Russia NT 2021

    Not too optimistic for Russia this 2021 but I hope they can surprise us. This will probably be Goncharova's last year playing for NT before she retires and of course the biggest blow for them is Parubets absence. She is Russia's most stable receiver and also good enough firepower on the left side. The only bright side is the up-and-coming player Fedorovtseva and I think she is gaining all the playing experience now playing in Kazan as starter. I don't expect the lineup to be drastically different from 2019 roster.


    Setter: Romanova, Startseva- The 2 setter positions are locked. I prefer Romanova to be the starting setter as I feel she has overall better connection to the team. Zhenya is perfect with the double-sub.

    OPP: Goncharova - No need to explain really.

    MB: Koroleva, Fetisova, Lazarenko, Kotova - Russia don't really need a third MB if the 2 starters are healthy, so an MB who can be utilized as serving sub can be useful to the team.

    OH: Parubets*, Voronkova, Fedorovtseva, Kosheleva, Lazareva, Galkina - I expect Voronkova-Fedorovtseva to be the starting OHs, Kosheleva/Lazareva can play as sub either as OH or OPP. Galkina is a libero but can be used as a purely defensive OH just like Ezhova in Rio 2016. I think this will have more pay-off than bringing someone like Scherban or Kurilo who is neither a specialist in attack or reception and are average players at best IMO.

    L: Malova, Pilipenko, Galkina - After Russian Cup finals, there is no doubt in my mind Malova is still Russia's #1 libero.


    *Parubets - If she recovers, but I doubt she will be in good shape so no sense of bringing her.

    Quote from zhutingfan

    They are participating in Tokyo 2021 (covid permitting) regardless of the wada/IOC ruling right?

    Yes they will be able to compete, but not representing as 'Russia' the country :gone:

    one question

    How is fedorotdeva's receive

    Because russian has struggled last years with that

    Parubets was the specialist in russia and without her it gonna be difficult

    I onle see few matches with her in opp and when she was at oh,it wasn't good enough

    Someone who follow her or her team can tell

    Voronkova has improved but also is not enough

    Looking at the league stats, Fedorovtseva has 52% positive reception (Malova has 54%), not very good but passable and definitely better than Voronkova. The other OH alternatives Scherban etc are too unstable and won't contribute too much in attack anyway so I think Fedorovtseva is the closest player as a replacement for Parubets. I know she is still too young (17 y.o. next year), but in the games she has played so far, it seems she is able to cope with the pressure. Arina and Malova can do a 2-person receiving system like Serbia..

    Quote from inc0gnito

    Looking at the league stats, Fedorovtseva has 52% positive reception (Malova has 54%), not very good but passable and definitely better than Voronkova. The other OH alternatives Scherban etc are too unstable and won't contribute too much in attack anyway so I think Fedorovtseva is the closest player as a replacement for Parubets. I know she is still too young (17 y.o. next year), but in the games she has played so far, it seems she is able to cope with the pressure. Arina and Malova can do a 2-person receiving system like Serbia..

    But it won't make the same effect as parubets

    Because she should cover all coutt and that make her focus on receive and we sae she couldn't attack properly


    Maybe it would affect arina too,it's difficult at 17yo to cover a lot of receive

    Quote from inc0gnito

    Looking at the league stats, Fedorovtseva has 52% positive reception (Malova has 54%), not very good but passable and definitely better than Voronkova. The other OH alternatives Scherban etc are too unstable and won't contribute too much in attack anyway so I think Fedorovtseva is the closest player as a replacement for Parubets. I know she is still too young (17 y.o. next year), but in the games she has played so far, it seems she is able to cope with the pressure. Arina and Malova can do a 2-person receiving system like Serbia..

    don't you think kadochkina or kotıikova would make the cut?

    Well, it seems that Buzato likes a lot Sazonova (the best scorer of the Russian league) and she'll probably be tested this year. IMO, she is the nearest player who can replace Ilchenko. I like Fedorovtseva, but she is too young. Btw, her reception is good for a 16-y.o player. I also think that if Kurilo only focuses on reception, she could be useful. Buzato, do not invite Shcherban, Iurinskaia, and Kotikova to NT pls :whistle:


    Romanova didn't have a good season so far... so, Buzato may try another option like Filishtinskaya.

    Quote from serdar

    don't you think kadochkina or kotıikova would make the cut?

    I like Kadochkina, but Lazareva is having a better season. I am pretty sure they both will do a better VNL than Khaletskaya and Russu||. About Kotikova, she has been facing some healthy and familiar problems these last years, and that's why her level dropped. Now she is just a defensive OH on Kazan's bench.

    Quote from inc0gnito

    Russia don't really need a third MB if the 2 starters are healthy, so an MB who can be utilized as serving sub can be useful to the team.

    Well, Russia also needs a MB with slides... and Lazarenko is the indicated one. It seems that after her poor performance in the Governor Cup she decided to improve and now she is the best MB scorer (over Koroleva, which is unusual in the Russian League) and one of the best blockers :heart:. Fortunately, she is also a nice server (much better than Efimova).

    Kosheleva: After Parubets' injury, she has realistic chances to be part of the team or even a starter, specially with how she's currently playing in Galatasaray. I have almost written her off so her performance in Turkey is a pleasant surprise. Of course, it won't change things much for Russia but her current form is still better than Shcherban and Kurilo.

    Voronkova: I don't know what's going on with her, but her attacking has dropped in the past few years but on a positive note, she has improved in reception so she and Fedorovtseva are ideal as starting as OHs.

    Fedorovtseva: Like how many of us has already pointed out a number of times, she's a very promising player and currently performing well in Russian League but we'll have to see how she'll do under more intense pressure at the Olympics. OH options for Russia are very limited at the moment, so regardless if she's inexperienced or not, she's the best choice since the other OHs won't do better than her. Like I said before, Russia has very low chances to earn a medal or even make it to QF so I guess it's best to give Arina playing time to prepare her well for Paris. This, of course, depends largely if Busato will call her in NT. I also got a feeling that a lot of Russia NT followers project a lot of hope and expectation on her. The past 4 years has been the least successful for Russia so I can imagine fans are searching for success and they see a shining beacon of hope in Fedorovtseva. Hope she handles the pressure well

    Goncharova: Struggling lately but the starting OPP position is hers, regardless. Hope she can improve her form in Tokyo. It'll most probably be her last hurrah before she finally retires from NT so I hope she can give her best performance ever.

    Lazareva: I've watched a number of her games in Korean League. She's powerful but can be quite inconsistent. At this point, she's good as backupp OPP or backup OH. She'll add more firepower to Russia.

    Parubets: It's sad how she's been robbed twice of the chance to participate in the olympics. Being excluded at Rio was understandable but this time, it's harder because she has definitely earned her spot.

    All in all, Russia is a big question mark. A dark horse at best. I hope Busato can work some magic on the players. I can see he has a positive effect on the girls under his guidance.

    Quote from bibetron

    Goncharova: Struggling lately but the starting OPP position is hers, regardless. Hope she can improve her form in Tokyo. It'll most probably be her last hurrah before she finally retires from NT so I hope she can give her best performance ever.

    I think that she will eventually kickstart her performance once it's nearing the Olympics. I like to think it's her way of preserving herself, careful not to strain herself but yeah she's clearly past her prime. Still my favorite and she's always been reliable so a huge part of me wishes she'll do amazingly by the time they need her the most.

    Quote from Hassan Kadem

    I think that she will eventually kickstart her performance once it's nearing the Olympics. I like to think it's her way of preserving herself, careful not to strain herself but yeah she's clearly past her prime. Still my favorite and she's always been reliable so a huge part of me wishes she'll do amazingly by the time they need her the most.

    I got a bit teary eyed when reading this lol Come to think of it, as far as I'm aware, Goncharova never really had any major injuries that required her to have surgery and be sidelined for a long time. She was always there available for major NT competitions (if you exclude VNL) she's such a trooper. I like it that she is underrated on these forums even on her peak, makes me like her even more :rose:

    Quote from inc0gnito

    Looking at the league stats, Fedorovtseva has 52% positive reception (Malova has 54%), not very good but passable and definitely better than Voronkova. The other OH alternatives Scherban etc are too unstable and won't contribute too much in attack anyway so I think Fedorovtseva is the closest player as a replacement for Parubets. I know she is still too young (17 y.o. next year), but in the games she has played so far, it seems she is able to cope with the pressure. Arina and Malova can do a 2-person receiving system like Serbia..

    The stats I see favour Voronkova (57 %) http://www.volleyservice.ru/in…ic&act=main_stat&gender=f http://vfv-web.dataproject.com…gComplete.aspx?ID=21&rt=7

    I think it is too early to say who will be in the team in spring/summer. Some players are fix as long they are healthy but especially the OH postitions will depend on who is playing in the next months in their clubs and how they are doing.


    Fix members of the NT:

    Startseva-Gonchareva

    Koroleva-Fetisova

    Voronkova

    Malova


    Romanova is probably still the favorite for the second setter position but I hope some other players will get the chance. I think Vetrova is having a pretty good comeback. Filishinskaya is not doing as good but she is in a very weak club. I liked Efimova last season but she is not in the superleague anymore.


    I think Voronkova is the only OH apart from Parubets who has a safe place in the NT. She is still better than the other options... I like Sazonova but her reception is not consistent. But she is only 22 and it is her first season. She receives most balls and gets also most balls in attack (similar to Parubets). Some players to consider If you just go by the stats: Chaplina, Shevchuk, Zvereva (only if she plays more), Shcherban, O. Frolova (needs to play more, was really good last season), Simonenko, Fedorovtseva, Pipurynova, Krotkova (needs to play more). I like Kotikova but she needs to play more. Kadochkina needs to improve her reception. No idea how Lazareva and Kosheleva are doing but they are obviously options.

    I regularly watch the Russian league, even the play of bottom teams. I agree with the most part of your post ignorans. I don't take the statistics too serious because some teams have weak coaches (f.e. Leningradka), some teams have weak setters (f.e. Proton), on the other hand, it's not wch, ech or OGs. The local championship has a purpose that players stay in good shape and they don't retire early (at least it's like that in Russia, except top teams).


    I also want to write other names whose performances I like as well. Ryseva, Shlyakhovaya, Lazareva and Kaskova (but she is too short for a OPP position 176 cm) As for Zvereva, during the game (Lipetsk vs Krasnodar) Sokolova and commentator were talking about her (the trainer liked her performance vs D.Moscow).


    As for Kotikova, Russu, they can join the team that will compete in Universiade like Lazareva did it in 2019. I want to hope that Kotikova and Russu will play in different clubs next year, esp. Kotikova she can be very useful in other team.

    Kosheleva is doing good at the moment with her club in Turkey, I think she can still be helpful in NT. If Parubets can have a good recovery, she can be used as a purely defensive OH/second libero in Tokyo due to her good reception. Voronkova and Fedorovtseva should play as starters and Koshe as sub. I think this will have more payoff than bringing one of Schcerban, Yezak, etc who are average players at best.

    Quote from inc0gnito

    Kosheleva is doing good at the moment with her club in Turkey, I think she can still be helpful in NT. If Parubets can have a good recovery, she can be used as a purely defensive OH/second libero in Tokyo due to her good reception. Voronkova and Fedorovtseva should play as starters and Koshe as sub. I think this will have more payoff than bringing one of Schcerban, Yezak, etc who are average players at best.

    With the way Kosheleva is currently playing, it wouldn't be a surprise if she'll be a starter again. And I think it wouldn't be a bad thing. IMO, Kosheleva's current season at Turkey is the best display of reception I've seen from her.

    This is the new interview with Parubets. This was also asked, recovery period is from 6 months to 9 months. Fortunately, when Parubets got injuried she knew what her injury was and she said she would prepare for the Olympics and did everything possible to go there. She is already preparing the main work, jumping, running, etc. According to her words, so far her recovery is going well. As for the Russian league, she does not yet know if she will play in the final round of the Russian League. She smiled when she said this (this is a good sign, maybe there is a chance for her). At the end, she said we'll see her on the court soon.



    I like her determination but I'm not sure it's a good idea to rush her recovery. She could risk getting herself injured again. I guess this just shows how athletes value the Olympics. It's everything for them and every risk is worth it. I wish her the best though, and hopefully, she makes a successful and speedy recovery.

    Voronkova-Fedorovtseva duo looks like to be Russia's best OH duo at the moment. The former improved her reception, and the latter is vastly improving at her age and shaping up to be a super-volleyball player in the future :white: Parubets can be a purely defensive OH and play like a libero role if she is not fully recovered. (Koshe can still be useful as an offensive OH sub, or even as second Opp if it's fine with her). I would also give chances to Smirnova in VNL, she can be a good backup to Goncha.

    Quote from inc0gnito

    Voronkova-Fedorovtseva duo looks like to be Russia's best OH duo at the moment. The former improved her reception, and the latter is vastly improving at her age and shaping up to be a super-volleyball player in the future :white: Parubets can be a purely defensive OH and play like a libero role if she is not fully recovered. (Koshe can still be useful as an offensive OH sub, or even as second Opp if it's fine with her). I would also give chances to Smirnova in VNL, she can be a good backup to Goncha.

    Russian league isn't good to judge