2015 FIVB World Grand Prix

    Quote from deian1302

    Crovolley don't forget that FIVB decide to make changes in the second division and let Croatia and Czech republic to play even that they didn't win for assure their participation and placed in third division team like Peru for exemple without their relegation . It's normal when we face opponents from higher quality to have not so good results. Bulgaria also play with young and nonexperienced players and plays awful but this the situation. Our countries don't have so much quality players that can fully replace the missing of experienced ones. So new players need more time to show their abilities.


    But We have some many good players for B team but our girls have some problems with Cro Volleyball Federation...Topić, Čutura, Ikić, Starčević...


    Yesterday Senna didn't play because of injury but She will be back for Grand Prix in Bulgaria :)..And Marija Ušić got injury too :/

    Oh my! This is the first serious tournament Turkey is having and we got "0" points so far with getting only 2 sets in total. Now Ferhat claims that this wasnt his target competition of the season, it is ECH. Seriously Ferhat? What an excuse?!!


    This team had to do a lot to be able to compete in WGP before and now our trainer takes this tournament as no serious one! He needs a slap on his face and remember that he should behave like a grown up now.
    My question to him: if you really dont take this competition serious, why do you risk Neriman or Polen at all?


    Without Naz, the team is lost. When she plays, we critisize her a lot, but when she is not there, we see that Turkey can be a mess. Cagla is so overrated, yet another Guidetti product that is claimed to be the new star but not at all. Like we always mention, Naz was there even when she was 16-17 years old. Cagla is not young at all and seriously what did that girl do in the entire season to convince Ferhat to be the main setter of Turkish NT? She does not have the quality of sets that Asuman has or smart speed sets of Nilay. Naz is the only setter that has both these capabilities but Cagla has none of them and by being a bench player, she wont have either. I really would like to see some other setters that played an entire season with their teams such as Arelya Karasoy or Gamze Alikaya. At least we know what to expect out of them.


    Another slap for Kubra Akman! She started as a star and we all believed she will be the future of Turkey and she only fall from that level, never improved. Her attacking does not get any better (she is so out of control) and her block anticipation is still very low. She should remember that sooner or later people will critisize her, her place is not guaranteed at all. I mean, seriously? she worked with two great MBs the entire season, Robin and Rasic and learnt nothing? So far the only good MB option is Asli Kalac and unfortunately I hope we will see Bahar Guidetti at the squad during next weeks or someone like Ergul Avci who had a decent season.


    In overall, someone should wake Ferhat up and made him realize that he does not have to build a team out of top 4 teams in Turkey. There are other good players like Buse Kayacan (L), Ergul Avci (MB), Cansu Cetin (OH), Damla Cakiroglu (OH), Ezgi Dagdalenler (OH) and many more. I know Guldeniz Önal takes a lot of critisizm but do you guys see a single defensive OH at the bench? Don't tell me Meliha because she received 2 times in the last game, 1 error and 1 bad reception. She has not developed at all and I think it is huge unfair to many other players that Meliha is there. Same question again, what did Meliha achieve during the entire season? :down:

    I think you are too harsh on these players.


    First of all I agree about the disappointing start of the WGP. They should've done a lot better, and I also find that statement of Fehrat not so mature.. However this is not Turkey A, not at all and when they gather all, and train all then they can win against big teams also. Thing is neither Italy nor Belgium were that strong, USA was but not that great either.


    I like Cagla and I think she is promising. Could Gamze or Nilay be a starter? Of course.. And yes she is young for a setter - 20 years. Naz is Naz. Yes she has started to play as a starter at 17, but that's Naz.. one in a million.. How many great setters out there start as a starter at 17? To be a great setter it takes time and Naz is really lucky she is that talented and is considered as one of the best and has that much experience with her age -24.. So I don't think it's fair to compare any setter with Naz, not even a foreign one since they all started on the highest level older than her. IMO it's the same as comparing for ex. Hill with Logan Tom. Logan was selected for the Olympics at the age of 19, Hill was considered 'promising' at the age of 23. So I think u get my point. Athletes like Naz, Logan etc. are one of a kind and can't be compared to other young players.

    Quote from USAvolleyfan

    I think you are too harsh on these players.


    First of all I agree about the disappointing start of the WGP. They should've done a lot better, and I also find that statement of Fehrat not so mature.. However this is not Turkey A, not at all and when they gather all, and train all then they can win against big teams also. Thing is neither Italy nor Belgium were that strong, USA was but not that great either.


    I like Cagla and I think she is promising. Could Gamze or Nilay be a starter? Of course.. And yes she is young for a setter - 20 years. Naz is Naz. Yes she has started to play as a starter at 17, but that's Naz.. one in a million.. How many great setters out there start as a starter at 17? To be a great setter it takes time and Naz is really lucky she is that talented and is considered as one of the best and has that much experience with her age -24.. So I don't think it's fair to compare any setter with Naz, not even a foreign one since they all started on the highest level older than her. IMO it's the same as comparing for ex. Hill with Logan Tom. Logan was selected for the Olympics at the age of 19, Hill was considered 'promising' at the age of 23. So I think u get my point. Athletes like Naz, Logan etc. are one of a kind and can't be compared to other young players.

    I agree about Naz. She has been very special and I hope she will be able to keep her level for many more years. My biggest concern with Cagla is that she is not a regular starter in her team and for a setter it is crucial to play an entire season to develop skills such as leadership, control of game and many other things. You can't develop such skills by coming from bench and playing 1-2 sets and saving a game. It is a really different atmosphere to be the starting setter and knowing that you have the responsibility for an entire season. Cagla might have good talent considering she has been the star at younger levels of the NT but she has to develop mentally as well and that wont happen if she stays as the shadow of Naz. It was the same for Kubra, she should have spent her year in a different club and play the entire season directly.
    My concern is not only the players but choices of Ferhat. He does not have a plan at all. Like I questioned before, if Guldeniz was injured, there was noone that could replace her, noone with good defensive skills. Seda and Meliha are similar players, same for Ezgi. Why need 3 players of same type? Diclenur and Kubra are underperforming and they should start as subs to get their motivations back but who can replace them, noone except Asli. It is alot of questions to ask to him. Also there was no regular opposite that could replace Polen? Why not call Yeliz for a week and try out etc.
    Honestly I think Gamze Alikaya has a stronger character and she is more reliable than any other setter the NT has right now except Naz and Asuman who played entire season. With good reception stats, Gamze can do better than Cagla I think.

    I agree about Cagla being a sub. I have written that before in some thread. I want her to be a starter in order to improve. I am sure Gamze will be better than Cagla if she was given a chance. I am surprised not to see her there since she was the starting setter in some WCH Qualification tournament right? She is a better blocker, better server, more creative and she only had a bad season so she deserves another chance. More than Assuman who won't play, then why take anyone else's spot on the roster.

    Kübra Akman will play as starter next season if she desnt experience an injury..this good for her...VB has 6 foreigners..


    i dont know how many hours Çağla will be on the court next season..she should start to be a strater in a way at least two seasons after


    i didnt like ASlı Kalaç..i know she is a better player than that..she has to show that in the second week...


    i wish Gözde YIlmaz were in first week..she could have replaced Polen for example in Usa match etc..though Polen was not very bad..or Neriman in italia match


    on Ferhat Akbaş's saying WGP is not a target tournament...this is true...maybe he shouldnt have expressed it that way but it is true, WGP should not be a target but kind of preparation for trying some promising or new backup players..

    Quote from USAvolleyfan

    I agree about Cagla being a sub. I have written that before in some thread. I want her to be a starter in order to improve. I am sure Gamze will be better than Cagla if she was given a chance. I am surprised not to see her there since she was the starting setter in some WCH Qualification tournament right? She is a better blocker, better server, more creative and she only had a bad season so she deserves another chance. More than Assuman who won't play, then why take anyone else's spot on the roster.

    We also forgot about Özge Cemberci. She has a lot of experience and should be there especially now when Naz is resting. The problem with Gamze is, as many creative setters, she can't do much with bad reception stats. Meijners was a disaster last year in reception and C. Bosetti could not do pipes, so all Gamze could do was to set to Centoni, what a nightmare. Asuman had a surgery so we wont see her for a while. I hope we see Gamze or Özge Cemberci during next weeks.


    Coming back to what Ferhat said, someone should remind him that if we finish with "0" points, then we might fall to the 2nd division and in overall WGP influence world rankings. So in the long run, this is a terrible decision.

    i also would like to see Özge Çemberci in the team instead of Nilay...Gamze instead of Çağla....but these two havent worked with the team for a while so it wont be that easy to expect a good connection amongst them and the team as soon as possible

    German roster for 2nd week:


    S: Weiss, Hanke
    OPP: Kozuch, Lippmann
    OH: Brinker, Weihenmaier, Stigrot, Schaefer
    MB: Silge, Schwertmann, Schölzel
    L: Dürr, Thomsen, Dörendahl


    I expect Dörendahl to play as regular player and come in as reception substitute. With these OHs it's definitely necessary. Compared to last weekend Silge and Dörendahl replace Brandt and Poll.

    I liked Schölzel's performance quite much, hoping to see her more as starter. She and Silge basically hold the future of german MB position.


    Great to see Dörendahl back, She definitely needs to show her talents in order to make one clear spot in NT, although I believe it's pretty hard since both Dürr and Thomsen playing good so far. I anyway keep fingers crossed for Linda.


    Weiss didn't convince me in the 1st round, especially the match versus RUS, I hope Hanke will be given some chances.

    Chinese roster of Week 2 is the same as Week 1.
    Wei Qiu-yue and Chen Zhan are stayed for training.

    My favourite roster of Chinese (in 2022)
    male NT:
    S - Yu Yao-chen, Chen Lei-yang
    OP - Jiang Chuan, Dai Qing-yao
    OH - Zhang Jing-yin, Yu Yuan-tai, Liu Li-bin, Fu Hou-wen
    MB - Zhang Zhe-jia, Peng Shi-kun, Li Yong-zhen, Jiang Zhen-yang
    L - Yang Yi-ming, Yang Tian-yuan


    female NT:
    S - Yao Di, Diao Lin-yu
    OP - Gong Xiang-yu, Sun Xiao-xuan
    OH - Li Ying-ying, Wang Yi-fan, Wu Meng-jie, Zhuang Yu-shan
    MB - Yuan Xin-yue, Wang Yuan-yuan, Zheng Yi-xin, Liu Yu
    L - Ni Fei-fan, Xu Jia-nan

    Quote from USAvolleyfan

    Is Wei healthy enough? Current Chinese setter is doing a good job, so I fear if she gets back she won't be a starter


    If Wei can return this year, Week 3 (matches in Hong Kong) will be the last chance. No one can take a risk of participation in World Cup without any warm-ups. She should not go to USA for the final round of WGP for the same reason of USA Cup.
    For example, Zhou Su-hong's return for 2010 WCH was not very successful.

    My favourite roster of Chinese (in 2022)
    male NT:
    S - Yu Yao-chen, Chen Lei-yang
    OP - Jiang Chuan, Dai Qing-yao
    OH - Zhang Jing-yin, Yu Yuan-tai, Liu Li-bin, Fu Hou-wen
    MB - Zhang Zhe-jia, Peng Shi-kun, Li Yong-zhen, Jiang Zhen-yang
    L - Yang Yi-ming, Yang Tian-yuan


    female NT:
    S - Yao Di, Diao Lin-yu
    OP - Gong Xiang-yu, Sun Xiao-xuan
    OH - Li Ying-ying, Wang Yi-fan, Wu Meng-jie, Zhuang Yu-shan
    MB - Yuan Xin-yue, Wang Yuan-yuan, Zheng Yi-xin, Liu Yu
    L - Ni Fei-fan, Xu Jia-nan

    I noticed that not so many people here are interested in division 2, but well I am :D


    Czech Republic

    19yo Mlejnkova played a great round last weekend, sometimes even better than Havelkova, I don't know why she wasn't given any single chance last year. In the first match, Kossaniyova was tried as starter, after a while she was replaced. Mlejnkova has the potential to be another Havelkova in some years, maybe a smaller one. Good reception, smart attacks and tricky serves. Not wondering why Parisi says she's the future of Czech volleyball, I really hope that she improves a lot in German league, because playing in domestic czech league doesn't develop at all. Havelkova and Sajdova leading the younger girls as experienced players, Vanzurova a bit too pressured as OPP, but played decent. If Havlickova were healthy and available to play, their match against Holland could have been more interesting because Vincourova had to set almost all the balls to Havelkova and Mlejnkova since Vanzurova got blocked in critical moments. Their big weakness, as expected, the MBs, not as bad as I thought, let's see how they will play against Puerto Rico this weekend. Btw, It seems like Smutna lost some weight and running faster than before, however my preference still goes to Vincourova who had a decent season in Scandicci.


    The Netherlands

    Pietersen :white: IMO she was the biggest key of those 3 wins from 1st round. With Grothues back, everything seems smoother, Buijs played very well against Czech Republic and Argentina, but still poor reception :roll: I think her reception won't be fixed unfortunately, just like american Megan Easy. But her attacks are worth letting her play as starter. Dijkema didn't or couldn't use the middle as much as she wanted to for some reason, I want to see more of De Kruijf and Beliën this weekend. Schoot needs to be spoken as well, she was very consistent throughout the whole weekend, hope she keeps that way of playing.


    Croatia

    Painful to see this croatian team. Fabris was fighting alone with a horrible setter aside her. When will Grbac be able to play and where is Brcic? :S I never ever expected myself to miss Grbac anyway :D Jelic is a very interesting player, she's tall as OH that has limited attacking skills with good reception. I don't think she's ready to play starter anyway, maybe only in this weak team...


    I wasn't available to watch the other teams like Poland and it was completely awful to see this young Bulgarian team, some of them don't even have decent level to play in NT :S Will they play with this junior team until the end? Vasileva seemed to be in such great shape and I wanted to see her.

    Emil
    Ana Grbac played a little bit in Croatia but Angelo is hoping that She will play more in Bulgaria...It was big diffrents went she was in game, I don't like Ana but game was faster and better, Senna and Samanta played amazing when She was in game but She couldn't play so long..
    She even didn't jump on her serve, She is recoverying from her injury...


    I really hope you to comment the other teams from Division 2 but you said that you haven't watch Poland and Bulgaria for exemple. I think that even that it's painful it's interesting to watch new players. Bulgaria prepares for U23 championship and Nesic decide to give chance to girls who will play there and soon have to be ready to play for women's team such as Gergana Dimitrova, Simona Dimitrova, Zhana Todorova, Mira Todorova, Milena Dimova and Petya Barakova. If you can find the match against PUR you will see that Petya in this match started to sets properly in comparison with the first two matches. But actually their receiving was horrible and the biggest problem for Bulgaria. Even experienced player like Yaneva doesn't have normal receiving. Next week in Bulgaria it's almost certain that we will play with the best players who are healthy. I will be happy if someone other writes his thoughts about Bulgaria and other non comented teams.