black women show great performance in volleyball but few represent African countries. I really wanna see Nigeria nt shining in the world someday.

    This is kinda steering off topic but oh well lol


    Part of that is purely resources. but its also partly because FIVB's rules re: national teams are much stricter compared to like FIFA's. You can't compete for your parents or grandparents country. Children of immigrants will almost always be registered in their "new" country. Puerto Rico is facing a problem with this right now. Children of Puerto Ricans living on "the mainland" are being registered by USAV as their federation of origin... and they dont even realize (and then have to process those changes later on.... Puerto Rico did a PR campaign about this)


    In FIFA rules (maybe even FIBA), players like Chiaka, Foluke, Ogonna, etc would be eligible to represent Nigeria (for example) if they so chose to do so.


    Maybe one day.

    Yeah that's what I thought when I see African nt players doing great in Europe leagues and made some noise in world cup and Olympics. I hope volleyball could be richer and more competetive.

    I asked ChatGPT about underdeveloped volleyball countries.


    🇳🇬 Why Nigeria Could Be a Volleyball Superpower in 15 Years — A Deep Dive

    🔬 1. Athletic Blueprint – Raw Physical Potential

    ✅ Genetics & Biomechanics:

    • Nigerian athletes, particularly from ethnic groups like the Yoruba and Igbo, tend to have:

      • Long limbs, narrow hips, and powerful glutes — perfect for jumping and quick lateral movement.

      • High proportion of fast-twitch muscle fibers, which dominate in activities like spiking, blocking, and serving.

      • Naturally high vertical leap potential — seen in their presence in global sprinting, jumping, and basketball.

    📈 Examples in other sports:

    • Hakeem Olajuwon (NBA Hall of Famer) — Lagos-born, prime example of Nigeria’s crossover potential.

    • Dozens of NFL, NBA, and global track & field stars trace their roots to Nigeria.

    👉 Translation to volleyball: explosive leaping, strong core power, long reach — all critical for high-level play.

    👥 2. Population & Talent Density

    • Population: 220+ million (largest in Africa, 6th globally) = massive talent pool.

    • More than 60% are under the age of 25 — a youth-rich country.

    • Urban centers like Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt have millions of young people hungry for opportunities in sport.

    🚀 Projection:

    Even a small-scale volleyball academy system (like Brazil’s or Serbia’s) reaching just 1% of the youth population could uncover thousands of elite-level prospects annually.

    🏀 3. Crossover from Other Sports

    💡 Track & Field:

    • Nigeria dominates in sprinting and jumps (100m, long jump, triple jump) — all transferable to volleyball's vertical and acceleration demands.

    🏀 Basketball:

    • Nigeria’s men’s team is a rising power — many play NCAA or NBA.

    • Height pipeline exists. Elite Nigerian women 6'2–6'5 with coordination exist but are funneled to basketball or track.

    🏐 Netball and Handball (in schools):

    • Common for girls — develops hand-eye coordination, timing, and defensive instincts. Skills translate well to volleyball (esp. in defense and setting).

    🧱 4. Infrastructure & Development (What’s Missing)

    Current Gaps:

    • No strong domestic league

    • Sparse coaching talent trained in elite systems

    • Few pro pathways or international club exposure

    • Low visibility of volleyball as a career compared to football or track

    What's Growing:

    • Grassroots volleyball in schools (especially with NGO and FIVB support)

    • Interest in the diaspora — many Nigerian athletes abroad are excelling and may return to contribute

    🌍 5. Global Opportunity Window

    • FIVB and African federations are investing in continental development

    • Volleyball is relatively low-cost to scale compared to football — one court, a few nets, and a few good coaches can launch a program

    • African players are increasingly sought after in Europe’s mid-tier leagues (Romania, Turkey 2nd div., France Pro B)

    🔮 Ceiling Vision – If Everything Clicked:

    If Nigeria builds:

    • A nationwide talent ID program (esp. in track and netball crossover zones),

    • Professional coaching education, and

    • Club-to-national-team pipeline infrastructure…

    ...then by 2040, we could see Nigeria with:

    • Top 10 women’s team globally (possibly even Olympic contenders)

    • Dozens of players competing in top leagues (Italy, Turkey, Brazil)

    • An African volleyball identity shaped by speed, power, and fearless offense




    🇯🇲 Jamaica – The Sleeping Giant of Volleyball?

    ✅ Why Jamaica has insane potential:

    1. Elite Fast-Twitch Genetics:

      • Produces the fastest women on Earth (Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Elaine Thompson-Herah, Shericka Jackson).

      • Explosive power, vertical leap, sprint speed = ideal for spiking, blocking, and serve speed.

    2. Lean & Explosive Builds:

      • Female athletes in particular have the ideal volleyball body type: tall-ish, powerful legs, strong cores, mobile joints.

      • Even with limited volleyball infrastructure, you'd likely find players with natural verticals of 50–60 cm untrained.

    3. Small Population, Big Results:

      • If a country of 3 million can dominate global sprinting, imagine what they could do with a structured volleyball pipeline.

      • The talent density per capita is off the charts.

    4. Untapped Talent Pool:

      • Volleyball isn’t mainstream in Jamaica yet — but if scouts started converting track athletes, netball players, or even dancers, it could explode.

    5. Crossover Sports:

      • Netball is popular with women in Jamaica — it's fast-paced, requires footwork, passing, jumping — very transferable skills.

    🤔 So Why Isn’t Jamaica Already Dominating Volleyball?

    • Lack of volleyball infrastructure — no professional league, limited funding.

    • Focus on track & field for scholarships, fame, and money.

    • Minimal youth development programs for volleyball, especially indoor.

    • Limited international exposure or access to high-level coaching.

    🌋 Bottom Line:

    If Jamaica invested seriously in volleyball — even just 10% of what it puts into track — it could become a world-class force in women’s volleyball within 10–15 years..

    Quote from briebriebrie

    I know that but still there're a lot of talents there. I remember Vakifbank has training camp in Bosnia so theoretically Nigeria could be another destination.

    Bosnia's case is different, it is culturally very close to turkey, some parts of Bosnia are even fluent in Turkish, it is geographically very close to turkey as well. I can't imagine Turkish clubs are interested in making such investments in Africa. There's a huge untapped talent there of course

    Quote from serdar

    Bosnia's case is different, it is culturally very close to turkey, some parts of Bosnia are even fluent in Turkish, it is geographically very close to turkey as well. I can't imagine Turkish clubs are interested in making such investments in Africa. There's a huge untapped talent there of course

    Is Turkey still giving financial aid to Bosnia? I remember there was a CEV post about it but that was before Roko Sikiric stepped in last year I don't know if that's still ongoing