Posts by 6persei

great match great victory for THA NT !!Aicharaporn MVP !! Amazing performance
I Love this team !!!!

THAI girls, I'm proud of you !!! What a comeback, what guts !keep fighting for Rio, the dream ain't over yet...

many thanks to my helpers, I actually succeeded in seeing second half of the match

Hi folks !
Need helped! Can anyone send me some link for the streaming of the ongoing match Dominican - Japan ?
FIVB youtube channel doesn't work here in Italy. Thanks

ITA did not lose on purpose. simply they are still one step below a Dutch team at its top, a team with strong motivations to win this match and secure their ticket to Rio (the more so after being unexpecedly defeated by KOR).
Having seen all the three 0:3 matchs (ECH, euro qualification and this time) I would say instead theat the gap is getting less and less wide. Celeste Plak's service at the end of 1st and 2nd set made the difference, the 2 teams went for most of the time almost head to head. The 3rd set had no story, ITA simply collapsed and gave up mentally. It takes time, and experience, to build a strong and winning team; let's see Tomorrow how Orro, Egonu and co. will face JAP

so it's all over now ... an interesting WGP tournament, despite some controversial issue as -for example- CHI subs facing BRA .....

** congratulations to BRA for its 9th wgp crown. They wanted it badly after playing second fiddle for 3 years; they got it. Stop..
** i agree to Thaisa mvp, not to Glass as best setter. Miyashita is IMO the real winner and a true 'revelation': the future belongs to her..
** I confess I have a weakness for JAP NT (as well as for japanese girls...) their defensive play gets somewhat near to sublime ....
yet when you check the final balance you discover they won only against ITA, then losing twice 0-3 and twice 2-3 (exactly as the much-despised Italy did).
What does this team need to become a front-runner in major international tournaments ?
** As to ITA: they deserved being in F6 (our subs beating Turkey first team 3-2); they were put to the most severe test, thus revealing their present limits and faults.
They learned it the hard way, but were also able (in part) to improve, either as a team play and as to individual performances.
** My appreciation to this respect to Diouf, after a bad start she gave substantial contribution to ITA cause against both USa abd SRB.
** If properly managed by Mencarelli, this experience would be most useful at the incoming ECh, despite of long traveling, jet lags, injuries to be recovered (Signorile) and so on...

** eventually, many thanks to all volleyball fans contributing to this forum - their notes, commentaries and controversies added much fun and enjoyment to watching the competition

see u at the ECH forum

Quote from hejjdeu

btw i really think that belgium will beat italy and be the first on their group

.. ... There's a motto in Italy (and elsewhere) saying "don't sell the bear's fur before killing the bear...".

BRA 3- ITA 0

ITA trashing to the net her 2nd set ball, then completely melting in the 3rd. Camera seems unfit to provide high balls for Diouf's spiking, while more effective than Signorile in serving Folie ... what a puzzle to solve...
We must improve 2nd-line reception, absolutely ! and please, Mencarelli, stop sending Gennari to the slaughter as a lamb: you said last tuesday De Gennaro would have played, so put her in the field !!! ...
One more question: what has happened to Bosetti and Costagrande ?One would have expected much more from them... Almost no impact on team performances, until now.
My praises to Sorokaite, she may make mistakes, but she 's not afraid and shows guts, much more than many teammates of her.

And now, the last goal to achieve : avoiding the "wooden spoon" (i,e, ending F6 in the last place, losing 5 match in a row) ... I guess ITA-USA would be crucial...

Mencarelli changes the starting 6 against BRA: in Folie (for Arrighetti), in Cate Bosetti, out Costagrande (far below the expectations). Gennari still plyas as a libero. Diouf OPP, Sorokaite OH

P.S.: as to the question why Gennari as a libero: I found a statement from Mencarelli -issued last Tuesday- saying that De Gennaro's injury was not so seriuos and she would have played some of the incoming matches. Yet after 3 matches out of 5 De Gennari is still out. We'll see tomorrow, but I start to think our coach may have made a misjudgement ..

Quote from Canter

especially a county like Italia which has the best liberos in the world..

** Interesting remark. IMO, there is a reason why. Mencarelli is trying to get as much as he can from the present post- Picci & Leo generation, while waiting for younger talents (Cate Bosetti for sure, perhaps Letizia Camera) to complete their growth ... He's clearly trying to find the right alchemy between a bunch of 15 good (or very good) players yet lacking a real top-player (as may be Zhu, or Zaryazko, or Kim) ; I guess he prefers Signorile's setting to Camera's one since it fits better to Diouf and Sorokaite's spikes. I also guess he's missing very much Lucia Bosetti's attitude in reception- defense, for it would have given easier balls to the setter.
IMO, there's no alternative to this strategy (would you recall back Rondon-Ortolani instead of Signorile-Diouf?); moreover, I can already detect some progress in ITA play, despite many errors and setbacks. I would be glad for the girls if they would prove able to put to a severe test their next opponents BRA- USA-SRB, for this would mean effective improvement for my 'azzurre' .
Wish you well! - In bocca al lupo !

P.S. = the only thing I cannot explain to myself is why bringing Gennari as a libero to the F6. Underestimating De Gennaro's Injury ? This decision has already involved heavy costs ...

Quote from joanamss

I confess I was hoping a bit more from today's matches...I don't know I was hoping for some more fierce fight...so Im a bit disapoitted in that matter.

Brazil was the most impressive team...by far...they were really focus and showed some great game rhythm...I think they won't have much problems regaining the title if they keep like that..they are one step ahead than the other teams at this point.

But still..I hope the level of the matches improve in the next days over all. Well it was just the first day anyway...

I agree to Joana, but the show was worth an early awakening anyhow...

** as to ITA performance, I'd remind the audience this was the first 'real' confrontation among the new ITA team and a 'fully operational' Asian team: as someone pointed out, my NT was poorly prepared to face and overcome japanese strategy. Manabe's girls were able to evidence and exploit our major liabilities, i.e. poor reception , predictable setting and one-sided Diouf attacks. yet we could have won the 3rd set, when JAP slightly relaxed .. but 3 serve errors in a row killed us.
** Despite of this all, I believe this F6 would prove very useful as an experience, and may pay some dividend at the incoming EC. I hope Mencarelli would allow some ground to all the 12 girls, expecially to Camera who would -sooner or later- overrun Signorile in the starting 6.
** Eventually, my congratulations to the 3 winning teams CHI-BRA -JAP, waiting to see when they meet each other...

Quoted from "Matthias"
Looks like Italy doesn't want to go to final round: Mencarelli travels back to Italy and takes Signorile, Costagrande, Guiggi and Arrighetti with him, Tofoli will guide the team to 3rd week and Caracuta and Bertone will join the team.

I don't agree to Mencarelli's strategy: Italy is now in good position to reach the WGP finals, it has a 2-points advantage over Turkey (it means ITA can afford to lose 2-3 the match against the Turks with no harm, since they will get a final score of 22 pts.-enough to qualify. ** NB: of course you have to win 6 pts against ALG and DOM, but it is a task both ITA and TK can accomplish).

So, why would you spoil this opportunity ? I would remind mencarelli that: 2 years ago the newly-assembled ITA male NT, coached by Berruto, played the World League finals and then won the silver medal in 2011 ECH. You gain experience through playing, not only through gym training...

** according to volleyball.it, it would be Donato Radogna. Yet a very informed blogger (Pasini on Gazzetta dello Sport's online page ) has just said there are problems, since Radogna is tied by his contract to Giaveno until end of June. So Casalmaggiore would be close to strike a deal with Beltrami, Bologna's team trainer last season. Pasini says the news will be officialized in some hours, perhaps tomorrow.

1-1 !! nice match, good level of playing. Like Chirichella and Alessia Gennari

Mission (almost) accomplished: if Italy wins this set, they are surely in the semifinals, even if Japan wins 3-0 against Germany (because of set ratio)

25-17: job done. But today DOM girls are playing real bad , at 4east until now..

QUOTE MATTHIAS
<< No, Diouf is much better. She hits much harder, and most of all she is about 10 years younger than Alisheva, so there is hope that Diouf will be a great player. But for now, she is probably closer to Alisheva than to Gamova. >>

Again, I fully agree to this statement. Diouf may become a very important asset for ITA NT in the near future, or she may follow Serena Ortolani's path of "the half-maintained promise" (I remember well the great expectations abour her around years 2005-06.). I hope Mencarelli and Lavarini may be able to help, support and " educate" this young athlete.
... and I hope Diouf may prove able and willing to undergo hard training in order to improve... Auguri Valentina !

I fully agree to Joana as to Tirozzi, and to Matthias as to sending Diouf to Karpol's school ...IMO, Mencarelli should also give Caracuta a try: Signorile did no big mistakes, yet I would call her performance lacklustre...
My congratulations to Japanese girls, I found some of them real promising for the future ...

really disappointed ! Italy so many errors in 3rd set !! Don't like Signorile's setting, not to mention Tirozzi and Diouf under-performing ...

Quote from T-Volley

If two Turkish clubs would play three identical matches in a row, you would nonstop criticize the Turkish league. However, when two Italian clubs play three identical matches in a row, it just proofs their unreachable level LMAO.

Let me stress some point about this complaints.

(1) No one would deny European Top-level quality to the 3-4 best Turkish teams, nor the qualitative level of a match/series between Vakifbank-Eczacibasi-Fenerbahce.
The point some people here have stressed is different: the qualitative level (and the closeness) of a confrontation btw. Piacenza (finalist in Challenge Cup, 2nd ranking in A1 League, winner of Coppa Italia) and Conegliano, newcomer in A-league, and ranking 5th place in the tournament.
In the Turkish League, this would be like a clash between Eczacibasi (ranking 2nd in 2013 League with 60 pts) and Bursa (ranking 5th with 32 pts). You may see the difference ....

(2) The Italian league matchs may be often worth seeing (not always, not all, ..) because the average quality of the competing teams is decent to good (according to European standards).
As someone wisely noticed, there is a tradition beneath the present reality: 350.000 young people enlisted in the Italian Volley Federation, Italian female junior team winning 4 times in a row the European Championship, and holding at present the World Championship (Letizia Camera was the setter junior team beating Brazil in 2011), the pre-juniores team steadily on the podium in EC 5 times in a row...

(3) Last but not least, the quality level of (some? many?) Italian trainers (not always, not all) Please look at a newbie like Marco Gaspari: isn't he acting like a veteran ? He gave Conegliano a play, some spirit and the will to keep fighting.. Not to mention Parisi, Lavarini ... the heirs and successors of 'old guard' (Barbolini, Guidetti..)

(4) I'm not pleading for any 'superiority': whatsoever: I only want to say that it takes time and many efforts in order to build a mouvemet and to have many competitive teams. Turkey iFederation has already taken many steps in that direction and they will reach more and more achievements - if they will be able to keeep walking along the right path (the path Itallian Volley league seem to have lost...) - Wish you well !

what a match !! what a tiebreak !! Got me stuck to the TV set ....
Conegliano simply unbelievable !!
Congratulations !! Calloni MVP !!