Natalie Hagglund retired arter 1 year of pro volley. She was a bench player for an outstanding Popovic. She never had a real chance to prove herself. Same as Vansant.
Kreklow and her husband retired together, having no interest on playing volleyball anymore. She was strong with NT and Dresdner.
Many USA players rather retire than stay overseas.
At least they can find jobs in coaching NCAA and give back something to the next generation of athletes. Like Vansant and Kreklow and her husband.
Pola Nowakowska - she was named the best OH in the 2013 Youth European Championship. She plays as a libero now but mostly chooses clubs in which she is a bench player. IMO she could be really good if she decided to play in a team where she could have a lot of time on court.
Özgenur Yurtdagülen
Defininitely! She was my favorite player when she played in U tournaments, so passionate, expressive and a great team player, I could even imagine her as a future captain of the Turkish NT. She was a good blocker and great slide attacker.
In those tournaments she actually seemed to perform same level or even better than some MBs who now could be considered top MBs worldwide.
I felt like her performance dropped ever since that tournament though, she started to care more about going out followed by literally just spending time with her boyfriend all the time, I'm not one to judge but yea, I believe that's the main reason she never reached full potential, she simply didn't commit to volleyball.
Now she is playing in Nilufer, didn't have a bad season or a great season which is the usual for her.
well those views are clearly for non volleyball related reasons
Yeah I know HAHAHAHAHAHA as I said instagram beauty 
But She knows how to use MB, but her setting in zone 4 is terrible with fast setting. 
Now she is playing in Nilufer, didn't have a bad season or a great season which is the usual for her.
She played in THY this year, she was in Nilüfer last year. She was starter at the beginning then lost her spot in THY.
She played in THY this year, she was in Nilüfer last year. She was starter at the beginning then lost her spot in THY.
oh true I forgot, that's... how much I follow her these days...
Busra Sahin replaced her a lot I think right? lol
Selin Arifoglu replaced her throughout her days in Nilufer also iirc
Fun fact btw: She was like best friends with Milena Rasic for a while, especially when she was also in VB! They were really close.
Display MoreI don't know what happened with her in the intervening years after high school (the Saori/Saori era) and recently (Kurogo/Ishikawa). Seemed like she was making a name for herself when Kimura went to Europe, but alas. I believe she is now pursuing a leadership, perhaps coaching path. She's been Captain the last two years and hardly played.
I have one nobody's heard of:
Haruka Maruo
2017 Intercollegiate Championship - Best server
2019 Intercollegiate Champion Best Middle Blocker and MVP
She dabbled in a few U-Squads without glory. As a Middle Blocker she had the hang time to deal with ill-timed sets, did slides and HULK SMASHES, and took care of most of the out of system SOS passes. She had great leadership too, but the pièce de résistance was her back court attack! She did spot-on Neriman style full-body jack-knife clobber kills. She was going to be my new Saori Sakoda. She was my everything, and then went off to play 9 person volleyball with the Panasonic Bluebells after winning the College Championship. What a heartbreak
#1
Thanks for the explanation sitenoise ! There are so many Japanese players (Miho Watanabe, Hiroko Matsuura, Sumiko Mori, Aya Horie, Kaho Maruta, Minori Wada, Manami Kojima, Misaki Shirai, Tamaki Matsui) who got elected in all-stars of U-tournaments but afterwards they didn't make it to senior NT. It is odd, especially considering that Japan couldn't find a solid setter for a long time, Miyashita Haruka was my hope, but she also didn't make it to the next step.
Got any comments about the players above? Have they ever made a good transition to senior level or stayed as 'just' a good prospects?
Many players were already mentioned, but I need to say few names:
- Molly Kreklow, OMG, that girl was so good. Many clubs around the world wanted her. She had offer from many polish clubs, Wrocław, Sopot, Chemik and Dąbrowa. Sadly, she retired really soon.
- Danica Radenković - she played good in Germany and after two good seasons in Poland she moved to Azeri league... which was already on bad level. I couldn't understand that decision. It destroyed her.
- Magdalena Gryka, she was quite good setter in 2013, when she was 19. She was able to replace Dirickx/Hanke/Hagglund in some important games, but after two good seasons she end up on the bench.
- Becky Perry, I really liked her in german league, but what happened with her after that... It's like mystery for me 
Other Americans: Krista Vansant/Natalie Hagglund/Bailey Webster
I may be wrong, but I think Sara Klisura had a shoulder injury which stopped her from playing for some time
Malykh Natalia (RUS, OPP) can be add on this list for sure.
Kamila Frątczak! She was supposed to be the other big hitter next to Glinka.
And Anna Miros (Podolec) who is the polish version of Malagurski. At her peak in 2008 I think she was a beast.
Kamila Frątczak! She was supposed to be the other big hitter next to Glinka.
And Anna Miros (Podolec) who is the polish version of Malagurski. At her peak in 2008 I think she was a beast.
Oh Podolec, i remember her amazing play on WC 2007, at least was amazing against Serbia.
Serena Ortolani should be in that list.
Also, i am dumbfounded that crovolley were able to grasp the meaning of the title of this thread.
Thanks for the explanation sitenoise ! There are so many Japanese players (Miho Watanabe, Hiroko Matsuura, Sumiko Mori, Aya Horie, Kaho Maruta, Minori Wada, Manami Kojima, Misaki Shirai, Tamaki Matsui) who got elected in all-stars of U-tournaments but afterwards they didn't make it to senior NT. It is odd, especially considering that Japan couldn't find a solid setter for a long time, Miyashita Haruka was my hope, but she also didn't make it to the next step.
Got any comments about the players above? Have they ever made a good transition to senior level or stayed as 'just' a good prospects?
Most of those players went to university, good winning teams, but that seems to be the kiss of death in Japan--like they don't take volleyball seriously. Fans forget about them as well. It's not across the board but seems like a pattern.
Tamaki Matsui (JWCPE), who I'm a big fan of, is at her make or break point. She split playing time with Nanami Seki and the U20 squad people that won the Asian Championship last fall. She was chosen for the Wide Roster NT this year, and just signed with Denso. Fingers crossed. She's creative. If the NT goes full Coach Aihara U20 style, she's the setter I'd pick.
Manami Kojima (Aoyama) was one of a very few Japanese players I have actively disliked. NEC is my Home Team, I'm tough on liberos, and she was a bench warmer. Whenever she came on (2017-19) as a DF sub she looked like a boof. Finally the two liberos ahead of her retired and she took the reigns this past season. She won me over completely. But it took most of the season. This speaks a bit to judging players on their Sub moments or part time playing. It's tough, and not really fair. But they gotta have the goods it takes to make it to full time and show us their stuff. Her patience paid off. NEC signed Mio Sato, who has some NT experience, for the season and I jumped for joy. But Manami beat her. You go girl!
Minori Wada has great lineage: Kinrankai H.S -> Tsukuba University. Then PFU. Oops. But to be fair, this is the flipside to good players who sign with the Top Teams and warm the bench.
Sumiko Mori has been Captain of V2 team Prestige International for a few years. She's fabulous, a player who always looks like she's in charge. She won her U-Awards, went to college, signed with a V2 team. Heads or tails, I guess.
Miho Watanabe was before my time. Played a couple years with NEC after college and then hung it up.
Kaho Maruta signed with an expansion team, Fukuoka SeaCats after college and one year with V2's GSS Sunbeams. I think we see the SeaCats in the V.League in a couple years. They might be the next Himeji Victorina in terms of a community based pro team instead of a business team. I'm making this call based on their web site and photography. I've never seen them play volleyball. LOL [Update] Kaho just resigned from the SeaCats. Probably done with VB
Of the three who didn't go to college --Hiroko Matsuura, Aya Horie, Misaki Shirai-- only Shirai is still playing. I'm not familiar with the other two. Shirai got a chance in Toray's 17/18 transition year. The Saori's were gone and Tashiro seemed unhappy there. Horikawa and Kadie Rolfzen were the soldiers. It didn't work out so well, and then Nanami Seki showed up.
[EDIT] I think Haruka Miyashita might be back. She got depressed after Rio and her club getting demoted to V2, even declined NT invitation saying "there are better setters than me in Japan". But she did superb this past season making the Final with no foreigner and nobody else anybody has heard of. I think it bodes well for her.
Also, i am dumbfounded that crovolley were able to grasp the meaning of the title of this thread.
You know that this is unnecessary... you know that you should had ended with your first line, why did you have to say that? doesn't add nothing to the topic that was going so well... stop with this kind of behavior, please
Oh Podolec, i remember her amazing play on WC 2007, at least was amazing against Serbia.
Honestly Podolec's life match was against Germany at the European Olympic Qualifications 2008 in Halle, she killed the Germans with her standing serves. That game was a tremble match, besides Heike Beier played as libero in that match 
A severe shoulder injury ruined her career, after the Peking Olympic Games her shape was nowhere to be found.
Oh I really like this subject! Congrats!
I agree Molly Kreklow might be the biggest prospect that never was. Or at least, locked in the top 3.
Samara is another one. I remember her in the Southamerican Champhionship in 2008: she was simply amazing for her age. Such a good ball control! And she confirmed it in the WCH U18 the following year.
In that generation we could find many "prospects". As many have mentioned, there is Sara Klisura, Mari Horikawa, Hagglund, Haley Eckerman! I forgot her! She was a bomb in that WCH, as well as in the JWCH two years later. But too error prone. There is also Daniela Uribe, peruian MB/OPP. Damn good in U18 and U20. From that generation, there is also Ceren Kestirengoz. She was the heart of Turkey during that tournment.
And so many cubans. But for me, the biggest prospect was Rosana Giel.
Does someone know what happened with Sarah Petrausch? I remember she was a machine in the JWCH 2009. If Im not wrong, she was the top scorer of every single match Germany played.
Floriana Bertone, Giulia Pisani and Letizia Camera could be added here, they were the winners of 2011 FIVB Volleyball Women's U20 World Championship along with Cate Bosetti, Diouf and Bianchini, but never made it up to a higher level in senior career.
I'm not even sure if Pisani is still playing, but when she was playing for Busto, she was a very strong blocker despite her height.
Of course, Chiara Scarabelli, she was supposed to be Italy's best player but had to stop due to injury.
You know that this is unnecessary... you know that you should had ended with your first line, why did you have to say that? doesn't add nothing to the topic that was going so well... stop with this kind of behavior, please
Thank you admin for giving warning because of provocation. 
Kamila Frątczak was outstanding in Italy with Tortolì.
