Posts by russia women's volley fan

  • Olympic Games - 2016 | 8 | 6

    I think we could start making our predictions.
    At least here in Brazil, everybody talks just about USA. But, to me, the favourite to the gold is China.
    Ting is one of the top 4 decisive players in the world (along with Kim, Kosheleva and Goncharova); Zhang has grown a lot since last year, and it seems that Hui is also back in business; they have 2 very good setters - I prefer Zhen; and also at least 3 very good blockers. In sum, the best roster in the planet right now. Their only drawback is the inexperience.


    USA have a very solid roster and a nice style, but they lack a real decisive player and, in the critical moments, I aways feel they tend to surrender rather then fight.


    A final comment: I believe that Serbia will surprise a lot of people. I'm feeling they'll get a medal in Rio. And, unfortunately, my guts are also screamming that Russia will be a dissapointment.

  • Russian NT 2016

    As we all know, the Russian SL lost a lot of quality last season, so I decided to focus on the new players.


    Overall, I think that there's a good crop of girls, with real potential. Nobody looks phenomenal, but, if they're well prepared, they can became top players. And this, IMHO, is the most interesting: in a near future, Russia will have to play a collective game, like USA or Brazil. There will no longer be players like Gamova, Goncha or Kosha, who can decide a game alone.


    I believe that coaches like Marichev or Gilyazudinov can build good teams under these premisses. My only doubt is if the girls will have a proper training environment in their clubs. We all know that Russian Women's VB is falling apart.


    The players who are catching my attention are:
    – Irina Voronkova (born in 1995): OH, 1,93m. I'm very of how much her game progressed last season, in all elements. Her only problem is her weight. In Kazan, I think they'll know how to deal with it.;


    – Anna Lazareva (1997): Opp, 1,90m. Very light. She jumps quite high and has a very good wrist. I think she has potential to become a better player than Malykh. Plus, her body type also allows her to become a receiver. The president of Dinamo Moscow said that they'll loan her next season, to get more playing time;


    – Angelina Sperskayte (1997): OH, 1,88m. Probably, the most talked about player of the new generation. I finally had the chance to watch her last season. Overall, she looks a skilled player, but I think she needs to improve her spike reach. Next season she'll probably replace Voronkova in Zarechye, so we'll have a lot of opportunities to watch her;


    – Sabina Gilfanova (1996): Opp 1,88m. A very strong player, very similar to Isaeva/Stolyarova. Jumps high and hits the ball with a lot of power. If she keep's working on her skills, can turn into a very good alternative;


    – Anastasia Cheremisina (1996): OH, 1,92m. An interesting player. Despite her size, seems to have a good potential in reception. Is also very strong and jumps high. The better thing about her is that she plays in Uralochka. I believe Karpol can turn her into a very effective OH. Something like a new Chaplina, but taller and with a better reception;


    – Anastasia Barchuk (1996): MB, 1,88m. One of the most gifted players of her generation. Is strong, very keen on block, and spikes with a lot of pace and power, from any position. She's a bit like Lyubushkina, but a thousand times better. My only concern is that she's often injured;


    – Angelina Lazarenko (1998): MB, 1,93m. The great revelation of the last SL. Has potential to become a complete player: great blocker, spiker and server. If Fetisova doesn't improve her spike, and also considering that Samoylenko is so injure prone, I believe Lazarenko will be in the senior NT sooner than later.


    – Natalia Guskova (1996): a very talked about libero. Played in the 2º division last season, but will be in Zarechye in the next SL.


    Well, I don't have nothing to talk about new setters. The only interesting news is that Novik will probably be the first setter in Proton next season. So we'll see what she can do.


    Please, if someone else has also watched one of these players perform, or others, add your comments here.

  • Russian NT 2016

    I'm quite skeptical about Russia's participation in the Olympics. The risk of a second flop, like in the World Championship, is high.


    First, the Russian staff did a big mistake when decided to use the A team to play the GP. The SL ended late, there were no time to practice, some key players are injured. Result: Goncha will probably be overused and, in Rio, when it really matters, she'll underperform.


    Second, the 2 receivers system is a done deal, and I honestly don't think Russia can beat the likes of Brazil, China or USA (if they play all they can), in a predictable attack pattern. The thing will gets worse if Samoylenko doesn't play. She's bigger and a much better spiker than Fetisova, so I believe she'll be crucial to turn Russia more competitive against the top 3 opponents. With just high balls in the wings Russia can beat only European teams.
    Finally, IMHO, all the problems have really one single root: Kosheleva. Back in 2014, despite the bad performance in the WC, I was quite optimistic. Gamova returned, Kosha was improving in reception, and the only open questions was who would be her partner as OH. First, I expected Chaplina, and after, Kutyukova. Both predictions proved wrong.


    But, since then, the big problem is that Kosha's reception skills regressed to 2010. It's a disaster. The team can't play without her, and, with her, the team gets too predictable to be competitive against the top opponents.
    Talking about Kosha's future, if she really moves to Eczacibazi, Barbolini willl probably use her as a non receiving OH, and then her destiny will be sealed: she'll become the new Rosir Calderon.


    Final question: Does somebody knows why Voronkova isn't in the NT group?


    Really nice to write here again. In the last few months, I had a lot of things to talk, but my time is so short, I couldn’t get in here. Hope everybody is fine.

  • Russian NT 2016

    I just read this new thread for the first time and I see that the "Sokolova affair" is still hot.


    Well, I have to confess that, in this regard, I changed my mind. Now I defend Lyuba's and Gamova's presence in Rio, first as replacement players.


    The question is that Russia is in a transition period on their OH's - I expect to write more about it later. Remember that, till some years ago, Russia experienced the same situation with their MB's. They looked all average and Borodakova seemed eternal. But now there's a whole new crop of very promissing MB's. I hope the same thing will happen with the OH's in a few years.


    Returning to Sokolova and Gamova, I think the main issue is that the pressure in Rio will be huge. Russia never won an olympic gold medal - only Soviet Union did - and we all know that neither Kosha or Goncha are the strongest mentally players around. So I guess that the mere presence of Lyuba and Katya will beneficial for the group, even if just off court.


    So, my 12 player roster to Rio is this:


    S: Kosyanenko - Startseva
    OP: Goncha - Gamova
    OH: Kosha - Shcherban - Sokolova
    MB: Zaryazhko - Samoylenko - Fetisova
    L: Malova - Kriuchkova


    First line-up:
    Kosyanenko - Goncha
    Kosha - Shcherban
    Zaryazhko - Samoylenko
    Malova


    A final word on Chaplina. Mathias mentioned her some pages above. Back in 2013, I also expected her to become the ideal Kosha partner. But after her move to Kazan, she hardly played. Now she just moved to Leningradka and she'll surely have a lot of time on court. I don't know if she'll have time to find her better game in time to be in Rio, but I think she can return to the NT in a near future. As I wrote above, I believe the most crucial work after Rio will be the transition in the OH position, and Chaplina is one of the candidates.

  • Russian NT 2016

    So the qualifier is about to begin.


    First, the roster. I find a pity that Ekaterina Enina didn't have her chance so far. IMHO she looks much more promissing than Ekaterina Efimova. Both have the same age and size, but Enina is much faster and a very good attacker, specialy on slide. And her blocking has developed a lot from last year. I guess now is too late for her, but I think she'll be a regular NT player in the post-Rio period.


    Another surprise was Kriuchkova's absence. She's playing much better this season, closer to her 2013 shape, and not as useless as in 2014/2015. Besides, she's experienced and I don't see a better option to cover Malova than her. Is it a retaliation because she refused to be in the team last summer?


    About Hodunova, though still unkown, she's a good player, very similar to Shcherban. I guess Marichev wants to test as many options to the 2º OH position as possible.


    About reception. In the Euro, Russia played mainly with 2 receivers, but with Kosha and Goncha switching in the reception line sometimes. I guess the objective is quite simple: to prevent the servers to target Kosha. The funny thing is that this alternation doesn't follow the team rotation. For example, sometimes Goncha takes part in the reception even when she's on the net, and other times she doesn't. It seems that Marichev picks the receivers from case to case. It's weird, but worked. I'm just afraid that one time or another some team will know how to crack it.


    Last but not least: does anybody knows how is Dianskaya? The last news about her was that she left Omichka due to an injury. I searched the social networks but couldn't find anything new. It's a pity that Dianskaya disapeared. She was playing quite well, and was prettier than ever.

  • Russian NT 2015

    It seems unbelievable, but the director of the Russia NT just said that Shlyakhovaya will not be ready to play in the World Cup. And Zaryazhko wasn't called to join the team !!


    http://www.rsport.ru/volleyball/20150811/853432156.html


    And I also agree about Sokolova. She'll accept an invitation to the Olympics, even if she's in a wheelchair.


    It makes wonder who the wingers will be in Rio. Supposing Marichev calls 5 outsiders, my bet is: Gamova, Kosha, Goncha, Sokolova and Pasynkova. Sokolova will be a dead weight, but I hope the other 4 can carry the team on.

  • Russian NT 2015

    Yes, Marichev is showing a quite stubborn attitude.


    This is really my main concern: I'm not sure if a Ilchenko/Scherban duo, along with Isaeva, have enough consistency in attack to hold an entire game. My fear is that Kosha and Goncha will be overused. It would be a disaster, particularly because Russia will face USA and China in a row, and they must win at least one of these 2 matches.

  • Russian NT 2015

    So the team is alreaady practicing for the WC.


    The better thing I got from the GP final round is the determination to return to the 2013 tactics: decent/good passing, plus good block/defense unit.


    I agree that Zaryazhko deserved to be in the A team. But I don't think that Shlyakhovaya will be in a bad shape. She didn't play in the GP mainly for precaution, and we need to remember that the few times she performed for Omichka, she played very well.


    My other disagreement with Marichev is about the apparent abense of Bavykina. Unfortunately, Ilchenko didn't play well, she only showed her game against China in the 1º round. I believe that with Isaeva (who is already trainning with the team to, probably, replace Malykh) and Bavykina together in the team, Goncha and Kosha could fully rest in at least 5 of the 12 matches of the WC.


    I also liked Orlova performance in the GP final round. She's still absent in attack, but she has the potential to do better and, the most important, her block improved a lot. I think her block duo with Goncharova will cause a lot of damage in the WC.


    Another hope for future a better performance is the presence of Startseva. Pankova is in the worst phase of a career recently, so my main spectations about Starseva is about a better setting to the position 3, better blocking and better fixing of bad receptions.


    Let's wait. I think Russia can get one of the tickets to Rio in the World Cup.

  • Russian NT 2015

    Marichev interview: http://www.sport-express.ru/vo…rand-prix/reviews/897830/


    Main topics:
    - Kravchenko had to leave the team, due to problems with her child. Kuzyakina will be the 2º libero in the World Cup;


    - Kosheleva and Shlyakhovaya will not play in the Grand Prix;


    - and, if google translator didn't betray me, Isaeva will join the team to practice for the World Cup. Plus Marichev didn't refuse the idea of also bring Zaryzhko in, which implies that the door is still open call new players. But I don't think he'll call her.

  • Russian NT 2015

    Inc0gnito, sorry to answer your question so late, but I read it only now...


    Yes, I like Shlyakhovaya very much, simply because she's a great MB. Remember that in Montreaux last year, just before her injury, she played great. Also in the few moments when she was fit last season, as in the Russian Cup, she also performed in a very high level. Plus, I also think she plays better under Marichev than in her club. This is one of the reasons why I find Marichev a good coach, despite some of his weird decisions...


    Talking about the team, it seems that, unfortunately, they'll qualify for the final round of the GP. So, I think Marichev should gather the ideal team for the World Cup as soon as possible, and take them to USA.


    I watched the last 3 games of the Universiade and Zaryazhko definitely needs to be in the World Cup. With the attacking limitations of the OH's, Russia needs attacking MB's. So, I'd also keep Lyubushkina. She's not the player of my dreams, but her pace is needed. If Shlyakhovaya recovers, I think Fetisova should give her place to Zarya.


    IMHO, Pisarenko needs also to be in the first team. I believe she's a better receiver and have an overall better ball control than Shcherban, and, with good attacking MB's plus Kosheleva's return, Pisarenko's limitations in attack wouldn't be so felt. And, with her size, Pisarenko can also help the block.


    Ilchenko didn't play a good 2º round, but I guess it was more due to anxiety for playing at home. Against Serbia, she looked so tense I thought she was ill. But I still believe in her game.


    Orlova also looked nervous. She's not confortable in the NT yet, but, in the right moment, she'll disclose her better game. And she'll be an important piece in the team.


    I read in the sportexpress that Gamova will not play in the World Cup. if it's true, I think Isaeva deserves to be the 2º Opp. Emil wrote here that Malykh wasn't attacking well due to Efimova's bad sets. OK, Efimova is terrible, but, since the 2º part of the last SL, Malykh's game is declinning. It's maybe due to a series of minor injuries she had, but the truth it that Malykh is not in her best momment.
    Isaeva, on the other hand, is in the top of her game. Compared to 2013, she's lighter, makes less unforced errors, is using her brains to spike instead of only power, and is even blocking much better. And her serve alone is worth the investment.

  • Russian NT 2015

    Malykh played at least 3 times as OH in the 13/14 season and the result was awful. She's even a worse receiver than Bavykina. In the past, I had an expectation that she may try to traine reception, but she doesn't want to.


    About the team, I like what I saw in the 1º week. Ilchenko was good - and, remembering her age, she can only get better; Malova returned to the 2013 shape; Orlova is a commanding MB; Goncha is in great form.


    Only Lyubushkina doesn't convinces me. Against China, most of her attacks were defended, and she's limited on block - she isn't that tall and hardly jumps. Zaryazhko is doing a great season in B team, she's probably they top scorer in the Universiade. The competition ends next sunday, and I really hope that Marichev brings Zarya to the main team. I'd sack Lyubushkina, but, if Shlyakhovaya doesn't recover...


    Another thing I'm liking is Marichev's attitude. Last year, most of the time, he looked absent and irritated. I even wondered if he was thinking about resign. Now he's more like in 2013: engaged with the team, talking a lot in the time outs, really present.


    About Kosheleva, if somebody still doesn't know, she resumed trainning about 2 weeks ago. She'll certainly join the team in the 2º week, and I guess that, maybe, she'll be ready to play in the final round.


    About Pisarenko, I don't think she can add much in attack. Overall, I see her as unstable as Scherban, though for different reasons.


    I don't give a dime to the GP. All my attention is on the preparation to the World Cup. And, based on what I've seen so far, I believe that, with the additions of Kosha, Gamova, Startseva and, hopefuly, Shlyakhovaya and Zaryazhko, Russia can give at least a hard time to USA, and certainly beat China. I mean, it's fair to expect the 2º place in that tournament.

  • Russian NT 2015

    About Scherban as libero, when I first read it, I was shocked too, as I wrote here a couple of days ago. But I guess it's possible to understand what's going on Marichev's mind.


    The problem is well known: lack of reliable options in reception. Pasynkova is made of crystal, Ilchenko is too young, Pisarenko is internationaly unproved. So, Marichev will test Scherbans's reception as much as possible in the GP, in the expectation that she'll be fully recovered to play as OH during the W Cup.


    Another important point is that Marichev actually DOESN'T WANT to qualify for the final round of the GP. As he said in his last interview, he wants to emulate the 2013 schema: play less and traine more.


    Well, I don't know if it will work, but, given the circumstances, it at least make some sense.


    One thing is certain though: if Kosheleva isn't fully recovered to play the World Cup, than forget it.

  • Russian NT 2015

    Oh, I forget to say: there's at least one confirmed exchange between the 2 NT's. During the Universiade, Matienko will move to A team and probably Efimova will go to B team.


    And, still about the B team, I have the impression that, if they had a better coach than Pankov, that group could be performing much better. There were several moments against Bulgaria, Serbia and Turkey, when Russia played in the same level, but gave up in crucial moments making very silly mistakes. I guess it's lack of a real good coaching background. Pankov is a nice guy, who loves to give a chance to the youngsters. But, as a coach, he really has limitations.

  • Russian NT 2015

    IMHO, Zaryazhko should be in the A team. If she's well used, she can be a great atacker. And I think she's playing the best VB of her career. Better than in 2013.


    Agree with Emil about Pisarenko. She's a good player. What she lacks is consistency, maybe due to bad phiysical shape. She could jump higher, and, considering her size, she has the potential to be a much better blocker in position 4.


    I also agree that Isaeva is on the top of her game. And is really a pity that she can't receive.

  • 2015 European Games - Baku / Azerbaijan - 6/13


    Canter, you're too cautious in your comment. This Russian side has no chance against Turkey. Its not ony about serve/reception. Russia is the most inconsistent team of the quarter finals, while Turkey is the most consistent. They'll defeat Russia by 3 X 0 with ease.