2019 FIVB Women's Volleyball Nations League

    Why does Belgium even have so many ethnically Polish players? Afaik there is no special connection with the two countries or anything like that, coincidence?


    Idk about the other girls but I know f.e. that Sobolska sees herself as Polish and introduces herself as that even.

    Quote from beri

    Why does Belgium even have so many ethnically Polish players? Afaik there is no special connection with the two countries or anything like that, coincidence?


    Idk about the other girls but I know f.e. that Sobolska sees herself as Polish and introduces herself as that even.

    She wanted to play for Poland, but Belgian Federation wanted too much money for her.

    Quote from beri

    I just want to randomly throw it in here:


    I LOVE coach Nakada <3 her pep-talks are next level

    This guy won't mean anything to you, he's a high school coach, but here he is during a time out in the semi final match, his team down 20-23 in Set 4:



    Super Next Level :rolll:


    Not clear from the photo, but he is seated

    Grobelna was born in Poland (Radom). Her father was volleyball player. He played in Polish NT.

    This is abroad subject. Many Polish players left for Belgium when communism was in Poland. Strumiłło, Goliat, Grobelny, Sobolski etc.

    Quote from Spyro

    Brayelin Martinez is surprising me, she seems much more mobile than before and she has been very reliable so far for her team :super: I think she fits better at opposite position


    It was a very enjoyable game,two very different teams battling until the end :box:


    yes, 2 teams that are the opposite of each other. THA (and JPN) ball control and defense tend to frustrate DOM, because they (DOM) pound the ball so hard and yet it keeps coming back and they get frustrated and make lots of mistakes. like at the end of the 5th set, pri rivera had a swing to get DOM up a point but couldn’t kill it, the ball came back in defense, and peña (a service sub) in backrow tried to set to the outside but double-touched it (that’s why you always bagher/bump set on a tough ball). typical dumb mistake. and as i said, they couldn’t receive serve today, de la cruz struggled, even eve did sometimes. rivera is getting worse at passing.


    brayelin has always been a very agile girl for her size (we here always compare her well to diouf, who is not). BM has even played as receiving OH in one of kwiek’s mad genius ideas. she’s also been in the NT since she was 17. i wonder about all these young athletes, whether they get to go and finish school eventually. she’s also a good attacker if not as explosive as de la cruz.

    Brayelin played as receiving OH too in Aydin last year :rolll: probably why they ended up 10th, though I have to say she was their most important player still hands down and always had more points then anyone including their Opp Gonzalez.


    Honestly if they moved her to Opp and transferred a defensive OH instead of Gonzalez then they would have done much better.

    Quote from Mimek

    She wanted to play for Poland, but Belgian Federation wanted too much money for her.


    Quote from max2007

    Grobelna was born in Poland (Radom). Her father was volleyball player. He played in Polish NT.

    This is abroad subject. Many Polish players left for Belgium when communism was in Poland. Strumiłło, Goliat, Grobelny, Sobolski etc.

    Thanks for explaining guys.

    Quote from beri

    Brayelin played as receiving OH too in Aydin last year :rolll: probably why they ended up 10th, though I have to say she was their most important player still hands down and always had more points then anyone including their Opp Gonzalez.


    Honestly if they moved her to Opp and transferred a defensive OH instead of Gonzalez then they would have done much better.

    I really like her as OPP too. I do not understand why Dominican NT used her as OH. It is always difficult to receive the ball when you are 200cm. On the other hand, they do not have strong OPP for doing such nonsense. She is too danger in her OPP position. Brayelin mostly reminds me Tayyiba Haneef Park.

    At least this way she improved her defensive skills and is not a Diouf or Rahimova in defense even if she plays as Opp (always good to have some defensive skills) which seems the way to go obviously for the Domican NT in the long run.


    I can see the resemblance with Tayyiba Haneef Park btw, I thought the same thing.

    There are 2 players giving me lots of doubts, one is G. Dimitrova and the other is Grajber, they simply don’t belong to any NT level.


    The polish setter is terrible, an injured Wolosz could kick her ass.