Dutch NT 2019

    My choice for the roster of 2019:


    Setter: Dijkema (Firenze), Bongaerts (Schweriner), Stoltenborg (Budowlani Lodz)*, van Aalen? (Sliedrecht)
    Opposite: Sloëtjes (Vakifbank), Plak (Novara/ also OH), Scholten? (Vilsbiburg)
    Outside hitters: Balkestein-Grothues (CSM Bucuresti), Buijs (Monza), Daalderop (Firenze), Pietersen (Brescia)**, Marrit Jasper (Aachen), Oude Lutikhuis? (Aachen), Siebring? (Suhl), Hesther Jasper? (Sneek)
    Middle blockers: de Kruijf (Conegliano), Beliën (Besiktas), Lohuis (Münster), Polder (Schweriner), Koolhaas (CSM Bucuresti), Korevaar? (Sliedrecht), de Zwart? (Eurosped)
    Libero: Schoot (Vilsbiburg), Knip (Aachen), Kos? (Eurosped), Boom? (Eurosped/ also OH)


    * Stoltenborg has expressed doubts about continuing to play for the national team, because she was not selected for the WCH.


    ** As we know, Pietersen has decided to stop playing for the national team. Although she said that there is still a possibility that she will play some time for the Dutch team. I hope she decides to come back because they really need her in my opinion!


    I hope that the players with an ? behind their name will get some chances to play in VNL. In this way the main players will get some rest, so they can fully focus on the olympic qualifications and ECH. For this reason and to gain experience, I would also choose the following starting line-up in VNL:
    Bongaerts - Plak

    Daalderop - Jasper

    Lohuis - Polder
    Knip/ Schoot


    For the most important matches I will choose this starting line-up:
    Dijkema - Sloëtjes

    Balkestein-Grothues - Buijs
    de Kruijf - Beliën

    Schoot


    I think that all positions are clear, only the outside hitter next to Balkestein-Grothues and the libero can change for me. Daalderop is having some good matches and I think she can develop her passing, so she can become better then Buijs. I think Morrison is choosing Knip on the libero position, but for me Schoot is more stable.


    What are your thoughts?

    I do agree with you about the younger girls. But the 'core' roster has to be the quite the same until Tokyo. After the 2020 Olympics they can rebuild the team towards next Olympics.


    I think Balkestein isn't really usable againt top teams as USA, Serbia etc. She clearly lacks height against those kind of teams. However, her receiving/passing is rock solid. So I would consider bringing her as defense specialist, next to a new OH. Kind of like what Schoot was next to Pilon-Stam in Rio '16. Daalderop and Buijs can both be starters then.


    There's no discussion about OPP-position. Plak can be backup, next to her OH role.


    De Kruijf and Beliën are without a doubt starting MB's in the coming years. Lohuis as good backup. Having some doubts about Polder, Koolhaas is definitely not a gamechanger.


    I hope Femke gets/takes another change in NT. She is playing good in Poland and deserves it imo.


    Schoot should be 1st libero in my opinion too. And I think they should convert M. Jasper to libero. She can replace Schoot somewhere in the next years.


    My 1st team:

    Dijkema - Sloetjes

    Daalderop - Buijs

    De Kruijf - Beliën

    Schoot


    2nd:

    Bongaerts/Stoltenborg - Plak

    Oude Luttikhuis - Balkestein-Grothues

    Lohuis - Polder

    Knip

    Quote from VolleyOrange

    I hope Femke gets/takes another change in NT. She is playing good in Poland and deserves it imo.

    I've never been a fan of her but she plays quite good this season. She had of course bad moments or really bad moments this season.

    I think she likes to use the simplest solutions. Her best game was against Chemik when Budowlani played without Brakocević. Femke played really smart. She knew how to use her middles and also scored 6 or 7 points by herself. She is tall player and can be really usefull in the first line.

    Quote from VolleyOrange

    I think Balkestein isn't really usable againt top teams as USA, Serbia etc. She clearly lacks height against those kind of teams. However, her receiving/passing is rock solid. So I would consider bringing her as defense specialist, next to a new OH. Kind of like what Schoot was next to Pilon-Stam in Rio '16. Daalderop and Buijs can both be starters then.

    I doubt if Buijs - Daalderop as outside hitters are good enough to receive. But I agree with you that they should try it in some games, because when it works there is more height and attacking power then with Balkestein-Grothues on court.

    Quote from VolleyOrange

    I hope Femke gets/takes another change in NT. She is playing good in Poland and deserves it imo.


    Schoot should be 1st libero in my opinion too. And I think they should convert M. Jasper to libero. She can replace Schoot somewhere in the next years.

    I agree on with you with Femke! She is playing good and when there is an injury on the setting position, she is a good back-up. But I don't think the receiving of Jasper is good enough to be a libero. So in my opinion they should invest in Kos or Boom.

    Stoltenborg keeps playing for the national team after a talk she had last week with Morrison.

    SOURCE:

    http://www.volleybalkrant.nl/n…t-interlandcarriere-voort

    Jamie morrison announced the longlist of players for the summer of 2019. They will start preparations in May. The following names are part of the long list:

    Setters:

    Laura Dijkema (Il Bisento Firenze), Britt Bongaerts (SSC Schwerin), Femke Stoltenborg (Budowlani Lodz), Sarah van Aalen (Sliedrecht) and Fleur Meinders (Talent team Papendal).

    Opposite:

    Lonneke Sloëtjes (Vakifbank)

    Outside Hitters:

    Maret Balkestein-Grothues (CSM Bucuresti), Nika Daalderop (Il Bisento Firenze), Anne Buijs (Monza), Celeste Plak *also opposite (Novara), Marrit Jasper (Aachen), Nicole Oude Luttikhuis (Aachen), Anniek Siebring (Suhl), Hester Jasper (Sneek), Dagmar Boom (Eurosped), Annick Meijers (Talent team Papendal) and Rianne Vos (Talent team Papendal).

    Middle blockers:

    Robin de Kruijf (Conegliano), Yvon Beliën (Besiktas), Juliët Lohuis (Münster), Tessa Polder (SSC Schwerin), Nicole Koolhaas (CSM Bucuresti), Lynn Blenckers (Oostende), Laura de Zwart (Eurosped), Demi Korevaar (Sliedrecht), Indy Baijens (Talent team Papendal) and Eline Timmerman (Eurosped).

    Libero:

    Myrthe Schoot (Vilsbiburg), Kirsten Knip (Aachen) and Florien Reesink (Sliedrecht).


    All the big names are there luckely! I think it's not a wise decision to take only one opposite. Sloëtjes is the only real opposite, so he should give some chances to younger opposites to learn from Sloëtjes.

    Next to that I hope he isn't going to play with the same starting 6 the whole summer, because they have a busy schedule with some important tournaments

    Obviously they will all get a chance to play in the VNL and form can change but right now based on what I've seen in the Italian league I prefer Daalderop to both Buijs and Plak so I hope she gets a chance to play in the big games. She is really talented and I'm excited to see just how good she might become.

    Quote from Sisko95

    Obviously they will all get a chance to play in the VNL and form can change but right now based on what I've seen in the Italian league I prefer Daalderop to both Buijs and Plak so I hope she gets a chance to play in the big games. She is really talented and I'm excited to see just how good she might become.

    Very that

    Quote from Sisko95

    Obviously they will all get a chance to play in the VNL and form can change but right now based on what I've seen in the Italian league I prefer Daalderop to both Buijs and Plak so I hope she gets a chance to play in the big games. She is really talented and I'm excited to see just how good she might become.

    Count me as a Daalderop fan

    It is really pity Judith Pietersen retired at such relative young age. Such an experienced allround player would still have been a very useful..Now there is huge gap after the known OHs (Grothues, Daalderop, Buijs) ...Jasper and especially Oude Luttikhuis are a joke at international level. (I count Plak as an Opp, since her non existing reception-skill.


    Another problem is still the libera-position. Schoot and Knip will not improve anymore and are far from international level and there is no new prospect as far as I can see.


    Sarah van Aalen (setter), Indy Bayens, Laura de Zwart (MB) and Annique Meyers, Dagmar Boom (OH) will be the next generation.

    Yes I agree with you that libero position is going to be a problem. Both Schoot and Knip aren't playing for a good team. At least they should play for the top 2 teams of Germany, so they can play CL.

    The future makes me worry, because Schoot is already 30 and there doesn't seems to be a good prospect. I thought maybe Kos could be the future libero, but she isn't even called for the long list and in the last junior tournament Boom already played as a libero instead of her.

    Yes Bongaerts is definitely taking over the setter position! I expect her to take over after the OG of 2020, but if she is going to have a good summer in 2019 and a good clubseason in 2019/2020, she already can be the starting setter at the OG! She is able to play a fast game and she is way better in block then Dijkema.


    I also think van Aalen is going to be a useful setter in the future! I hope she is going to play in the German league next season, to gain some experience at a higher level.

    According to the following article, Morrison is going to play the first 2 weeks of VNL without their main setters and is van Aalen going to be the starting setter. This probably mean he is going to give all the main players rest the first 2 weeks. I think it's a good thing he is going to give a chance to the younger players, but I think it would be strange if noone of the main players will play in second week, because than they play in the Netherlands.

    It definitely means they are gone get destroyed in the first week against Serbia, because they are going to play with their main squad in the first week:white:


    https://www.volkskrant.nl/spor…n-in-sliedrecht~bae13ec2/

    It is kind of disrespectful towards all Dutch volleybal fans and the players themselves if he really is going to do that. I mean.. so many people bought an ticket to finally watch their favorite players. Besides, every player loves to play in front of their home crowd.