2024 Paris Olympic Games

  • And one more thing.

    After Brazil 2008 this Italian team is the most beautiful playing team in vb history. Pleasure to watch.


    I like both teams, both were/amazing to watch, but I would add CHN Athens 2004. Kun Feng distribution (magic) and those quick slides from CHN were :rose: A legendary team too, in the most competitive Olympics of this century.

  • What do you think of Fofao coaching Brazil's WNT and Anderson for MNT? They are currently both coaching junior teams in Brazil.

  • She was great throughout the event - Italy would crush Brazil as well - and team USA not getting any award as a silver medalist would be weird.

    It will be weird if the silver medalist doesn't have an individual award. She did great the whole tournament except for this final game. I think it's just fair.


    Finally Italy won a medal and gold at that. They created a team chemistry that was lacking for how many years. I will give Orro the credit for this win. If she was playing just like last year, Italy would be in limbo. She learned to set each player their preferred ball speed and height. They will be dangerous for the next quad.


    USA as host next Olympics will still be a contender. I know Karch will stick around and will continue doing their brand of fast plays. I hope the girls will be able to perfect this type of play like what they Tokyo girls did.

  • I like both teams, both were/amazing to watch, but I would add CHN Athens 2004. Kun Feng distribution (magic) and those quick slides from CHN were :rose: A legendary team too, in the most competitive Olympics of this century.

    The Athens final is my all time favorite. The contrast of style, the height & power of sky high balls from Russia, the skill delicacy from China, all have been gone and no longer been found in today’s volleyball.
    And talking about slide, its importance is fading out in women’s volleyball, as the sport has become more and more like the men’s volleyball. In this OG, all medalists don’t have real slider on court except Washington, but her slide efficiency was low. Carol tried to run slide in bronze medal match, but that wasn’t successful as well. Even looking at all teams in QF, only Eda & Yuan run slides as their main weapon. We may see even less slider in LA, Eda will be 41 if she’s there, Yuan probably will be there, not sure if Lubian can improve her block and become starter. Other than them I may still miss someone, but overall sliders are becoming rare and its importance in the game is no longer that significant.

  • Good coach is half of the team.


    Huge credit to Velasco, i dont see Italy as a strongest, but they were most stable team in the tournament, with limited number of errors and block defense system that they always had. Velasco released pressure from Egonu, give few more hard balls to the hitters, put them to add few more errors on their account, but Egonu stayed mentally calm because of that and in the rhythm, this what differenced Egonu now with other 2 opposites, when teams overload them with balls in crucial moments. Double sub help them too to keep Egonu out of trouble, but i know few different coaches that would not know to use them both.


    But generally bad tournament overall(and we all expected best one), huge credit for that go to Turkiye And Serbia and their federation/coaches nonsense that lead that both team huge under perform this summer. Without 2 main rivals, Italy job was not that hard at the end.

  • The Athens final is my all time favorite. The contrast of style, the height & power of sky high balls from Russia, the skill delicacy from China, all have been gone and no longer been found in today’s volleyball.
    And talking about slide, its importance is fading out in women’s volleyball, as the sport has become more and more like the men’s volleyball. In this OG, all medalists don’t have real slider on court except Washington, but her slide efficiency was low. Carol tried to run slide in bronze medal match, but that wasn’t successful as well. Even looking at all teams in QF, only Eda & Yuan run slides as their main weapon. We may see even less slider in LA, Eda will be 41 if she’s there, Yuan probably will be there, not sure if Lubian can improve her block and become starter. Other than them I may still miss someone, but overall sliders are becoming rare and its importance in the game is no longer that significant.

    Slide attack is important part of the female game and will stay for sure. We did not see much in this tournament mostly because majority of the teams doing double sub.

  • where did you get this? Both Zehra and Cansu are on the match roster yesterday

    It was on a turkish page on Instagram. It looked like some kind of tabloid official page. Maybe the translating was wrong. It said Zehra went to hospital after the semifinal and Cansu said she was ready to make the roster in her place. I didn't watch the bronze medal game...

  • What I don’t get it.


    Kelsey Robinson was the best OH whole club season if not number 1 right behind Gabi. And you are not giving her a chance enough as you do for Plummer. Like how ? She had bad moments but if you know how She can perform give her more chance….

    Both of them strugge with Karch system. It's nothing new, just Karch having one plan and sticking to it without any other solutions. He didn't even realize Skinner could't handle the passing when Larson took Plummer's place and Italy made her the target from the service line. Very poor coaching of the best wide roster in women's volleyball as usual.

  • Just finished watching the game back, wooooohoooooooo :heart::dance6:


    I'm so happy to see that Italy looked quite dominant throughout the whole match. Their eyes screamed "we're not gonna lose this". Great team effort with the subs coming in and fighting to keep every ball in play. I can't believe we almost won a set from them lol. Special shoutout to my faves Carlotta and Gaia :rose: They showed that you don't need to be in a top club to reach the top. Yes, Gaia being in was bc of Pietrini & Degradi's injury, but still her contributions were great. I hope young/talented players are watching to choose being a starter over benchwarmer.


    Cate Bosetti is the redemption queen of the summer btw :super: Went from starter to bench in VNL because she played below her level. Then she was a starter in OG because of Alice's injury, until she was replaced at times by Giovannini. But the further they got, the better she started to play and especially today she was doing a fantastic job without having to use her arsenal of power tips :cheesy:


    I watched the ceremony as well (and the whole match with Italian commentary to get the full champion experience) and it was nice to see Bonifacio in the stands screaming for the team and the fact that they took her on court as well as part of the team really warmed my heart. During the ceremony I saw someone carry an extra shirt which I assume was Degradi's (but Eurosport cut off the stream then). Congrats to all the members of the OG team but also those from wide roster, and ofcourse the Italian fans here. I hope you're gonna wake up with hangovers tomorrow and lost your voice because of all the celebrating :drink:

  • I'm gonna have to say something and be the devils advocate as always now 🤣 that I think many are thinking, sorry for Turks and Serbians (as a Turkish fan)


    But Egonu sealed herself as the best of this generation officially imo. Though it was an iconic and close race overall and all of the top Opps will be remembered as legends in their own right ❤️

  • I'm gonna have to say something and be the devils advocate as always now 🤣 that I think many are thinking, sorry for Turks and Serbians (as a Turkish fan)


    But Egonu sealed herself as the best of this generation officially imo. Though it was an iconic and close race overall and all of the top Opps will be remembered as legends in their own right ❤️

    I mean this doesn’t really concern turkey lol. The conversation was only between 2 players but I agree that Egonu has solidified a very strong case to argue against right now and that it wouldn’t be a bad take to have the opinion that she is the best.


    However, 1 summer with a VNL Gold and European gold doesn’t come close to the talks of “best of this generation” lol. That conversation takes a lot more into consideration than just current form.

  • I mean this doesn’t really concern turkey lol. The conversation was only between 2 players but I agree that Egonu has solidified a very strong case to argue against right now and that it wouldn’t be a bad take to have the opinion that she is the best.


    However, 1 summer with a VNL Gold and European gold doesn’t come close to the talks of “best of this generation” lol. That conversation takes a lot more into consideration than just current form.

    I'm talking both NT and club, Vargas obviously played less for Int volleyball. She has a better club career, Boskovic better NT career. Egonu is better than both in both of them.


    I think you yourself mentioned Vargas among the best so you are not making sense, also one sad story is Isabelle Haak which also is def up there but her NT isn't.

  • I'm talking both NT and club, Vargas obviously played less for Int volleyball. She has a better club career, Boskovic better NT career. Egonu is better than both in both of them.


    I think you yourself mentioned Vargas among the best so you are not making sense, also one sad story is Isabelle Haak which also is def up there but her NT isn't.

    Vargas is certainly one of the best opposites in the world. That’s not what I’m taking issue with. I’m taking issue with you comparing her to Boskovic and Egonu in terms of CAREER. Vargas has a lot more winning to do to compare to them in terms of greatest of a generation lol.

  • Vargas is certainly one of the best opposites in the world. That’s not what I’m taking issue with. I’m taking issue with you comparing her to Boskovic and Egonu in terms of CAREER. Vargas has a lot more winning to do to compare to them in terms of greatest of a generation lol.

    Yep so we agree. I'm not arguing about who is number two (ironically with my new username) I was just making a case for Egonu against people that believe their NT has the best Opp, they're all very good obv as well.


    Also a nice message for people that said she is not needed in the NT, the cringe and loud minority at times.

  • Egonu has probably the most complete resume, not only within women's volleyball, after OG from this generation, both NT and club vball considered:


    - 3x MVP of CL (3 titles)

    - 2x MVP of VNL (2 titles)

    - 1x MVP of ECH (1 title)

    - 1x MVP of OG (1 title)

    - couple of WCH medals (best scorer twice)


    (not including random league/CWCH titles)


    Zhu is on the same tier (World Cup instead of VNL), but it's kind of obvious which one of these two will win more, especially individually and on NT level, in the next couple of years.


    Egonu is a WCH away from completing volleyball - and fortunately for her, she'll get twice as many occasions as she would get in the past, on the strongest team in the world right now. Whether it makes her better or whatever - I don't care - but yeah, her career is already 1st-tier alltime after this OG.

  • Club competition is irrelevant. Much less watched, and much less teams involved. In the last 10 years is 2,3 teams more or less and Egonu always played in the dream team.


    Also VNL is joke. Nobody care about VNL, maybe 2,3 countries, this last VNL that Italy one, rest of the teams played even more casual than usual.

  • Club competition is irrelevant. Much less watched, and much less teams involved. In the last 10 years is 2,3 teams more or less and Egonu always played in the dream team.


    Also VNL is joke. Nobody care about VNL, maybe 2,3 countries, this last VNL that Italy one, rest of the teams played even more casual than usual.

    CL is very relevant, League Championships as well somewhat but obviously the international impact isn't so strong. It is more for the resume of a volleyball player and their career achievements, the rest not really indeed. CL is kind of important in all team sports in Europe, the finale does have a good viewership.