Latest International Volleyball News

[minduser]

Alam ko yang Dinamo Moscow. ehehe Ganun ba. Never heard pa kasi of that league. Ngayon lang. . .

Yung mga nasa brazil wvt ba eh yun din naglalaro for their clubs?

[jodaman]

Hi, guys! Keep these discussions alive! That way, matututo tayo lalo sa ganda ng volleyball. We'll know more about the different styles and how the game evolves. It's just beautiful, 'yon lang talaga ang masasabi ko. ^^ It really does help to know a lot of things about volleyball, which can indirectly help to raise the volleyball here in the country.

Here are some things I can share about different styles:

Japan relies on speed, cunning and deception. And for that, a stable floor coverage and a very skillful and smart setter are their bread and butter. Yes, Saori Kimura used to play opposite (utility), pero dahil siguro sa height at receive formation ng Japanese team ngayon, nilipat siya sa outside. Either way, she's mighty potent on both wings. They used to have Takahashi in their starting lineup, who herself is an outside hitter na nilipat sa opposite. Setter Taki-s-h-i-ta is too short for blocking purposes and therefore they can't afford to have another short player (in Takahashi) to be together in one rotation up front. Kurihara is powerful, but she's not as stable sa receive, and I dare say that's the reason why labas-pasok siya.
Ever noticed that Taki-s-h-i-ta is never replaced? It's just that! She can not be replaced—as of now. They can't find anyone to replace her—she's unmatched, skills- and smarts-wise. They used to train Kimura as a setter but it didn't push through.
China used to play this way, pero their trend now is to look for power players and rely less on speed. Kasi nga naman, you cannot always (as in, ALWAYS) play in that tempo. Babagal at medio magkaka-glitch rin kahit papaano ang plays.
Nowadays, si Kimura ang go-to girl ng Japan, while China has Wang Yi Mei (na unstable).
Korea is a bit like Japan, in terms of speed and floor coverage, kaya lang their less stable and less innovative now. They're taller than the Japs though. Kim Yeon Koung is their go-to hitter now. She's smart, tall, more powerful than her teammates,and plus she's got a good serve.
Thailand is Japan junior—literally and figuratively. Ang sabi pa nga ay Japan talaga ang kanilang ginawang model for improvement all throughout. You can see them running very unexpected (but their own) attack formations. And again, they rely on very good floor defense and a very good setter (na talaga nga namang magaling—si Tomkom Nootsara).

Many countries in Europe rely on height, hard hitting and blocking. Their plays and attack formations are less fancy and are far more predictable. A very good example, op kors, is Russia. I think Karpol can confirm this, but in Russia naka-pako ang roles ng mga hitters; there are two kinds of middle blockers—one that specializes in blocking and quick hitting, tapos 'yong isa sa slide hitting (known locally as “running attack”). These days, ang kanilang slide hitters ay hindi gaanong pumapalo ng mababang sets—medio palobo, compared to the style of Asia and Brazil. Russia's go-to hitter now is none other than Ekterina Gamova, but their other hitters can be relied upon to do just as well.
The Netherlands still plays a power-dominated game, pero mas kalat ang sets sa mga hitters kung ihahambing sa Russia. Manon Flier my love is their absolute go-to hitter now, and I think without her, bagsak ang mga Dutch.
Germany and Italy stand out, however, kasi sila lang ang hindi umaasa sa lakas-pisikal. Germany underwent this reform through their ex-coach who is from Korea (forgot his name; basta 'yong kalbong na parating kalmado). They are more balanced offensively and on defense, at hindi sila kasing-higante ng mga Ruso at Olandes. They play a faster game, and their setters are more creative. As a team and player-for-player, Italy is more superior to Germany. Italy does not have a go-to hitter because almost all of them can play well on any given day. Minsan nga lang ay sabay-sabay rin silang sumasablay. Haha! Yes, Piccinini is one of the best they have, (by the way, she's not that tall—she's only 179 cm tall; mali 'yong nasa WGCC) but Del Core can be just as good. They also have Gioli, Guiggi and Aguero (who didn't play at the WGCC). Hindi pa stable si Ortolani, but maybe soon she will be. She used to be an outside hitter, BTW.

Brazil, my favorite, is the most balanced of all. One of their philosophies is that as a hitter, you should be able to hit from everywhere. That's why, well, very effective ang kanilang wing hitters—whether from zones 1, 2, 3, 4 or 6 (BTW, NO ONE HITS FROM ZONE 5—WHETHER ASIA, EUROPE OR PAN-AMERICA, IT IS NO LONGER PART OF THEIR PLAYS, at least deliberately). Actually they're playing with three opposite hitters in their regular starting lineup now: Mari used to be an opposite hitter, Natalia is Sollys Osasco's current opposite hitter, and Sheila has always been an opposite hitter (if I'm not mistaken). Even Jaqueline used to be an opposite hitter.
According to Germany's coach, Giovanni Guidetti, Brazil is the only country whose hitters (whether middle blockers, outside hitters or opposite hitter) use a two-step approach when hitting, making for systematic and fast attacks. Just like in their previous innovations, this was adapted from the men's style of play.
Because of the team's equal distribution of sets, I don't recall any Brazilian winning the Best Spiker award (someone jog my memory please); pero parati silang mataas sa blocking, setting at floor defense.
Brazil is much younger than Italy, and setter-for-setter Italy prevails. But Brazil has a much deeper pool.

More FYI: a regular part of most opposite hitters' job is to hit from zones 1, 2, 6 (where they normally attack from) and 3 (where they do cross and stack plays). The only reason why they hit from zone 4 is because that's where they are during certain receive formations. (That's why we get the impression that Sheila is more versatile than Mari. The only player who can somehow do this here in the Philippines is Maizo. Sana ay i-adapt na dito 'yan sa lahat ng mga team. I really hate it when I hear coaches say during huddles, “dalawa na lang ang hitters nila sa harap a? [Madali na lang basahin ang mga play nila].”) Sheila has a fast arm swing, but not not always with a spin. She would more often it hit it quick and flat. Part of her strategy I guess is to sometimes aim towards the upper half of her opponents' diggers, hindi sa sahig (manggulat baga). Just my observation; I could be wrong. Hehe! Si Mari naman ay mabigat—pero mas mabigat sila Paula at Natalia pumalo.
Mari and Natalia are weaker receivers than Paula, which i's one of the reason why their opponents serve towards them (check out Kim Yeon Koung serving to Natalia in WGCC). Another reason could be to rattle their offense.

[jodaman]

talaga? which league is that ('yong nag-a-allow ng brazilian club teams)?
btw, everyone, ironically, gamova is playing for fenerbahce acibadem istanbul, and they just beat dinamo moscow (her former team) in the indesit champions league.

Jan 28, 2010 8:02:52 GMT 8 karpol said:

minduser-actually kilala yung league sa Europe lalo na pag bigatin teams ang lumalahok..nung 2008 Sumali ang Vafkibank Istanbul at Dinamo Moscow..
tsaka yan yung league na may kasali ang brazilian clubs...

[karpol]

wow buhay kapapala jodaman....
ang Haba ng Litanya mo....

BASEL league basta yung sa france yun nag iinvite ng brazilian club...
oo nasa fenerbahce si gamova...not along ago muntikan na maging kateamate ni Gamova si Sheilla sa Dinamo..haha kawawa ang mga receiver ng Dinamo back then..haha..

si LEE basta Lee haha yung dati nilang coach
sa sinabi mo lahat nman tama may konting glitches.....
before nawala si Gruen sa German NT she is the Go to hiter of dem......

formerly Artamonova in my opinion who does an Zone 5 attack back then...i watched her many times and she did it "flowlessli".....

sa netherlands mas mabilis lang ng konti ang sets nila compare to russia....

mataas nga ang block ng brazil pero nung kalaban nila russia puro wrong timing ang talon...
pero ang disadvantage ng brazil pag NASIRA mo reception nila struggle sila sa pagpalo ng High sets

si Picci ay 6 flat or 6'1...hinde siya 179cm....
si Del Core ata un..

even Takahashi can play setter...

[jodaman]

harhar! yeboy, buhey na buhey (ayan may nakita nga akong glitch--pinalitan ko na ). gusto ko lang kasi talagang lumalim ang kaalaman ng fans e, at eventually e mag-spread at mag-contribute sa standard natin dito ng volleyball.

gamova at sheilla? hala! so ano 'yon? si logan tom na lang ang kinuha para may receive?

ay oo nga! si lee nga 'yon! may isa pa palang team sa europe na parang asian ang laro! 'yong rc cannes (club team nga lang ito, sa france with a chinese coach). ang galing ng reception raw nila (they have had chinese and japanese receivers) at setter (si salinas). magaling raw ang connection ni salinas at ng middle blocker na si victoria ravva. titigan lang, tapos quick slide, KABOOM!

sa tingin ko ay nang simulang gamitin ang libero, natigil na ang zone 5 attacks. may nakita akong 80's yata 'yon o early 90's na laban ng brazil at japan, men's. ayon, gumagamit sila ng zone 5 attacks no'n.

piccinini...hmm...it's just that all the other tournaments i saw her play in list her as 179 cm tall. sa wgcc 2009 ko lang nakitang 185 cm ang ifina-flash sa screen. i believe that she is indeed shorter than that kasi nakikita ko dati na magkasing-laki sila ni paola paggi, na 180 cm tall naman. pag sila naman ni manuela leggeri, 185 cm tall, ang nagtabi sa may net, may obvious na kaunting gap. ayon.

yeah, very prone to nerves ang brazil. parang pag wala sa napag-anticipate-an nila ang ginagawa ng kalaban e na-ra-rattle. si fofao lang ang hindi (tulad ng sabi mo dati). ang akala ko pa nga e si fabi (libero) e stable, pero panay sablay laban sa italy noong wgcc 2009. worse, ang second setter, si ana tiemi, ay sobrang nerbyosa. dapat siguro si fabiola ang kinuha ni coach ze roberto.

[jp4000]

san mapapanood to.. sana may review din ng USA and Cuba NT.. hehe.. fave ko c logan tom.. dati c regla bell and mireya luis ng cuba..

[karpol]

aba kelan lang yun yung sa dinamo after 2006 WCH...2006/2007 they tried to get sheilla back then... logan tom played in 2007/2008 season.

coach ng rc cannes si FANG ....basta fang...

hindi ahh 2002 nung 1000 percent pa si artamonova ginagamit pa ung zone 5 attack...

[jodaman]

AY. ahihihi! o si artamoniva pala ang exception.
2002...hmmmmmmmm...so si safronova at gamova

speaking of rc cannes and coach fang, just this morning before i left home for work at 4, pinanood ko 'yong laban between unilever rio and rc cannes sa espn (2:30-4:00). i think this tourney is what you were referring to, karpol (intervolley championships yata ang pangalan--it was in basel, switzerland). championship match ito and rio beat cannes in straight sets. the other day was the semis match between rio and volero zurich (i think artamonova played there for a season or two). sana ay i-replay nila. unilever rio used to be rexona ades, with coach benardinho rezende, dani lins, fabiana claudino, fabi oliveira, regiane bidias, caroline gattaz, erika coimbra and joycinha silva. practically the national team.
2006-2007, sheila was with ze roberto and mari in pesaro, italy. hindi nga papayag 'yon na lumaro sa ibang team.

i'm not so sure about the usa team, jp, but i get the impression that they're more textbookish--not as fancy or as skillful as brazil. they're "good enough" in defense, but they need to do better in floor coverage. logan tom is one of the most all-around player for me. serve, dig, receive, kill and block, she's got them. she's tall too. i think she's not in the current line-up. sayang.

cuba has got to be the most physical team. so powerful, agile, agressive and anxious that no one wants to receive and set. haha! (pati si yumilka ruiz ay inamin 'yan) they seem to be impatient both in playing as a team and with one another that ex-captain yumilka ruiz had to keep them in check sometimes. daimi ramirez had one of the shortest tempers--you could see her yelling at her teammates, bad-mouthing opponents, tapos sinampal pa niya minsan ang kakampi niyang si rosir calderon sa isang match.
backrow attack had been rarely used before (because they have been playing 6-2 for the longest of time), but with kenia carcases, they've got a potent backrow scorer now. their middle blockers (regla torres, ana ibis fernandez and even magaly carvajal) jumped so high and hit very hard that the setters gave them differential sets, not quick ones. at only 5'7 mireya luis became legendary for her highest leap, pero ngayon e bumaba na ang talon ng mga batang players. not sure why. i don't want to believe na hindi sila kasing-tibay ng henerasyon nila mireya at regla, pero parang gano'n ang nangyayari. their new starting middle blocker, gonzales, is still young and mediocre, and their setters, er, well they haven't stood out yet. their neighbors, the dominicans, can actually beat them now. lol.

the dominicans, who employ 5-1, play a power style similar to the cubans, but now have a better floor defense.

[karpol]

around 61 60 ang height ni TOm Logan
nagbabackrow kaya ang mga Mb's ng Cuba..si Carillo at Barros i've seen many times before......

kaya nga hndi nakuha ng Dinamo Si Sheilla nun 2006/2007 season
pero they tried NGA.........................................................

baliktad ka ang nanampal nun si Rosir Calderon,sinampal niya si Daimi Ramirez......

[jodaman]

yes, i've seen carrillo hit backrow too, but they were not regular attack options, and they were rarely used until only recently. kay carcases kasi talagang binibigyan siya ng madalas.

ay baliktad ba? hmmm...i need to see that again. haha!

bakit? matangakd naman ang 6'1 a. ang maliit ay sila sassa at piccinini.

[joshy2]

Echenique preparing well for World Grand Prix

San Juan, Puerto Rico, February 17, 2010 – Dominican Republic’s Karla Echenique has proven she is on top form ahead of this year's FIVB World Grand Prix having scored the most points so far in the Puerto Rican Women’s League with a total of 43.

The 23-year-old, who plays for Carolina, has scored almost more than double the amount of points than second placed Michelle Cardona of Bayamon who has scored 22 so far this season.

Echenique was part of the Dominican Republic’s bronze medal winning team at last year’s FIVB Women's World Grand Champions Cup. It was the Dominican Republic’s best result in an FIVB international competition.

Meanwhile Carolina sit second in the league behind Caguas with only a few weeks left of the competition remaining.

[joshy2]

Brazil's Dante encouraged by up-and-coming stars

Moscow, Russia, February 17, 2010 – Former Brazilian star Dante says he has his eye on returning to the national team after missing last year’s action to look after his unwell son.

Brazil introduced a number of new players during the 2009 season and 29-year-old Dante, who has won six FIVB World League titles, two FIVB World Championships and an Olympic Games gold and silver medal in 2004 and 2008 respectively, was one of the experienced players to step aside after the 2008 Olympic Games, making way for some of Brazil’s up-and-coming talent at the start of the mew Olympic cycle.

However, while the Dinamo Moscow club player says the introduction of some fresh faces is good for Brazilian Volleyball, he still hopes to return to the world No. 1 team following the improved health of his son.

“Now that [my son] is recovering, I’ll be back [in contention for the national team],” Dante said speaking to ex-club Panathinaikos Athens ahead of a clash with Dinamo Moscow in the CEV Champions League on Wednesday. “Changes are normal , there is a lot of talent and it is an advantage for Brazil to have the chance to change. “

Brazil’s schedule for 2010 includes the World league (June 4-July 25), where Brazil will defend their title, and the FIVB Men’s World Championship Italia 2010, which begins on September 24 and runs until October 10.

[joshy2]

Logan Tom on top form for FIVB World Grand Prix

Rome, Italy, February 16, 2010 – USA’s Logan Tom has shown she is preparing well for the FIVB World Grand Prix by having recorded the most amount of aces (four) during last weekend’s Findomestic Cup Volley Series A1 in Italy.

The 28-year-old Asystel Volley Novara star achieved this despite her side going down 3-1 (15-25, 20-25, 25-20, 23-25) to MC Carnaghi Villa Cortese.

Tom, who won gold at the FIVB 2001 World Grand Prix as well as silver at both the FIVB World 2002 Championships and 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, is hoping to be part of the USA squad that will travel to Ningbo, China for the World FIVB Grand Prix finals from 25 to 29 August.

[joshy2]

Serbian stars to light up CEV Cup

Belgrade, Serbia, February 16, 2010 – Two of Serbia’s most experienced female players, Maja Siminic and Maja Ognjenovic, who both took part in Serbia and Montenegro’s third place finish at the FIVB World Championships in 2006, are due to take part in separate quarterfinals in the CEV Cup.

Siminic will be competing for a place in the semifinals with Romanian side Volei 2004 Tomis Constanta as they take on Russian outfit Uralochka NTMK Ekaterinburg on Wednesday whilst Ognjenovic will be hoping her side, Eczacibasi Zentiva Istanbul from Turkey, can overcome Rabita Baku from Azerbaijan on Thursday.

The pair, who also played at the FIVB 2007 World Cup together in Japan, will also be joined by two Serbian clubs, Dinamo Pancevo and Crvena Zvezda Beograd, who face each other in the quarterfinals, guaranteeing Serbia’s representation at the semifinal stage later this year.

[karpol]

Feb 18, 2010 13:42:31 GMT 8 jodaman said:

yes, i've seen carrillo hit backrow too, but they were not regular attack options, and they were rarely used until only recently. kay carcases kasi talagang binibigyan siya ng madalas.

ay baliktad ba? hmmm...i need to see that again. haha!

bakit? matangakd naman ang 6'1 a. ang maliit ay sila sassa at piccinini.

nasa 6 feet si PICCI......kulet naman neto.....
haizt

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