Brazil Women's NT 2023

    Quote from yudeko

    They do look very tall. But Im just a little bothered by the knee pads not being on their knees :lol:

    picture probably taken before or after a game/practice


    Apparently Ana said she's willing to try playing as an opposite if that's going to help the team.


    I really have no idea why people (on twitter mostly) act so offended by the mere suggestion of trying out this formation at some point? I guess maybe they think Ana is being "sacrificed" or something, but, the way I see it, Ana is a starter no matter what with her current form. The real question is whether Ana-Gabi-Julia can perform better than Kisy (or whoever)-Gabi-Ana, and we won't know that unless we test it out. If Julia lives up to the expectations, then it's only natural that Zé would want to find a way to fit his 3 strongest pins in the starting line-up. It's why Mari became an OH and why Santarelli has been trying to move Ebrar to OH.


    Julia as a receiving opposite could also be worth a try.

    Here's one of the jerseys that Brazil will wear this year, the other ones are yellow (ofc) and white.


    Quote from clara


    I might be in the minority here, but I actually think the jerseys look quite nice

    When I saw the yellow version I didn't like, but I catch myself enjoying this version and the white one, the colors are good, different than what we are used to see in Brazilian NT, and at this point, after all these years without basically nothing new, this looks like an improvement.

    I'm actually quite surprised that the official photos hasn't been taken with the yellow jersey, that's unexpected.


    Despite we know that the white version will just be used by the libero, I wish they use more.


    Quote from clara


    I might be in the minority here, but I actually think the jerseys look quite nice

    They look quite oldschool and boring to me🤷 I prefer yellow brasilian jerseys indeed

    Quote from sloth

    Lara's injured and out of week 1. Why can't we have nice things? ;(

    how is she injured?! in trainings?? So I guess Thaisa is on her way to Japan?

    She injured her knee while playing the friendlies against Japan... we are going to week 1 with Carol, Diana and Lorena.. no Thaisa, for now

    Man, I'm so sad. She seemed so excited to be with the NT, and judging by the trainings it looked like she was going to get a lot of playing time this week too.


    I know knee sprains can vary a lot in severity, but hopefully hers is a minor one and she can rejoin the team for a latter part of the competition

    I don't know what's happening with Natinha but since playoff her head is clearly not in the game and she had some moments today that she should have showed more leadership and not run away from her responsibilities on court.. I want to see Lais playing

    And trying not be only negative, I loved Diana slides.. that girl is improving year after year, so nice to see :love:

    Gabi is already in Saquarema

    God, I so agree on Natinha... By the third set I was yelling at my TV for Zé to put Laís on already. It seems like if the ball is not falling strictly inside her zone, she simply won't take the initiative to go for it. There were a even couple times where a ball fell down right under her nose because she waited for Macris to get it, even though Macris should obviously get the second touch if possible.


    I sincerely hope that Zé gives Laís a chance to start tomorrow because 1. she deserves it 2. she has the leadership that Natinha lacks 3. competition might be good for Natinha, she is too passive right now.


    Laís and Natinha are similar players. They are like the steady, reliable kind of libero, as opposed to Nyeme's flashy/showmanship playstyle. So I could honestly see Laís snatching the finals spot away from Natinha... as long as she gets an opportunity to play, of course.

    Some other things:


    Yes on the Diana slide! I don't think I've ever seen her attack this well. I think Carol Leite's sets were too low for her. Macris sets her fast, but still gives enough height for her to use her wingspan.


    Julia struggled a bit at the beginning, but the potential this girl has is just undeniable. She hasn't played a match since like December and she was still able to come up with some amazing plays. There were a couple of cut shots she did that were so beautiful.


    The Kisy hate is getting so out of hand. She was good today (top scorer, 48% efficiency). She isn't Boskovic and I'm sure she knows that, but Brazil's game has never been about having a 30+ points per match power hitter. I think she can fit the system, even more so after Gabi comes back and the passing becomes more stable.


    Sure, Kisy needs to improve her defense. I'm sure she knows that as well. Out of the young opposites, she strikes me as the most conscious of her weaknesses. She didn't use to have a good serve, but she's become one of our most effective servers. Her attacking approach was wrong, she worked on it. Her hard work is evident, and yet people mock her endlessly for literally no reason. That doesn't mean we shouldn't try other opposites as well, but it makes me so sad to see a girl who is clearly very committed to the NT get treated like this.