Dutch NT 2020

Quote from Let's go orange

Meijners for sure will retire I think.

I think the main squad from last year will defenitly not play this summer, because they only have to play VNL.

Schoot, Balkestein-Grothues and Sloëtjes are my guesses who will retire. Maybe they will come back for WCH in 2022, but defenitly not another olympic cycle. I know Balkestein-Grothues considered to go play beach volleyball.

de Kruijf is a question mark for me and IMHO Dijkema should retire, but I don't think she is going to. I believe the rest will continue to play for the national team.

Display More

Agree here mostly.

My guess is also Balkestein-Grothues, Schoot and Sloëtjes (I don't see the passion she once had in her eyes anymore)

I feel de Kruijf will stay and maybe could stay all the way up to 2024 as a leader of this squad since Beliën's perf. isn't spectacular I'd push Lohuis as MB2 for a while. Dijkema wants to stay and I bet she will not make it easy for Bongaerts but the new coach should just pick Bongaerts over her and maybe she''ll get the message with all respect to her eventually.

Anne Buijs same story as de Kruijf but 1 of them at least might retire before 2024. Also I agree that the eyes are on NL youth selection as well for a couple extra names to add. Most newcomers that had some time last year? (I think) were pretty decent imo.

they can bounce back foe this cycle. After guidetti, they were a mess. Sloetjes was not powerful. I like belien but for some reason her performance is so so this club season!

Well good luck Dutch team!

Quote from Let's go orange

I hope with whole my heart de Kruijf will continue playing for the Netherlands! She is the perfect captain, because she is a real fighter and she can teach the younger generation so much. Also she is just one of the best at her position. Next to that I hope Buijs will stay. She isn't my favourite player, but I think she can be important for the atmosphere inside the squad.

From the newcomers last year I want to see van Aalen (setter), Baijens (middle blocker/ opposite), Meijers (oustide hitter/ opposite), Hester Jasper (oustide hitter) and Timmerman (middle blocker).

She could be like Eda for Dutch NT, she is 4 years younger than Eda, so she will be also 33 during Paris OG, which is not an old age. I think it is very important to have at least two experienced players in the starting 6 during each Olympic cycle.

Since wch will be held in Netherlands, I wouldn't be surprised if noone would be retired till then

Guidetti. I said everything.

Quote from Let's go orange

Great highlight video of the match between the Netherlands and China in the poule phase of the Olympics in 2016. God how do I miss that, what a great team and in a good shape were they than

Sloëtjes being the best and most reliable opposite in the world at that moment. Dijkema playing consistent and finding her hitters in a good way.

Buijs in the shape of her life. Plak able to kill out of system balls with her #Plakpower.

De Kruijf and Beliën doing a tremendous job at the net.

Balkestein-Grothues very important in serve receive and defense. Not to mention Stam-Pilon who was so reliable! She even was able to receive with Plak and Buijs next to her. Also Schoot important from the bench to strengthen the defense.

Pietersen an all-round player who the team could rely on. And Steenbergen being a solid back-up for Beliën or de Kruijf.

Display More

One of the best teams in the World ! Many players in the right time with there peak performance.

Dutch

Quote from Let's go orange

Great highlight video of the match between the Netherlands and China in the poule phase of the Olympics in 2016. God how do I miss that, what a great team and in a good shape were they than

Sloëtjes being the best and most reliable opposite in the world at that moment. Dijkema playing consistent and finding her hitters in a good way.

Buijs in the shape of her life. Plak able to kill out of system balls with her #Plakpower.

De Kruijf and Beliën doing a tremendous job at the net.

Balkestein-Grothues very important in serve receive and defense. Not to mention Stam-Pilon who was so reliable! She even was able to receive with Plak and Buijs next to her. Also Schoot important from the bench to strengthen the defense.

Pietersen an all-round player who the team could rely on. And Steenbergen being a solid back-up for Beliën or de Kruijf.

Display More

agree with you. They were great in WCH 2018 as well.

The first time I watched Sloetjes was in 2012 Olympics Qualifiers in Ankara. She was very good in attack already. After that she struggled with injuries If I’m not mistaken so I lost track of her for a few years.

I also remember an interview of her a few years ago posted here most probably by you. She said she loves playing volleyball and will be playing all of her life, she also made some jokes by saying “as long as I don’t have to receive, I will play”. Sad to see she lost her ambition for volleyball. I hope she will take some time off and miss it and get back stronger more then ever. I really love watching her.

missing manon flier

Quote from Let's go orange

Great highlight video of the match between the Netherlands and China in the poule phase of the Olympics in 2016. God how do I miss that, what a great team and in a good shape were they than

Sloëtjes being the best and most reliable opposite in the world at that moment. Dijkema playing consistent and finding her hitters in a good way.

Buijs in the shape of her life. Plak able to kill out of system balls with her #Plakpower.

De Kruijf and Beliën doing a tremendous job at the net.

Balkestein-Grothues very important in serve receive and defense. Not to mention Stam-Pilon who was so reliable! She even was able to receive with Plak and Buijs next to her. Also Schoot important from the bench to strengthen the defense.

Pietersen an all-round player who the team could rely on. And Steenbergen being a solid back-up for Beliën or de Kruijf.

Display More

This match and whole tournament is why I put Lonneke on my all-time favorites team Also obviously her reign in VakifBank.

There is many great opposites, some of them probably even more explosive than Sloëtjes but none as great as a team-player and that's a fact in my eyes. Lonneke is just kinda the player that will complete your team.

Watching these highlights show how much some of them regressed over time : ( I think Daalderop is the one that has to energize them again and be a future leader or even Bongaerts,

Quote from Mozzer

missing manon flier

One of my first volleyball loves!

It really is a shame for Sloetjes. It's so bad when an injury (and fear of one) cuts a career prematurely short, especially of such a great one. However, watching her play throughout the years, I'm not surprised that she has knee problems in particular, because in addition to her high-usage and the amount of times she jumps for spikes per game, her peculiar way of celebration is designed to exacerbate the stress on her knees (jumping very high up and down with bent knees).

Quote from Umu11

The first time I watched Sloetjes was in 2012 Olympics Qualifiers in Ankara. She was very good in attack already. After that she struggled with injuries If I’m not mistaken so I lost track of her for a few years.

Same memories, she was absolutely great against Serbia in pool round, that was the first i saw her, Dutch was one of the best in the world from 2015-18, and because of their amazing crowd, i wish to see them in superb edition on WCH 2022.

Great team and great memories.

Quote from Let's go orange

She was very promising at young age, but indeed had lots of injuries. She had some knee problems and also a bad injury on her shoulder that she even tought her volleyball career would be over

I can't remember that interview, so I probably dind't post it😅 It's actually funny, she doesn't want te receive because she played as outside hitter for a while Even at the WCH in 2014 she played as outside hitters, because Pietersen and Flier were the opposites.

I think she still loves volleyball, but physically she has lots of problems and she doesn't want to be in pain for the rest of her life.

I agree with you hoping that taking rest will help her and come back stronger, so she can finisch her career at WCH in her own counrty in a good way!

Display More

At that time i thought that Pietersen would going to be the rising star for the Netherlands.

Things changed quickly. Sloetjes was a Bench player in WC 2014 an in the olympics she was part of the dream team. Just crazy!

Quote from Let's go orange

#Plakpower

Plak is a little nerve-racking lately but it felt good to see some #Plaklove I've always liked her (because I fear her as an opponent)

I don't think Sloetjes's lack of passion for volleyball stem from injuries, I feel like her last season in Vakifbank was mentally draining as well. I remember in her podcast interview she mentioned about that

it is just sad to note that after their former coach acted as the national coach of turkey, this team declined so much.

Sloetjes is not very powerful and decisive as she was before. She can't compete to either tandara, boskovic and egonu anymore.

Belien is the only person i could see that can still spike hard and block well.

I also hope that their second opposite stepped up

Nica daldarop is also promising. Well! They need to work it out as 2024 paris olympics is fast approaching!