Ningbo (China)

China-Holland is a perfect example to explain which is the right rhythm in women’s Volleyball.

Avital Selinger, Dutch team’s head coach, said that playing Volleyball is like playing music (watch his interview).
Each player has to move at the same speed, following a well-known tactic. Everyone in the court has to “feel” their team mates, it’s not enough to “see” them. Just think when your companions are backward or when there is no time to look around. In that conditions either you “feel” your team or your chances to win decrease quickly.
This is the team’s rhythm.

But at the same time there is a second rhythm: the match’s pulse.
You can simply recognize it gazing at the ball. If you are able to follow the ball’s flight from the serve, keeping a close contact during the rallies: that’s it.
Enjoy the smooth rebounds over the players’s arms (pass), take pleasure in the smooth accelerations (attack), be amazed when a small hand, sliding over the floor, astonishingly keeps the ball still playable (difense).
This is women’s Volleyball. Charming, a kind of whirling dance that hypnotize the audience.
The longer the rallies are, the longer you want them. You aren’t interested in power or speed anymore. You begin to longing the smoothness that only women Volleyball could create.





Why Holland won: only one set out of five, the fifth, ended without an extraordinary thrilling conclusion. Holland takes home a deserved victory, but the difference was small indeed. Selinger’s girls seemed to be more relaxed, despite 132 minutes of game.

bye bye andrea zorzi

Ningbo (China)

Let me start from an owed explanation to avoid any misunderstandings. I’m Italian, I’m a former volleyball player so, when I see the blue shirts (better “azzurre”), my heart bumps faster. I hope I can keep an adequate balanced judgment. Just in case you haven’t the same opinion about Italian Volleyball players, please, be so kind to wear my shoes!

Today match’s statistics describe very straightforwardly what happened.

Take a look:

Italy: killed attack percentage : 52%

Let’s analyze some individual percentages.

Aguero attempts 34 / killed attack 19 / percentage (56%)
Ortolani attempts 27 / killed attack 15 / percentage (55%)
Guiggi attempts 17 / killed attack 12 / percentage (70%)

Aguero and Ortolani percentages (56% and 55%) are very good for a swing hitter. Especially when they are calculated over a large number of hits (34 and 27 are indeed a large number in a four set game).
Guiggi percentage (70%) is an excellent performance overall, but I have to remind you, that a middle blocker could reach that results easier than other positions.

As for Russian stats:

Russia: killed attack percentage 35%

Individuals percentage:

Sokolova attempts 26 / killed attack 13 / percentage (50%)
Gamova attempts 25 / killed attack 9 / percentage (36%)
Godina attempts 23 / killed attack 4 / percentage (17%)


One question is still unanswered. How Russian team, undoubtedly the best attacking world’s squad, can spike so badly?
There is a simple reason: never rely on a single fundamental: it’s very risky.
Giovanni Caprara, Russian team head coach, knows perfectly their Achilles' heels, that’s why during each training session he worries about his team difense. They still have time to recover today’s defeat and show their real value.
Meanwhile Italian players, the staff and myself with them, have a short, very short, time to celebrate this victory.

Why Italy won: The numbers never explain thoroughly what happen in the court (emotions, approach, team spirit are not measurable) but in this case the attack supremacy is so remarkable that the key to victory is easily recognizable.

bye bye andrea zorzi

Ningbo (China)

Brasil-Poland wasn’t an unforgettable match. Generally the games starting at noon (1.30 PM in this case) need time to get in the right rhythm because the athletes have to activate utterly their body. In this case the Brazilian schedule was: 8.50 AM wake up, then breakfast, at 10 AM short training (mainly to loose stiffness), a short technical video, at 11 AM lunch and at 12 AM they move to the venue. Polish team has followed the same routine (this is the standard) but has woke up at 7 PM.
The White and Red team (Poland) should have played a perfect game (digging and passing excellently) to challenge seriously the better Brazilian team. None Polish player are so powerful to be able to kill each attack due to the high Brazilian block. The only way to win should have been playing long rallies, making no mistakes and hoping the opponents were absent-minded. They should have “used” the Brazilian block, they should have “played on the hands”, they should have but… the team led by Marco Bonitta, lost the game 3-0 playing poorly.
Polish girls won only 59 points in three sets (21-21-17), 29 given by South American players mistakes.


Why Brazil won: Sheilla, Sassà and Paula (the three Brazilian swing hitters) are much more powerful than polish attackers. Moreover, Ze Roberto team blocked much better (10/5).


Bye bye andrea zorzi