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Post by ironhammer on Jan 27, 2020 21:11:15 GMT -5
Japan is placing a lot of hope on Yuki Ishii from Hisamitsu Pharmaceutical as the successor to Saori Kimura. Sarina Koga from NEC Red Rockets is also a focus of attention. But the rest of the team is not at an ideal level. Their World Cup performance was underwhelming to say the least. Japanese fans are increasingly displeased as well and some are calling for the resignation of head coach Nakada. I doubt they will replace Nakada at this stage though, with less than 8 months before Tokyo, parachuting a brand new coach into the team is going to be tough. It's always the coach and never the players. That irritates me. Well, if the Karch hate on this forum is anything to go by, the blame will always fall on the coach regardless of the facts. Interestingly, Guidetti alluded to this obliquely when he criticized Netherlands for following the whims of spoiled players in firing Jamie Morrison, they have indicated earlier they want Morrison out. Granted, there may be valid reasons for firing Morrison beside players' criticism and Guidetti had an agenda in going after his former team (Netherlands was a rival in the Olympic Qualification), but he does raise a good point about players needing to share some responsiblity as well.
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Post by werka on Jan 27, 2020 21:44:38 GMT -5
USA OH: Hill, Larson, Robinson, Bartsch-Hackley OPP: Drews, Thompson MB: Akinradewo, Ogbogu, Adams SET: Carlini, Hancock LIB: Wong-Orantes I dunno about Adams or Hancock. I think we might see Dixon and Poulter in those spots. Not much of a prediction as it is a wishlist for me. I like Hancock a lot especially her offensive nature. Every team needs a lefty setter who could smack that ball down, every once in a while. Adds another dimension to the USA offense but not so sure Karch even likes Micha. 🤣 On Adams, I feel like her balanced game is needed in the MB slot. But Tori making it makes me happy too. Even Washington who is improving based on recent clips I’ve seen.
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Post by ToddyJ on Jan 27, 2020 22:03:05 GMT -5
I dunno about Adams or Hancock. I think we might see Dixon and Poulter in those spots. Not much of a prediction as it is a wishlist for me. I like Hancock a lot especially her offensive nature. Every team needs a lefty setter who could smack that ball down, every once in a while. Adds another dimension to the USA offense but not so sure Karch even likes Micha. 🤣 On Adams, I feel like her balanced game is needed in the MB slot. But Tori making it makes me happy too. Even Washington who is improving based on recent clips I’ve seen. Of the three of them Dixon has the best serve, plays the best back court defense, reads the setter really well but struggles offensively at times. Adams is the fastest to the pins when blocking, is decent offensively, has a terrible serve and plays meh back court defense. Washington is the best offensively, is sorta slow to react and gets pinned and doesn't close the block consistently enough, has an ok serve and also plays meh back court. I feel like Dixon is the best all-around out of the three of them. Dixon would have been in Rio has she not been injured that same year. Adams definitely stepped up but she really hasn't looked good since 2016. Hopefully her time off has helped her refocus. A lot of us on here are hoping Akinradewo and Adams return to 2016 form....but we also have to face the fact that that may be a pipe dream. Plus I'm not even sure we have a setter in the gym who can correctly set Akinradewo. She is just a freak of an athlete with an insane vertical.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 27, 2020 22:10:31 GMT -5
Not much of a prediction as it is a wishlist for me. I like Hancock a lot especially her offensive nature. Every team needs a lefty setter who could smack that ball down, every once in a while. Adds another dimension to the USA offense but not so sure Karch even likes Micha. 🤣 On Adams, I feel like her balanced game is needed in the MB slot. But Tori making it makes me happy too. Even Washington who is improving based on recent clips I’ve seen. Of the three of them Dixon has the best serve, plays the best back court defense, reads the setter really well but struggles offensively at times. Adams is the fastest to the pins when blocking, is decent offensively, has a terrible serve and plays meh back court defense. Washington is the best offensively, is sorta slow to react and gets pinned and doesn't close the block consistently enough, has an ok serve and also plays meh back court. I feel like Dixon is the best all-around out of the three of them. Dixon would have been in Rio has she not been injured that same year. Adams definitely stepped up but she really hasn't looked good since 2016. Hopefully her time off has helped her refocus. A lot of us on here are hoping Akinradewo and Adams return to 2016 form....but we also have to face the fact that that may be a pipe dream. Plus I'm not even sure we have a setter in the gym who can correctly set Akinradewo. She is just a freak of an athlete with an insane vertical. Poulter would be my best bet on who could possibly set Foluke the best, in front and behind
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Post by Deleted on Jan 27, 2020 22:15:09 GMT -5
The time blocks are already listed on the website. It’s three different sessions of two matches per day. So only 3 matches have official start times, the others will start ~40 mins after the first match of the session Which website? tokyo2020.org/en/games/schedule/olympic/20200726_VVO.html
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Post by ToddyJ on Jan 27, 2020 22:15:44 GMT -5
Of the three of them Dixon has the best serve, plays the best back court defense, reads the setter really well but struggles offensively at times. Adams is the fastest to the pins when blocking, is decent offensively, has a terrible serve and plays meh back court defense. Washington is the best offensively, is sorta slow to react and gets pinned and doesn't close the block consistently enough, has an ok serve and also plays meh back court. I feel like Dixon is the best all-around out of the three of them. Dixon would have been in Rio has she not been injured that same year. Adams definitely stepped up but she really hasn't looked good since 2016. Hopefully her time off has helped her refocus. A lot of us on here are hoping Akinradewo and Adams return to 2016 form....but we also have to face the fact that that may be a pipe dream. Plus I'm not even sure we have a setter in the gym who can correctly set Akinradewo. She is just a freak of an athlete with an insane vertical. Poulter would be my best bet on who could possibly set Foluke the best, in front and behind What's crazy to me is that Foluke, Chiaka and Dana all probably have the same height of spike (in front and on the slide). If only Dana were quicker to close the block and read the set a bit better. That trio would be DEADLY. They would just hit over every block. As for Poulter. She runs a damn fine offense. She just needs to improve her movement speed just a bit and improve her blocking and back court defense. All of her weaknesses are Carlini's strenghts and vice-a-versa. Carlini just doesn't run the middle high enough in front of her. She is golden on the slide and to the pins. She sometimes sets the left pin too low and fast but her sets to the right are money.
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Post by ToddyJ on Jan 27, 2020 22:18:54 GMT -5
LOL. Just 3 hours and 50 minutes for TWO matches. That is impossible, even if everyone sweeps. Sucks to be in the late bracket....they will be playing until WELL after midnight. Good thing they play one then rest one. Gross.
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Post by ToddyJ on Jan 27, 2020 23:30:56 GMT -5
Who are the top countries that don't have any NCAA representation on their roster? This confuses me deeply
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Post by werka on Jan 28, 2020 2:15:08 GMT -5
Dixon has an average serve imo. Washington serves best out of all middles in the team. Rettke’s serve is also impressive. I want Adams to surpass her 2016 form. Girl has to put all her will into it.
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trojansc
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All-VolleyTalk 1st Team (2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017), All-VolleyTalk 2nd Team (2016), 2021, 2019 Fantasy League Champion, 2020 Fantasy League Runner Up, 2022 2nd Runner Up
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Post by trojansc on Jan 28, 2020 6:44:40 GMT -5
Are they playing on more than one court?! Did you mean ~ 40 mins after the last match of the session? No and no. It's all on one court. The second match of each session doesn't have an official start time, but the first match of all three sessions has a start time. Session 1 is at 9am Session 2 is at 220pm Session 3 is at 740pm tokyo2020.org/en/games/schedule/olympic/20200803_VVO.htmlWell since only 12 can play in Tokyo, 2 will be cut from that roster. Most likely two of these: Arias (MB), Peña-Isabel (OH), Larysmer Martinez (L), and Mambru (OPP). Tough call. I’d probably leave out Larysmer & Arias or Mambru. You would bring Vargas over Arias? Larysmer for sure gets the boot for Queen Brenda. It's not about Larysmer getting the boot for Brenda. That's not even in the conversation, Brenda has that position until she retires. The conversation would be about Larysmer being a good enough DS to give the extra ball control for one of its OPP/OH. Eve (MB) kind of solves that problem. You can't say that Larysmer coming on the court for Brayelin Martinez would be overall more beneficial for DR, so I just can't see them doing it. Vargas over Arias is however, a very tough call and I'm gonna feel for whichever one doesn't make it. I would not be completely shocked if DR took 4 MB's, but I think the extra pin-support is more likely. I went with Vargas for now because she actually came off the bench first when DR was losing the 4th set to Mexico. That was a we desperately need to win this match sub, so that led me to believe that she is ahead of Arias right now.
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Post by ToddyJ on Jan 28, 2020 20:59:08 GMT -5
Brazil's Tokyo wide roster could literally look like this:
S: Macris, Roberta, Fabiola, Dani-Lins OH: Natalia, Gabi, Fe Garay, Jacque, Drussyla, Amanda, Tainara MB: Fabiana, Thaisa, Adenezia, Carol Gattaz, Mara, Ana Beatriz, Ana Carolina, Mayany OPP: Tandara, Sheilla, Lorenne, Bruna, Rosamaria, Paula L: Leia, Brait, Suelen, Natalia
Many of the veterans (yes including Leia) have said they have retired from the NT. I would wager the prospect of Olympic glory will draw them all in. I have to wonder though if Ze will make the colossal mistake of only bringing his golden girls and have to watch them fall short and maybe even barely make the quarterfinals. Will Ze want that to be his legacy? Go out on such a sour note?!
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Post by ironhammer on Jan 28, 2020 21:26:56 GMT -5
I have to wonder though if Ze will make the colossal mistake of only bringing his golden girls and have to watch them fall short and maybe even barely make the quarterfinals. Will Ze want that to be his legacy? Go out on such a sour note?! That's assuming Ze has alternatives to the veterans. I don't think he believes there are real alternatives, which suggests problem with developing successors in the Brazil volleyball program. The question is why.
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Post by ToddyJ on Jan 28, 2020 21:54:00 GMT -5
I have to wonder though if Ze will make the colossal mistake of only bringing his golden girls and have to watch them fall short and maybe even barely make the quarterfinals. Will Ze want that to be his legacy? Go out on such a sour note?! That's assuming Ze has alternatives to the veterans. I don't think he believes there are real alternatives, which suggests problem with developing successors in the Brazil volleyball program. The question is why. I know. I don't get it either. They have the luxury of a huge well of players to choose from out of the Superliga. It just doesn't make sense to me. I think the time to have pushed these younger players was in the Rio quad....and that didn't happen because Brazil were heavy favorites to three-peat since they were the hosts. I mean Brazil's B team at the 2014 World Championships would have beaten most other countries A teams that year. I'm quite mystified by Brazil at the moment.
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Post by c4ndlelight on Jan 29, 2020 0:44:05 GMT -5
That's assuming Ze has alternatives to the veterans. I don't think he believes there are real alternatives, which suggests problem with developing successors in the Brazil volleyball program. The question is why. I know. I don't get it either. They have the luxury of a huge well of players to choose from out of the Superliga. It just doesn't make sense to me. I think the time to have pushed these younger players was in the Rio quad....and that didn't happen because Brazil were heavy favorites to three-peat since they were the hosts. I mean Brazil's B team at the 2014 World Championships would have beaten most other countries A teams that year. I'm quite mystified by Brazil at the moment. Or ya know, the younger players just aren't as good. It's not like he hasn't let young players in (remember how young Gabi is when he worked her in?). He's working with what he's got hoping the vets tide them over till the next crop of great players come up. USA is fortunate we have a huge player base and our system is set up to keep a much larger pool of players involved in the sport much later in their development (thanks to the NCAA subsidizing it). Other countries don't have that depth to fall back on.
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Post by ToddyJ on Jan 29, 2020 1:12:45 GMT -5
I know. I don't get it either. They have the luxury of a huge well of players to choose from out of the Superliga. It just doesn't make sense to me. I think the time to have pushed these younger players was in the Rio quad....and that didn't happen because Brazil were heavy favorites to three-peat since they were the hosts. I mean Brazil's B team at the 2014 World Championships would have beaten most other countries A teams that year. I'm quite mystified by Brazil at the moment. Or ya know, the younger players just aren't as good. It's not like he hasn't let young players in (remember how young Gabi is when he worked her in?). He's working with what he's got hoping the vets tide them over till the next crop of great players come up. USA is fortunate we have a huge player base and our system is set up to keep a much larger pool of players involved in the sport much later in their development (thanks to the NCAA subsidizing it). Other countries don't have that depth to fall back on. Meh...I don't buy Brazil not having enough depth. They have an entire pro-league at their disposal. The problem is that Ze is such an overly dramatic prima donna half the time causing many of the athletes to flat out boycott the NT.
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