European Olympic Qualification

In my opinion Russia didn't play that bad today!! Sokolova and Gamova dangerous serves are back!! That's very important for Russia! Last year Gamova didn't jump serve and Ljuba made a lot of serve errors.

Sheshenina is better than Akulova right now, and I agree with you Russki when you say that Caprara is stubborn when she continuosly replace Sheshenina with Akulova! Sheshenina needs more confidence! Plus I think that Alimova played a lot better than at ECH!

The problems are there: defence (some balls cannot fall), reception (Artamonova needs to come back, I'll repeat this forever), setting, slow MBs!! But some of the problems we have seen last year are gone!

You all understimate Romania!!! It is not easy to play against it! Those players (Turlea, Butnaru, Minca, Marcovici) are super super experienced players! They are smart as foxes!

Yeah, I'm worried about match against Turkey too, but I am also full of hope...

Nastja, your new avatar...I liek to read your comments, but always when I'm reading it, my sight goes left

Samba,

Our defense is bad, but I don't mind, you can't be good in everything. I just ask that our serves keep that good, that Gamova and Sokolova keep improving and that Godina comes back in shape. And that Caprara insists with Sheshenina, and that she stays AT LEAST with the level that she showed so far in these two matches.

If these things happens, we can compete for the OG gold medal. If not, then forget.

Quote from Russkii

I just ask that our serves keep that good, that Gamova and Sokolova keep improving and that Godina comes back in shape.

Right! That is the MOST important thing for Russia in my opinion! If Gamova, Sokolova and Godina + Sheshenina serve as they know, they can blew up the games of Italy, China and Brazil, which are entirely based on reception-unpredictable setting-quick attack to avoid the block.

That worked very much at the WCH06, so Italy, China and Brazil reception were destroyed and their attacks blocked!

Plus, obviously the spikes of the trio!!

Quote from Joana

Well done Turkey! They deserved it after the magnificent comeback in the 3rd set. Esra was really good today, and so were the others. I don't know most of these girls too well but they made a big impression and showed that it's possible to win without Neslihan.

Netherlands keeps going down after Grand Prix...

SHİNİNG TURK STARS

you are right.we can win without neslihan.Even our team are so young.we play very well.actually naz is great setter.(18 years old) she will be best setter of the world in 2-3 years. and neriman is our new neslihan(she is just 19 years old)

think of our team with neslihan and natali hanikoğlu after their pregnant.and eda erdem will turn to team when she heal.

turkey will be a great team.ı congratulations my team.what do you think about our young but talented players??*

Quote from Nastja

1:0 (29:27) for turkey
1:1 (16:25)
1:2 (26:28 )
1:3 (20:25)

so, poland qualified for sure now and 1st of the pool
nice... i like

If somebody didn't watch the game, can look on this result, move his shoulders and say: OK But that was such a nervous game with so many turns of actions. Poland should have won it easier, but Turkey fought like a mad Good play by Arca and Goekdez. But till time...

However, we have Skowrońska, Glinka and Barańska. They didn't play perfect today, but were a real power in crucial moments (incredible Barańska's attack in the end of the 3rd set ) Zenik made some mistakes, but generally she was good too. And block - sometimes as a real wall.

Thanks of this result Germany is already qualified from the 2nd place. Tomorrow semifinals. Who shall we play against... Serbia or Russia? I don't care. If we want to qualify from Halle, whe must win everything. In ECH everybody was gald that we are going to play Serbia. And everybody remember how it ended. So... we have to beat one of these teams (or maybe Germany will manage to go to the final?Who knows...)

Pity for the 3rd set and 4 SPs but it was a good effort by Serbia. Finally their play is starting to look like something.
Tomorrow we'll see who holds a bigger grudge, Poland because of the EC or Serbia because of the World Cup.

Impressive Russia today! Many mistakes, but also great plays. Let me say that Sokolova and Gamova are GREAT! What I didn't like today were the provokations of Gamova against Nikolic. Yesterday she provoked Turlea. I know she is very competitive and this is good, but it is not fair to say in the face of the player you blocked, how many times you have blocked her. This is just my opinion, Gioli and Citakovic also don't behave always well.

I mean look at Ljuba, she is a role model, of how you must behave on court.

About Serbia, the only thing I can say is this = Terzic is too stubborn.

Besides this, Russia deserved to win, fair and square.

Wow, great match. Although it was not worthy much, I was very nervous. Altough it wasn't an easy match - even 4th set wasn't easy - I think our girls played very well. It was the Serbians who played powerfully on the other side - Brakocevic being half the team, great player.

Sheshenina did her job ok once again. That's what we need, a setter who can play burocratically but with efficiency, without gross mistakes - like Akulova does. Some balls to Gamova were too short, and some sets to middle spikers were not coordinated, but she did her job.

Gamova played regularly through out the match, very good. By the way, she is our female Poltavsky, loves to mock her adversaries. But unlike him, at least she is decisive and win us matches.

Sokolova scored some amazing balls, but also made some stupid mistakes, but overall quite good.

Kulikova is doing fine on spiking. She is very powerful, but the kind of spiker who closes her eyes and hits. The problem is her reception, which is awful.

Middle spiking didn't work well, but our block didn't let Serbia play in the first set. It was overall good.

By the way, I loved how the third set ended. Ognjeovic points were annoying the hell out of me. Well deserved to her - oh, her "spikes" work against us because our defense is slow and not careful enough, but if she tries that many balls against other teams she is going to get screwed. Oh, and I liked when Sheshenia did it too.

Overall, if our reception had worked a bit better, it would had been a lot easier, but I am satisfied either way. Good job of Serbia as well, they showed a lot of heart and not once it seemed like the match was finished, even though Russian opened some big leads.

Quote from Russkii

By the way, I loved how the third set ended. Ognjeovic points were annoying the hell out of me. Well deserved to her - oh, her "spikes" work against us because our defense is slow and not careful enough, but if she tries that many balls against other teams she is going to get screwed.

Oh yeah, she sure loves those. She can overdo it at times and I usually I end up screaming at TV "Don't do that!" but she does win many points.
Djerisilo's days might be over if Brakocevic keeps it up like this, and I think she's bound to get even better.

I hope for the final between Serbia and Russia, but if we lose tomorrow, I'd like Russia to take it all. I like those giants.

We like you too. I also hope for that final. If it was in male VB, I would not mind losing the final to you, but in female I just can't accept it, so I won't wish you luck.

Congratulation to young Turkish players especially their attacker no 10 ! She played excellent volleyball. I didn't expect such difficult game.

Quote from Joana

Djerisilo's days might be over if Brakocevic keeps it up like this, and I think she's bound to get even better.

No, please!! Djero, please train your reception, so you can play as OH, together with Brako and Aki!!!

Quote from Russkii

By the way, she is our female Poltavsky, loves to mock her adversaries. But unlike him, at least she is decisive and win us matches.

So true!!!

I saw Sokolova sometimes trying to calm Gamova like a mama with daughter! Very funny!

Quote from samba player

So true!!!

I saw Sokolova sometimes trying to calm Gamova like a mama with daughter! Very funny!

Actually, I think your analogy - mama and daughter - is very good. She is just an overgrown - REALLY overgrown - girl, so she doesn't do that to humilliate no one. She is a very good girl and with a pure heart. People shouldn't take take her in the wrong way. She is like a kid.

As for the last match, when Holland lost the first set, I thought they would crumble and lose awfully, but they at least showed sportmanship to fight to the bitter end, even though they were already out - I didn't watch the match though. But still, pretty embarassing performance since the GP. They said they didnt want to play GP 08 to "focus on the OG", and they didn't even qualify. I would be pretty ashamed.

So the 4 semifinalists were defined: Russia vs. Germany and Poland vs. Serbia

Anything can happen in both matches, but there's more likelihood of Russia playing against Poland for the Olympic spot on Sunday.

The German team has the advantage of playing before its fans to try to beat Russia, but honestly I don't think that will be enough. The Russian team is physically stronger and more experienced, so unless Germany's strategy surprise the Russians, I don't see how come the Germans will beat Russia.

As for the other match, the Polish team seems to be keeping their level and Serbians are having ups and downs. If Spasojevic were playing I'd say Serbia is the favourite. However, this is not the case and I'm pretty convinced the Polish team will be Russia's opponent in the final match of the European Qualification Tournament.

In my opinion, the biggest but also the nicest surprise of this tournament is Turkey's superbly talented young setter Naz Aydemir. I am impressed with her intelligence and creativity in both matches. Turkey finally finds a setter who can make her team play modern volleyball. It is not only great for Turkey but for volleyball since we don't see this kind of setters growing up nowadays.I hope we will all watch her similar even better performances in Grand Prix this summer.

All Polish fans support Russia... If RUS will win, Poland probably goes to Beijing