Women's World Grand Prix 2017

  • Many players also irritate me. But as long as those irritants have nothing to do with politic or something related to bad sportsmenship, it's more than OK for me and I don't see why we need to make such fuss for that.

  • Yuan is really impressive and one of the TOP MB in the world. Silver at the WCH when she was only 17, and Olympic Champion at age 20.


    This week against Serbia she was China`s top score with 19 points ( 7 blocks). And also 21 against USA...


    and wait?? She`s all that and still only 21?? Vowww..

    She can even score a point with her head :D

  • hey nice to see you here.....


    No worries, and I honestly only asked it over here if it was true or not, but it is not that I doubted you, I just asked because a lot of Europeans fans here and they should know about it as well. And you are not wrong, as Joana explained her injuries had something to do wit but there were another side as well.


    probably something similar to Brakocevic/Boskovic...I don`t think Brakocevic decided to retire "only" because she would be a backup, but she has a child and other things going on in her life, and for her to be with the NT she would have to sacrifice a lot especially being away from her child...and with that being said the team has Tiajana. It is a bittersweet situation.

    Hi, rbdfabio! I am the one who wrote that post on volleytalk (ace35). :wavy:


    Reading my own post, I realise I may have been slightly misleading by sounding as if I totally downplay/ignore her injuries. If that's what you got from it, then I apologise. She certainly had several major injuries, that indeed would have forced her to skip some competitions, regardless of any other issues.


    However, I still stand by my ascertain that injuries alone cannot explain her missing every single major competition for 5 straight years, nor can they explain the extreme convenience of her returning to the NT as soon as Maja retired.

  • German team has only 13 players for the final four, neither Tanja Großer nor Maren Fromm are available for the weekend.


    It's a pity we meet Korea in the semifinal, IMO this is the real final...but that's what happens by seeding the host as #1 team.

  • I heard Malagurski got injuried again.


    And Brazil NT is going with the same team as in week 3 (Edinara, OH is practicing with the U23 team now, and Naiane got cut).

  • Ze Roberto cutting Naiane already shows he did not learn anything from Rio. Considering Roberta will be the main setter, on the back up position would be better to have Naiane to gain experience. But he wants to win his 12th GP tittle and that`s why he`s taking Macris.


    I feel terrible for Malagurski, just when it seamed she was back for good, this happens.

  • Yuan is really impressive and one of the TOP MB in the world. Silver at the WCH when she was only 17, and Olympic Champion at age 20.


    This week against Serbia she was China`s top score with 19 points ( 7 blocks). And also 21 against USA...


    and wait?? She`s all that and still only 21?? Vowww..

    She has improved MASSIVELY! She may also win MVP prizes over Zhu if she continues improving :super:

  • Naiane is a great server as well. It's not llike the girl played terribly. She was getting no good passes anyway so what is she going to set to her players? :whistle:


    I don't know with Ze but they need to move out of the old gen and transition already. This although being a new selection for Team A is too old. Would love to see more new players coming in. If Adenizia, Tandara or Natalia gets injured... they are going to be in a whole lot of trouble next year. Ze needs to think more of the future now and not Brazil's twelfth WGP title. :white:

    Favorite players: M: Maxim Mikhaylov, Murilo, Serginho, Aaron Russell, Otavio, Simone Giannelli, Ivan Zaytsev, Tsvetan Sokolov, Michał Kubiak, Mariusz Wlazly, Pawel Zagummy W: Sheilla, Zhu Ting, Natalia, Fe Garay, Fofao, Gabi, Thaisa, Foluke Akinradewo, Wei Qiuyue, Ding Xia, Carli Lloyd, Fabi, Natalia Goncharova, Yuko Sano, Saoris Kimura and Sakoda


    #FreeBritney

  • on the discussion about the short and tall players/teams:


    yes, THA and JPN can play very exciting, fast game, but unfort. the time has passed for this style to thrive, as i and others have pointed out. i think of them as opposite of the style of DOM and RUS, for example, which are very tall and powerful teams, but sometimes lacking in the basic skills (passing, setting, digging, ball handling). i think with DOM, it is also a psychological issue. they get frustrated when they keep pounding the ball away, yet the ball keeps coming back, so they get angry or discouraged, and make mistakes. at the WCh 2014, i still remember how DOM lost to JPN 3-2 (by then, it was meaningless as DOM had already qualified for the 3rd round and JPN did not), but sakoda kept killing them from the back row and valdez (196 cm) couldn't stop her (even though sakoda is only 175 cm).


    you can see however that this style of very solid ball-handling, fast volleyball by shorter teams hasn't survived as long in the men's game, as it has in the women's game. i just watched some of the matches in the men's WCh qualifying in canberra (for the asian region), and the contrast couldn't be greater in the match between AUS and TPE (taiwan). TPE has an excellent, high-jumping and very agile opposite (wu tsong-hsuan) but he's only 185 cm! TPE and THA have MBs that are only 190 cm! by contrast, AUS has several players that are 205 cm and over. ultimately, AUS height and firepower was too much (but still TPE only lost by 25-23 in all 3 sets). in the end, JPN beat AUS 3-2, but both teams qualified. interesting to see with these shorter men's teams is that they still employ techniques that you don't usually see in the men's games. one of the TPE players did the double-pump feint a few times, also sometimes these teams still do the back slide, which is something that usually only the women do these days.

  • This Grand Prix looks like a pretty good picture of what's been the slippery norm, and may continue to be. Japan is somewhere between the 6th and 10th best team in the world. Sometimes they'll qualify and sometimes they'll host ... er, won't qualify unless they host.


    My understanding is that no one played their A+ teams here, including JPN. But the picture is the slippery same so far. Five teams went 6-3, CHN went 5-4 because they're hosts.


    One thing interesting to me on the big/small discussion, touching on the "Who gets tired more quickly"? question is: five out of six of JPN's wins were 5-set matches.

    Quote

    they get frustrated when they keep pounding the ball away, yet the ball keeps coming back, so they get angry or discouraged, and make mistakes.

    And are maybe a little tired?


    I think JPN will continue to be competitive and thrive, and I think THA will become more competitive. Whether they will change the face of volleyball, well ... my enthusiasm may have gotten the better of me. :dance6:

  • Germany is defending Kim fairly well so far and their serves work really good. They got the 1st set.

  • Korea played pretty badly in that set. Their passing and defence was not good enough for a small team and the setter was not accurate enough. Germany look good so far but I expect Korea to start to play better

  • Yeah they keep playing really bad now, bad reception and bad sets. No offense but KOR's OPP needs a better hair stylist. :D


    GET absolutely serving awesome amd I love how Hanke delivers balls and hits the ball when she can.