Hi volleyball fans and welcome back to Volley
Talk, the podcast created for volleyball lovers
who want to dig deep into what is going on in
NCAA and international volleyball. I'm your host
Sarah Pavan. I'm an Olympian, beach volleyball
world champion, former Nebraska Cornhusker, and
longtime pro both indoor and on the beach. And
I'm Adam Schultz, former indoor player, international
volleyball coach, and the show's resident stat
guy. Week two of men's VNL has finished up. So
we are heading into the final weeks for teams
to qualify for the final eight. Some surprising
results we'll get into. Some teams have been
real hot. Some teams are ice cold. Not necessarily
ones we expected either. So we got a lot to go
over. We got another listener suggested segment
for you guys. We are very excited as always.
So let's get started. All right. Our biggest,
we're going to continue with what we've been
talking about in the weekly highlights in recent
weeks, but there's a big development on the NCAA
side that we're going to talk about as well.
For MLV, we've had a few signings, teams kind
of firming up their rosters, nothing huge to
discuss. Depth moves? Sure. Love. has signed
two more coaches, Carlo Parisi to Atlanta, who,
I don't know if you remember, he was the coach
for Bustor Ciccio and I played for Vila. Oh,
they were a good team. Yeah, don't remind me.
And so he's heading to Atlanta and Fernando Morales
is heading to Madison to replace Matt Furbringer,
who, as we know, is coaching the USA men's beach
team. So those are the two. Coaching additions.
We've had a few other international signings
from Brazil. Elena. She's a very young outside
that has made flashes of appearances here and
there. We have Struba from Germany. Taupner from
Serbia. Silves from France. And Martin from Belgium.
So they are loading up. And those aren't. Good
players. Like, Struva, she's a middle, right?
I believe so. I've watched her play this V &L.
She's good. Martin's a good player. Like, they're
loading up international athletes. Yeah, and
they're not the... Are they the Gabis, the Ana
Cristinas, the... No. The Vargas, the Hawks?
No, but... Those athletes are raising the level
of the league, though. For sure. I like that
they're bringing in international coaches because
even for their domestic athletes, they're going
to get exposure to maybe another way to train,
some different thoughts around the game, which
is why we always say, you know, go overseas and
experiencing something different. I like these
moves for them. I think they're good. So we got
a question that kind of pertains to all of this.
Are the recent Love and MLV signings further
evidence that Love is the Premier League and
MLV is a step down? This person reached out because
some of like some of the signings for love are
what we just mentioned. And then some are strange.
For example, like Lindsey Krause signed and just
like players kind of of that caliber that you're
like, you weren't even playing an MLV. Do you
know what I mean? So like there's some some very
strange domestic signings that are happening.
Do you want to take on that? Yeah. This is a
question that was asked. If I had to guess, they're
bringing in the international players to try
and elevate a, the play of the league, but the
reputation of the league around the world. And
they're trying to pull domestic players that
will put butts in the seats. I mean, they're
obviously they're taking other good domestic
players, but I think I bet you, if you look at
the caliber of athlete that they're signing,
they're signing like international, like VNL.
competitors, and then athletes that I feel like
do not belong in the league. Like, butts in the
seats. I had to look up who some of these athletes
were. I mean, fair, but do they have any geographical
relevance to where they're playing? Yeah, they
probably do, but like, I mean, Lindsey Krause
isn't a Lauren Stiverins, isn't a... bergen -reilly
situation do you know what i mean no but remember
they have a bit of a holistic approach to so
if these players are going out to the clubs and
participating in community events or if they
played for a love club a love affiliated club
yes so there there's a few different avenues
you can look at that and because they have the
ability to send athletes wherever they want i
i bet there is an internal strategy around a
couple of those things I bet they do need examples
on every roster of here's a player who played
for X club in this state. That is a love club.
And now she's representing on the pro level.
They for sure. I think that's a good call by
you. They're for sure looking for like players
who have moved through the pathway. I honestly
think MLV is making moves though. I think some
of the signings at MLV. has made this off season
is like narrowing the gap a little. I still think
love is higher quality of play right now, but
I think MLV is narrowing the gap with some of
the signings they made. You know, we talked about
Minnesota, some of the signings like with Samity
and the international players they're bringing
in Omaha's bringing in Kami minor Dallas has
made some moves. So I think the gap is. but it's
still very much there. Yeah, and we'll have to
see what these teams look like. I would be curious.
I know we talked about Shannon Windsor being
there. If MLV can attract more international
coaches. Well, we talked about some of the coach
signings they've had. Which, again, I think is
moving in the right direction. I will be curious
to see if the styles of play in terms of execution
and quality are... similar but the athletes are
bigger in love so if you were to do a head -to
-head like play the athletes are bigger but the
executions similar like the styles faster it
seems i i will have to watch and see how the
season plays out but i'm curious how that goes
well i think we're in like july -ish we're going
to be seeing a lot of mlv names come out As love
signings, I think they have to officially wait
until the MLV contract expires before they announce
their new one. So I think we're going to see
a lot of MLV transfers in the summer months.
All right. New NCAA rules. This is huge. We have
a large question this week that pertains to this.
But for those of you who haven't heard. The NCAA
revamped their eligibility rules. So now you
have five seasons of eligibility that you have
to complete in five years. And your clock starts
either when you enroll in college or when you
turn 19, which this will eliminate the 21 -year
-old European freshmen that are coming over.
and are just more developed and more experienced
than an 18 -year -old kid who just finished playing
club. So that'll eliminate that. It will eliminate
the people who are playing a year or two, going
to play pro, and then coming back, which I think
is great. In that regard, I think that this rule
is awesome. They are completely getting rid of
red shirts. The only exceptions to this are if
you're serving in the military, if you are pregnant
and have a maternity leave, or if you're serving
a religious mission. But other than that, red
shirts are not a thing. You have five years to
play and then you're out. With what we've seen
with Transfer Portal, with the new roster limit
of 18 in volleyball, 18 scholarships. That was
announced, I think, last year. How do you feel
that this is going to change team dynamics, transfers,
recruiting, all that? So first and foremost.
Do you like this rule change? I do. I mean, let's
be honest. These rule changes are targeted at
men's football and basketball primarily. Like
this is why those rules are coming down. But
you had quarterbacks coming back who are 27 and
who are still playing. Oh, seriously? Yeah. I
was just hearing about the guys who went to play
in the G League or played in Europe and then
came back. Those are going to have the biggest
effects in those leagues. I don't see it affecting
the play so much on the women's side, but I do
think there's a couple of things that are happening.
One, you already mentioned the international
transfers that come over after having three or
four years of pro experience. I like that they're
only going to get... you know two years of eligibility
if they stay in their home country until they're
21. like them being 24 25 and being able to play
from an eligibility standpoint i think is unfair
so i like it for that reason i think this makes
the whole eligibility conversation simpler which
i like you start at 19 you're not worried about
putting a kid in for one match and blowing their
red shirt. Or you've got like the Izzy Stark
situation where she like played three matches
and then she's like, can you give me a red shirt?
It's like, no. Anytime I think you can make things
simpler. I'm a fan of that. So I like that piece.
I do think it's going to make the transfer portal
and recruiting different. I'm not a hundred percent
sure what that's going to look like, but now
if you have, You don't have to fight for your
fifth year. You're going to have athletes stay
longer and still with only 18 roster spots. What
is that going to look like? My instinct is you're
going to see people get forced out of programs
to bring in young kids in their fourth and fifth
year if they don't, quote unquote, pan out. It'll
probably be done on the slide. You won't hear
about it, but they'll leave the program. But
I think they'll be... situations like that i
think is where you're going to see the most effect
in the women's volleyball and i think it's going
to take really special freshmen to actually start
or to actually play because i mean schools are
going to want to hold on to their studs yeah
for those five years so those on court spots
are going to be more limited than they already
are so i think the day It's going to be, it's
already rare, but it's going to be incredibly
rare to have a five -time All -American, what
is currently a four -time, obviously. I think
that's going to be just, you know, a unicorn
type situation because programs are going to
hold on to dear life to their stud players. People
are going to be riding the bench for a long time.
I do actually think this is going to affect the
men's game more than the women's because you
have older players who have come over. A lot
of foreign players. I think of like David for
UCLA was what, 26, 27? Well, a lot of the Europeans
are like 21 -year -old freshmen. Yeah, so I think
you're actually going to see a change in the
men's game in terms of how old those players
are. And again, I think it's fair. I remember
going into university as a freshman and, you
know, young male, you think you're all that.
And then you play against guys who are four.
And in Canada, you have five years of eligibility.
So you walk onto the court with guys who've been
lifting for real for five years and they just
kind of step on you and put you in your place.
Like there is a stark difference. Those years
make both on the men and women's side. So closing
that gap from like 18 to 27 to like 18. The 24
will help with that, I think, and level the playing
field a little. In theory, I like this. I just
think that there are so many unintended consequences
of all these rule changes. There will be no program
loyalty anymore. There already isn't, but I think
it's going to get even worse. Trust me. Even
back when I was playing, coaches were forcing
players out. I think it's going to be even worse.
And I honestly feel bad for high school kids
and players who are trying to get recruited out
of high school. I think it's going to be, it's
already hard for the majority of athletes. I
think it's going to be incredibly difficult.
You're going to see high end medium talent go
to a medium school for a year where they can
start and then transfer out. I think that's going
to become very common. Like what some athletes
do with Juco. Like they go and they play for
a year or two. The mid -range D1 programs are
going to become the new JUCOs. Oh my gosh. That's
a, that's, you could be right. It's so, I don't
know. I'm so curious. I like it, but I'm very
curious to see what the unintended consequences
are. I think the intent behind the changes, I
think are positive and bring parody and clarity
to. Who can play when? And I actually think this
moves it back to more of a pure college sport.
No, I think if this happened 20 years ago, it
would have been great. I think it would have
been so pure. You would get out of it exactly
what it's intended. Now with NIL, with the transfer
portal going absolutely bonkers. But at least
you won't have ex -pros coming back to make more
money in college than they can make playing pro.
Well, if they do, they'll do it for a year. They
only got a year. We had a listener suggested
segment. They wanted us to go over our predictions
for the final eight in VNL. So this could be
lengthy because there are many mutations with
a week left. We're just guessing. We can make
educated guesses, but this is a tough exercise.
So let's go through team by team starting at
who has the most points so far. We'll go over
the matches they have and then which ones we
think they'll win. And then we can kind of see
how that plays out. Okay. So for men and women,
we'll do women first. Just a fun fact. Five of
the current top six ranked teams heading into
week three are all playing in the same location.
Love it. Wow. The teams that I kind of feel are
in the running. I put down 10. Okay. Sarah did
all the research for this one, so kudos to her,
and I'm flying off her info. Currently, USA and
Brazil have seven wins. Italy, Poland, Japan,
and Turkey have six. Canada and China have five,
and then Netherlands and Czech have four. The
teams that have won three so far, I kind of counted
them out. Was that a mistake? Maybe. But you
know what? We're doing it. Just a quick run through.
Hit me. USA currently in first. In week three,
they're playing Thailand, Poland, Turkey, and
Brazil in Japan. My instinct is they beat Thailand
and they win one of those other three games.
You think just one? I think just one. I think
they're going to come away from week three with
two or three wins. I think they're going to beat
Thailand. I think they are going to... Turkey
has like... a ton of injuries to their starting
lineup. Like I feel like the only healthy ones
are Kansu and Vargas. And the other ones are
like maybe going to play, but have been like
fighting injury to get there. So I don't think
Turkey is going to be at their strongest. And
as we discussed last week, Karakurt can't play
for another several weeks. So she's out. I think
USA will beat Turkey. And then I'm, if they're
going to beat Poland. I don't think they're going
to beat Brazil. So I think they're leaving with
two or three wins, which will give them nine
or ten total. Brazil has Japan, Poland, Thailand,
and USA. I think they're going to win three or
four of those. I think they're going to beat
Poland, Thailand, and USA. I'm unsure they are
playing in Japan. I feel like if Japan has...
The magic. Puts it all together. I think that
one could go either way. I agree with you. I'm
going to say Brazil is going to win three. I
think Japan is going to win out at home. Okay.
So with those numbers, Brazil could end with
10 or 11 wins with our predictions. Italy is
playing Ukraine, Belgium, Canada, and China.
They're playing in Hong Kong and it's been announced
that their regular starters are going to be back.
So I have them winning all of those. Yes. In
three or four. Bonus points for Adam. With that,
they're going to finish with 10 wins. Poland
is playing Turkey, USA, Brazil, and Japan. That's
tough. I think they'll beat Turkey and then maybe
USA. I think they come out with two wins. I'm
saying one or two wins. So that will leave them
with seven or eight total. Japan is playing Brazil,
Thailand, Turkey, and Poland. I think Japan's
going to win out. I think they're going to win.
Either win out or lose to Brazil. Okay. You think
they beat Poland? Yes. So that hat leaves them
with 9 or 10. Again, these are predictions. We
know that things happen. Like random stuff happens,
but like based on what we've seen in our educated
guesses, this is the best we can do right now.
Turkey is playing Poland, USA, Japan, and Thailand.
One win. I think the injury bug is real. Do you
think one? I think one. I think one, maybe two.
I don't think they beat Japan. I don't think
they beat Poland. And I don't think they'll beat
the US. Okay, so that'll leave them with seven
or eight. Canada plays China, Belgium, Italy,
Dominican in Hong Kong. I'm saying they're splitting
those two and two. So I think they will beat
Belgium. I think they're going to lose to Italy.
And then I think they're definitely capable of
winning the next two. But given what they normally
do, I feel like they're going to blow one of
them. Yeah, I mean, you're basically hoping that
Kira Van Rijk plays out of her mind. For four
matches, which... Like, I think that they should
beat Dominican, but I also wouldn't be surprised
if they completely folded like a cheap tent.
100%. That's what I'm saying, too. I think they
could beat China, but I also wouldn't be surprised
if China slapped them. Like, you know what I
mean? So I'm saying they're leaving there with
two. You and I are on the same page. Okay, so
they would have seven. And then China is playing
Canada, Ukraine, Dominican, Italy. I think they're
winning three of those. I don't think they're
beating Italy. Yeah, I would agree with that.
So that would give them eight. Netherlands is
playing France, Czech, Germany, Serbia in Serbia.
So I don't think they're beating Serbia. I don't
think they're beating Serbia either. And honestly,
I think Czech is going to beat them. Czech is
my dark horse team. Yeah, I don't think a Netherlands
gets one or two wins on that one. I think two
or three match. Max, I think the Czech Netherlands
game could be good. Yeah, I think Germany will
probably beat the Netherlands as well. You do?
Yeah. Okay, so Adam has Netherlands tanking.
And Czech is playing Germany, Netherlands, Bulgaria,
and France in Belgrade. So they're avoiding Serbia
in Serbia. They could very easily sweep that
pool. I think they're going to win three at least.
Okay, so they're going to have seven or eight
points. So based on our calculations, we have
Brazil coming out number one with 10 or 11 wins.
We then have Italy with 10 because even if they
max out, that's the most they can get. Then we
have Japan and the US with nine or 10. Again,
it depends how many they win, but I think Japan
playing in Japan is a big advantage. So I'm going
to give them the boost. So I'm going to say Japan
three, USA four. Then we got Turkey, who's also
going to potentially have eight. We've got China
with potentially eight. We've got Poland with
seven or eight. Then Czech with seven or eight.
Well, so basically what's going to happen is
eight points probably gets you in for sure. Seven
puts you on the bubble. Eight will get you in
for sure, yeah. So we're looking at... Czech,
Netherlands, Canada probably fighting for those
last spots. Yeah, I think it's definitely going
to be Czech, Netherlands, Canada fighting for
the last spot. I think Netherlands is out for
sure. So hypothetically, let's say Turkey A5,
China 6, Poland 7. Then Czech, Canada battling
for the last spot. Who do you think is going
to pucker? I mean, if I had to pick, it's going
to be Canada. Given pucker history, yeah, it
could be Canada. So I'm going to say Czech is
going to come in just because... But I don't
know. I think Canada, this is like their chance
of making the final eight. The thing... And the
pool is like set up. It is set up for them to
make it. You know what I mean? It comes down
to how good Kira can be, which is really tough.
No, or just like... No. How... not bad. The left
sides can be like, can two of the four left sides
get it together? Do you know what I mean? Kira
is Kira. She's going to generate points from
the service line. Sometimes she can be error
prone on the attack every now and then, but this
VNL, she has proven that she is up to the task.
I think. I don't disagree with you, but I think.
The middles, particularly Maglio, have been running
well. Maglio has played well. But here's what's
going to happen. You're going to have the matches
be on the line. You're going to know you have
to win these matches and they are just going
to feed. So Alexa Gray can't be on the court.
No. And that's the thing is like. No, that's
what I'm saying. The question comes down to do
will two left sides get it together? When it's
on the line. I understand what you're saying,
but I don't even think it matters because I think
they're just going to set the right side because
they know they have to win. I think it's going
to come down to just like... I don't think that's
going to happen. Can the left sides pass? Can
they score in transition? I mean, fair. Because
if they pass, they can run the middle. I actually
think it's going to come down to how Kira serves
because they've been behind in many matches.
She allows them to run three or four points and
get back in and have a chance. If she serves
well all week, they have a chance. If she doesn't,
I think Czech will win. So you think Czech is
going to squeak in? I think expecting Kira to
have four all -world matches is probably unrealistic.
You know what? I'm going Canada. Why not? Good
for you. Okay, so our... Very fuzzy final eight
ranking for women is Brazil, Italy, Japan, USA,
Turkey, China, Poland. And then we're fighting
about Canada and Czech. Poland might finish ahead
of Turkey, depending on how injured Turkey is.
Yeah. But those three spots with Poland, Turkey,
China are up for debate. But honestly. Given
this potential, I think Brazil, Italy, Japan
are making the final four for sure. I agree.
I think USA's fate depends on who's the five
seed. Turkey, China, Poland. Agreed. I don't
know. But I think Brazil, Italy, Japan are going
to be in the final four. I think that's probably
a safe bet. Okay. Write it down. Lock it in.
When you said this was a fuzzy picture, do you
know those eye puzzles where you have to kind
of... Magic eye. You cross your eyes. That's
what this is. This is a magic eye volleyball
board. Match one of week three. This all is going
to be out the window. It's going to be like...
Netherlands wins. Netherlands wins. Beat Serbia.
Okay. Let us know your thoughts. Let us know
who you would pick and the exact order. And how
many points. Because it's really like, this is
hard. You never know what's going to happen.
Okay, let's dive into our men's final eight predictions.
This one will probably be a little more extensive
because there are still a lot of teams that could
still be in contention. Everybody but Canada.
Leading the pack right now is Japan with eight
wins. They, in week three, are playing Italy,
Belgium, Canada, and Argentina in Japan. They're
going to beat Canada. They're going to beat Belgium.
We'll see who Italy travels. And Argentina played
better this week, but they'll probably still
beat them too. So I have them winning three or
four matches, which would push them to 11 or
12 on the tournament. USA is currently in second
with six wins. They have got China, Brazil, Bulgaria,
and Poland. They're playing in Chicago. Two or
three. Really? I have them winning three or four.
You think they'll beat Poland? I think Poland
is the question mark. I think Poland is the match
that could go either way. You think they'll beat
Bulgaria? Yeah. That's fair. Okay. Yeah. I think
probably three. Okay. Well, so with those numbers,
that would push them to nine or ten wins. Poland
is currently in third with six. They're playing
Bulgaria, Brazil, France, and USA in Chicago.
If Fornell and their other middle, whose name
I can't pronounce, show up. Koshinovsky? Yeah.
They could sweep that pool. I have them winning
three or four of those matches, which would take
them to nine or ten as well. This is why this
is a tough exercise, particularly for the men.
So, Slovenia also has six. So, they're playing
Germany, Iran, Turkey, and Serbia in Belgrade.
That's... That's a sweep. I think they're going
to win all four. Yeah. Which will push them to
10. Ukraine is also in Belgrade. They have five
wins currently. They're playing Iran, Serbia,
Turkey, and Germany. Sweep. I said three or four.
I think they're going to win all four. They're
going to have eight or nine. Italy also has five
wins. This is nuts, you guys. They're playing
in Japan against Japan, Belgium, Argentina, and
Cuba. Yeah. They're winning three or four. Three
or four. And I think it depends on who they bring.
Which would push them to eight or nine. Like
this is so close. I feel like this is definitely
going to come down to points. So you need eight
wins to even be in. No, that's only the top six
right now. Then we've got Turkey who's playing
in Belgrade. They also have five wins playing
Serbia, Ukraine, Slovenia, Iran. I think they're
only going to win one or two of those. Agreed.
Pushing them to six or seven. Bulgaria also has
five. There's so many teams with five wins. Playing
in Chicago, Poland, China, USA, France. I think
they're only going to win one or two of those
max. Six or seven. Brazil, also five. Playing
in Chicago. Chicago is a really tough location.
I feel like... Belgrade is the quote -unquote
easier location. And Japan only has two teams
that are even in contention right now playing
there in Japan and Italy. But Brazil is playing
France, USA, Poland, and China in Chicago. They
could potentially only win one game. I said one
or two, given how they're playing. And then we've
got Germany, Serbia, and France. Two of them
are playing in Belgrade, one in Chicago. France
might not make it. I have Japan finishing first.
I think that's a safe bet. They're going home.
They are up two matches on everybody else and
they're playing at home. And the only team that
I think might give them trouble there is Italy.
Agreed. I think they're going to finish first.
If we're looking at these teams with like nine
or ten potential wins, that's like the USA, Poland,
Slovenia group. I think USA is going to come
out second. But because Slovenia is playing in
Belgrade, I think that they will gather a lot
of points. So I think Slovenia is going to bump
into third. And I think Poland will come out
fourth. I'm with you so far. Okay. Then it gets
a little messy because there's hypotheticals.
So I feel like if a team is going to get eight
wins, they're for sure safe. I feel like seven
is you're on the edge. You're on the points watch.
If you get seven. you're on, yeah, points watch.
You need to be winning in three or four or you're
probably not going to make it. So those teams
that are in the six, I have Italy in the eight,
nine as well. So I think I have them as five,
but the teams that are like in the six, seven
area that I think are in it. Okay. So we have
pretty much six spots locked up, right? Well,
I feel like the top four are going to be Japan,
USA, Slovenia, Poland. I'm confident Japan will
come out one. And I think it's like, depending
on scores of matches, USA, Slovenia, Poland are
like a mixed bag. And then you're probably looking
at Italy, Ukraine after that. Then you're correct.
You're looking at Italy and Ukraine with a similar
projected number of wins. So that's five and
six. Yes. Then we have... Turkey, Bulgaria, Brazil,
and Germany. No, my prediction has Turkey, Bulgaria,
Brazil, and France coming out with seven wins
because I think France can sneak out two or three
from their Chicago pool because they are playing
China. So four teams for two spots. Four teams
for two spots. France is at the bottom of this
whole group as far as... points go right now
i think it's going to be brazil and bulgaria
i have turkey france i don't think france is
going to be able to win enough to make up the
point difference it's true i wasn't really looking
at like those specifics for points let me see
so as far in that group france has 10 points
right now brazil has 13 bulgaria and turkey i
have 14 so that's basically If France wins a
game in three and Brazil loses in three or four,
that makes up that difference. Right off the
hop. Yeah. So it's just going to come down to
can France eke out one more win in the Chicago
pool than Bulgaria? I think that's... And will
Brazil have the similar week that they had in
week two? I don't think Brazil will go one for
four again in week two. They didn't look good
to me. But they were on the edge, and there were
a bunch of sets that just weren't executed. Like,
I don't think that's going to happen again. Well,
they were very high error in the Canadian match
and stuff, too. I think it's going to be Brazil
and Bulgaria. You think Brazil, Bulgaria? Yeah.
I don't know. I feel like Turkey is just going
to sneak in. I think France is going to find
a way. I don't know. I think Brazil is going
to be out. Okay. We'll have to wait and see what
happens. But every set is going to matter. Every,
absolutely every set is going to matter. I don't
even, in the women, we were pretty sure of who
was going to make the final four. I don't know
for men because with an Italy situation in the
bottom four, as we are predicting, they could
not like get, that could potentially be like
an Italy Poland quarter, an Italy Slovenia quarter.
Like that's crazy. They're going to ruin somebody's
day. And then Ukraine could ruin somebody's day
because they are playing really well. Ukraine
has been outstanding. I don't know, man. I don't
think anybody's safe. The only thing that I can
like, I don't even want to say certain of, the
only thing that I'm feeling marginally confident
on. Japan in the semis. Japan going into the
final eight. Oh, shoot. China's going to make
final eight. Forget everything. Forget everything
we just said. So one of... Oh my gosh. One of
Brazil, France, Bulgaria, and Turkey are going
to be in because there's only one spot. One of
Turkey, Brazil, Bulgaria, France. Or it could
be Serbia or it could be Germany, but I'm just
hypothetically speaking here. Okay, so the only
thing that I can be relatively certain of is
Japan will be in the semis because they're going
to play China. Yeah. Oh, dang. If I had to pick
one team. Okay, the only thing, if you look at
it, though, Turkey has five wins. They're in
the Belgrade pool. Yeah, but they're. Which is
the weakest pool. They're playing Serbia. Oh,
they actually have a hard. Yeah, I don't think
they're going to beat Ukraine. I think they're
only going to beat Iran. Maybe they'll beat Serbia.
I don't think they're going to beat Slovenia
or Ukraine. So they could blow it. But the other
teams... Where are the wins for Bulgaria? They're
going to beat China, but then you have to beat
Poland, USA, or France. Well, that's what I'm
saying. Or you could look at Germany. They're
playing Slovenia, Iran, Serbia, Ukraine. They
could maybe beat Iran, but I don't know if they're
going to beat anybody else. Same with Serbia.
It's like all these... We can't even answer this
question. Top four. I'm just going to watch volleyball
that week because it's going to be riveting.
Okay. The teams that I'm certain of, I'm going
to reiterate it. Japan, USA, Slovenia, Poland,
Italy, Ukraine. China. China. The last one, roll
the dice. I don't know. I don't know. And then
after that, I'm confident Japan will make the
semis. And after that, no idea. Who do you think
is going to get relegated? Cuba. They still haven't
won a match. But maybe they're playing Canada.
Like, it's ridiculous, you guys. Cuba has zero
wins. China can't be relegated. Canada has one
win. Let's see who Canada plays next week. Canada
has Argentina, Japan, Cuba, Belgium. Canada could
be relegated. Because I feel, I mean, I don't
know. They could win some of those. They could
also equally lose them. Cuba is playing. Belgium,
Argentina, Canada, Italy. It's going to be Cuba
or Canada that get relegated, but I think it's
Cuba. So that's that. The listener segment that
we failed to answer because it's too challenging.
Week two of men's VNL happened, as we said. There
were a lot of swings of points of wins of you
name it happening this week. I don't even know
what is going on. You know what? Just like completely
off topic, something that I do want to say. I
understand there's a heat wave in Europe right
now. In France, they were giving two extra water
breaks at eight points and 16 points. And they
were given five minutes between sets. You guys,
I understand that this is an issue, but let me
tell you how hard beach volleyball players have
to beg to even have a sip of water when they
cross the net in like 100 % humidity, 50 degrees
Celsius on court, like on sand. I was like, come
on now. You're indoor. Anyway, that's an aside.
For me, this was the week of the setter. I watched
a bunch of setters. who I thought were just incredible
lead teams to outstanding performances. Japan
setter Fukatsu was unbelievable. Watching him
set and the difference in how Japan played from
this year to last year was night and day what
the hitters could do. He was unbelievable. He's
the X factor for Japan. Everybody... hitting
system ran. They talk about Ishikawa. They talk
about Mia or they talk about all these athletes
like who costs who's the glue and who costs who's
the X factor of how this team is so good. Because
let me tell you, none of those hitters were doing
what they are doing this year at the last VNL.
He is the MVP in my mind in terms of being the
most valuable single person to his team. He's
so good. It was amazing to watch. And I know.
People are going to say, well, hitters sometimes
have a bad tournament, a bad year, whatever.
When all three of your hitters look that much
better consistently for a whole VNL, it's the
setting. He was outstanding. Unbelievable. Outstanding.
You and I were talking about it. What character
did he remind you of? I started calling him Master
Splinter. All our 90s kids out there, please
tell me you watch Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
and you know who Splinter the Rat is because
this guy. reminded me of him the wise yes master
guiding the turtles he was so fun to watch and
he made japan more fun to watch oh my gosh outstanding
so he was unbelievably good and again i didn't
watch all the matches but i also watched ukraine
play and their setter he was also i think for
me the ability to deliver in system Balls from
way past the three meter line. Like teams are
bombing serves and serve receives are scrambling
to just keep them in the air. And these setters
are delivering in system hitter balls from everywhere.
It's incredible. Reversing the flow, putting
hitters in place, running overloads and pipes
over top. It was just. I watching the setters
were the most fun. And then obviously Micah Christensen,
I thought played a really good week as well.
So those were the three setters. And again, I
didn't watch all of them, but those three players
were just so noticeable for me this week. You
know who I was obsessed with this week? I know,
but tell everyone else. Plotnitsky from Ukraine.
I watched him in club, but man, he was unbelievable.
And the way he was hitting those angles as a
lefty on the left side, he was destroying teams,
and he was so good. He is my 2026 Klevno for
VNO. I think he's, wow, he is so good. Ukraine
is a wagon right now. Like, okay, speaking of,
the teams that were looking real good this week.
Sorry, I derailed the conversation at the beginning,
but give us the highlights and the overview.
Ukraine. Yes. Ukraine was looking great. They
were 3 -0 and then they dropped their last match.
I was sad to see it. Yeah, they're 3 -0 against
Brazil, Italy, Canada, and then they go and lose
to Bulgaria. But last year was like their first
VNL and the improvement that they have made is
wild. Their right side, where did you come from,
sir? Semenyuk in the middle. Semenyuk in the
middle, the right side, the lefty combo on the
right and the left side. That is messing people
up, let me tell you. Their libero is doing really
well. I think I'm obsessed with them. I'm cheering
for them. I wouldn't be surprised. I know this
is a bit of a dark horse pick, but if they were
in the semifinals. I mean, Slovenia was a dark
horse pick last year, and they were in the semifinals.
And I also thought Japan and USA were looking
really good. USA, it seems like they're pretty
comfortable with the roster. I feel like they're
looking for one more middle position. See, I
really like McHenry, but he has a few things
he needs to work on. He very often gets too tight.
to the net when the passes are off so he can't
swing at his full potential. But if he ever figures
out his spacing, because when he connects, he's
unstoppable. I think they want him in that position,
but he's just not quite there yet. He definitely
doesn't have the same connection with Christensen
as he does with Rowan. And I feel like that is
the position that's kind of up in the air right
now because DeFalco was back, Christensen was
back. As you were saying, as we were saying a
couple weeks ago, Haynes on the right side with
Hartke coming in off the bench. Whoever expected
that to be as dynamic a duo as it is? Where did
Haynes come from? I've never heard his name before
anywhere. And he is unstoppable. He's doing really
well. He's playing so well. Jendrik, I think
he's great. Love him. DeFalco, I think his all
-around game is just outstanding. His defense.
you know, the decision -making at the net offensively,
his serve. Are you kidding? Like I seeing the
U S roster this week, I'm like, okay, I see metal
potential here for them in LA. And then as we
were saying with Fukatsu with Japan, they were
looking so good. The number of one on half blocks.
When Ishikawa runs that fade outside, none of
the blockers are in the right place. And the
sets just hang right at the antenna for him to
hit the outside hand every single time. Every
single time. It's wild. Wild to watch. And that
is so frustrating as a blocker. You saw Ishikawa
come under the net one time and he beat Micah.
Christensen off the hand and Christensen like
patted him on the back. It was like, I'm literally
going to strangle you. Cause I can't do anything
about what's happening. That's like Adam's favorite
thing when stuff like that happens. He's like,
Oh look, he patted him on the back. And I'm like,
okay, you know, I think you guys probably could
have guessed that that was the dynamic goes,
but yeah, the, the teams that are like ascending
for me after week two, Japan, USA, Ukraine, the
teams that are just fallen into the basement
for me, are Brazil and Canada. Oh, it was ugly.
Brazil. What happened to you? They are making
so many errors. See, the problem is when you
look at their outside core, I feel like they're
all the same player, the same type of player.
Like who is your, I know Luke Raleigh is supposed
to be your steady rock, your guy with experience,
like kind of like Anderson on the U S. But he's
still making errors. He's missing shots. He's
giving up aces. He didn't look as consistent
as I would have expected him to look. Well, this
probably is a... I don't know. I don't know Brazilians'
feelings about Cachapo, but this could be a very
unpopular opinion. I said it last year. I'm going
to say it again. I do not like him as a setter.
I don't disagree with you. I think we both had
that. Lucarelli is way better than Cachapo makes
him look. I'm sorry. He's better than that. And
then you've now got Darland starting on the right
side, who is hot and cold. The play is ending
one way or another when he's scoring. Okay. No
continues are happening. He's either like busting
a hole in the floor, scoring a point, or that
ball is like in the bottom of the tape, a scud
missile taking out the bleachers. Like there's
no in between with him. He's very high air, but
he's terminal. He's he's the play is done. Okay.
When he contacts the ball, which is a little
different than his brother, Alan, but Alan's
not traveling. So I don't know what the deal
is there. Somebody tell us. And then for me,
Adriano is solid. He's steady, but you can't
have two steady left sides. Like he is very much
a hit around the block. Look for the seam type
of hitter. He's not. you know, looking for hands
that much. He's not, you know, crafty when he
tips it's to save the player, bring it back.
Like he's just very vanilla as a hitter, which
I mean, when you have darling on the other side,
yeah, you have to kind of balance that out, but
yeah, it's, it's confusing to me. The mix isn't
working there right now. No, they didn't. They
did not look good. They, they were had big leads
at the end of a lot of sets. They would be up.
one or two points at the end of sets and then
managed to lose them. It was just not clean volleyball.
And then we've got Canada. So before we even
talk about Canada, I have a couple questions.
Like, where are their best players? Yeah, I mean,
you're not like in Italy where there's not a
big threat of relegation no matter who you send.
Where was Marr? Where was Demyanko? Curry, I
know, got injured. The libero. So somebody tell
us if we're wrong. I was under the impression
that Marr and Demyanko were fine. I haven't seen
anything. I don't know anything about that. But
I'm just like, now you're close to being relegated.
Like when you're a team, we talked about this
last week and we were talking about how VNL is
structured. For teams that are not super deep.
Yes, it is tiring. It is exhausting. VNL is designed
to reward teams who have deep rosters, who can
switch players in and out and still find a level
of success. Canada is not that team. Okay. Where
are those two? Well, and to me, I know they're
both a little bit older. You're going to show
up and play in Canada and then not travel? You
have two weeks off after this. Somebody's going
to be like, they're very injured. I mean, okay,
if they're injured, so be it. None of this matters.
But I didn't see them get injured. I didn't hear
anything. It did not look good. I did a cursory
kind of search to see if I could see anything.
But it's just, it's not the mentality you need
to win. I'm sorry. You just can't do that. On
an aside, do you want to know who the star for
Canada is for me? Who is it? Jackson, how? He's
good. He's solid. That kid is playing really
well. And he's undersized. And he's an undersized
middle. He is it for me, for Canada. He's doing
really well. He's consistent. You know who else
is playing well? Katrinsky. Yeah, he is. Yeah,
he is. But, like, I'm really confused, honestly,
about that decision. They did not look good this
week. They couldn't. They couldn't buy a win.
They almost pulled it off against Brazil. They
had match point. Then lost three points in a
row and the match was over. So I just don't understand
that decision making. And if they're both like
bring one of them. Okay, you're going to come
here and then you're going to go to week three.
But you at least if they're injured, bring them
and like maybe have them as the reserve player
for. A match. Or just like, not even a reserve
player. Have them on the bench. And if you see
things going sideways, be like, warm it up. Here
we go. Because they're inexperienced all the
way around. Dan Lewis is an inexperienced head
coach. His staff is young and inexperienced.
The team, they looked good in Canada. They looked
like they had a chance to, I'm not saying compete
at the top. I mean, they still only had one win
in Canada. I understand that, but that was...
And they managed to lose in five a lot. I understand
that. But we said when we watched them play,
this could be the beginning of something. They're
doing things well. They did look better than
they did last year. They looked better than we
had seen them before. And you've thrown that
all away now. You're literally taking China out.
You're basically in second last place right now.
So they looked terrible to me. Cuba, they're
struggling. If that starting group of athletes
decides they're actually going to lace up their
shoes and get after it. It's not like they're
trying to lose. I understand that. But we know
that that Cuba team plays with a little swagger
and they need a little, I don't even know what
the word is. But if that team manages to show
up, they will win some matches. They're going
from final eight last year to literally can't
get a win this year. Agreed. So, I mean, that's
rough. I do think it's worth noting that Poland
and Italy, Italy hasn't even sent their full
roster yet. Like anybody. Gianelli hasn't shown
up. Romina. Micheletto. Micheletto. Lavia. The
middle. Like, you name it. They're playing with
their second string. Okay? We're looking at the
Italian women reincarnated here with their decision
making. And then Poland still missing Kochanowski,
missing Fornal, missing Semenyuk, like some big
pieces. Well, I'm curious if they will travel
in week three. I'm assuming so. Kind of get them
geared up to play the final eight. Yeah. I would
be shocked if we didn't see, because you even
have an extra week now as well. Yeah. I mean,
I just felt like it was worth noting that those
two teams hadn't really sent. Poland was more
complete than Italy was, but. The other thing.
We were talking about this, and I'm curious if
anyone else can answer because I know there's
a lot of Japanese fans out there. What is the
depth like on the Japanese team in the system?
Are there other players coming? Because it seems
like if Ishikawa, Ran, and Miura are not on the
floor. Fukatsu. Well, Fukatsu is a given based
off what we talked about before, but those three
hitters. Who do they have coming up? Yeah, is
there anybody? Or is this going to be, are we
going to the dark times for Japan once these
three are done? So I'm curious for those who
pay attention to the Japanese league, who know
a little bit more, let us know what the future
looks like for Japan. Because those three are
outstanding when they're setters, giving them
the ball like that. I've enjoyed watching men's.
A lot. In recent, I historically in my life have
not been a men's volleyball fan. Fair. I think
a lot of people feel that way. I will say the
overall skill level, particularly with ball control
and defense, has improved worldwide immensely.
Even though they do still miss a ton of serves.
It's not nearly as many as it used to be. The
quality of play is so much higher than it used
to be. I am loving it so much. There are actually
really entertaining rallies. The most entertaining
matches for me this week were Japan -USA, Japan
-France, and honestly, Canada -Brazil was pretty
good. Not the same excitement level from start
to finish as the... japan usa japan france but
as far as like coming down to the wire i i would
agree with that i have enjoyed the men's vnl
thus far more than the women's which is unusual
i would say i would never have said that in the
past but yeah i as you saw from our last segment
we have no clue how this is going to shake out
so week three Could be interesting. It will be
interesting. There'll be at least five surprises.
At least. And China's just chilling. They're
like, yeah, we're good. We're going to be eight
no matter what. Their coach has given us the
most to talk about. It is time for listener questions,
everybody. So let's dive in. Question one. For
talented D1 volleyball athletes, and this person
listed the examples of Olivia Babcock, Andy Jackson,
Bergen Riley, Tori Stafford, etc. Do you think
it would be a mistake for them to stay a fifth
year when they could go pro and improve more
from the college game? I know this has already
happened with the extra year of COVID eligibility,
but do you think it is harmful to an athlete's
aspiring professional goals to stay in the college
game for one more year? My instinct is no. I
think you hit your peak so late in volleyball,
the ability to make money in college is... They'll
make way more money in college than they will
in their first year of pro. And college is...
It's a great atmosphere. It's a great environment.
I don't think there's any real harm in enjoying
another year if that's what you want to do. Like
I don't see it being this massive hit to your
future potential. My first instinct when I heard
this question was the same. If the idea behind
going pro, it's like what is your priority? Is
your priority going pro to like improve a whole
lot? Maybe make an Olympic roster or something.
I don't know. Or is it to make money? If it's
to make money, which I'm assuming would be the
case for a lot of people, staying the fifth year
makes so much sense. Do you have an opportunity
to go be on the bench at Canigliano? Or are you
going to be on the bench at Love Madison? There
are certain opportunities which might be. too
good to pass up and I'm not specifically picking
on Madison it's just an example it's just an
example you just you can set yourself up to make
other career choices later like going to be on
the bench at a really good team for a lower salary
you know then starting somewhere else it just
I don't see it in most scenarios being that much
different because you're still going to get a
chance to train with the national team to be
in the gyms in the summer a two team, yada, yada,
yada. So I, I think, I think a lot of people
will stay, particularly the ones that are just
killing it in NIL. Yeah. Namely a lot of Nebraska
athletes. However, it just part B another question,
which I feel like attaches to this one was, I'm
curious your thoughts about this and how it affects
the U S pro leagues, the national team. and coach
roster construction because there doesn't seem
to be any indication that they're pausing the
18 -person roster limit. So that adds an interesting
twist because now, are you recruiting somebody
for five years? Who are you going to recruit?
You can't carry, you have athletes eligible for
five years, but an 18 -person roster, recruiting
classes are going to get a lot smaller. It's
going to affect high school kids. This is going
to have a huge ripple effect. Well, and let's
just clarify. We're talking about the new NCAA
eligibility rules. Yes. I should have said that
at the very beginning. Sorry. This question pertains
to the new NCAA rules that we were talking about
earlier in the episode. That's where this question
is coming from. How will it affect the U .S.
Pro Leagues? I don't think it will. No, they're
already bringing in lots of foreigners. You'll
get athletes you thought you might get next year.
You'll get... In two years. It'll just push everything
back a little bit. I don't think it will affect
that whatsoever. What do you think about national
team? I don't think it'll really affect national
team either. You know why? Because you can still
go and play in the summer if you want to. Yeah,
other than they will have one less year exposed
to international athletes, depending on what
league they decide to play for. But the roster
construction for college coaches, this becomes
a lot more complicated. A hundred percent. Because
is there a guarantee that people are going to
stay and like do grad school after their undergrad
is done? No, there's no guarantee. You're going
to see some coaches be ruthless, be like, you
don't have a scholarship anymore. You're moving
on depending on the caliber. If we thought the
transfer portal was wild. No. Yeah. We might
see athletes forced out like that aren't absolute
superstars. Agreed. Because they'll want to hold
on to their superstars. And if you're just. You
can't pass up on those blue chip recruits if
you have them. Yeah. If you're not super instrumental
to the team success on court. I think everybody
on a team is instrumental to success. Like I've
talked about this before. But if you're not putting
up huge numbers or doing something really special.
Or if the recruit coming in projects to be better
than you. Yeah. Oh, my gosh. It's going to be
wild. It's going to be wild. Okay, question two.
Can you explain the new substitutions in VNL?
Now they have eight instead of six, but how do
they count them? How does a double substitution
affect this? Basically, everything stays the
same as this is pertaining to VNL now in the
international game. Everything stays the same
except you have two more substitutions. So you're
allowed to go in. If you're starting on the bench,
you can enter the court and then come off the
court and then you're done for the set. You can't
go in and out like you can in the college game.
A double substitution, if you're doing a double
sub with two players going in and then out, that
uses four subs. In the past, you would only be
able to basically use another sub, like a serving
sub or one blocking sub. But now you have the
opportunity to use... two athletes to go in and
out. It affects things. It's like not a small
rule change, but it's also not like 15 subs like
the NCAA. No, it's a sneaky limit though, because
it allows you to make one or two more moves at
critical times in matches for like a serving
and a blocking sub when you're coming around.
I really like it because a lot of teams are doing
the double sub and then you've blown through.
like most of what you can do. So I'm a fan of
the eight subs. I like it. I think it allows
the coach to have a little more strategic input
and read the game and make player substitution.
So I'm personally a fan. Okay. Question three,
you talk a lot about how beneficial it is on
the women's side for players to play in the best
leagues, like playing in Italy versus love, even
if it means sitting on the bench, would you say
the same is true for men? I know there aren't
the same kind of leagues in North America on
the men's side, but is there more value for men
in playing on a top team in a top league on the
bench versus being a starter in a lower league?
How does the parity in the men's game affect
this? Listen, you don't really get better playing
matches. You play one match a week, maybe two.
You spend the majority of your time in a training
environment. And quite frankly, it doesn't necessarily...
matter what the level of the team is it matters
what the level of the training environment is
and what I mean by that is what kind of coaching
are you getting are you being put in positions
where you're not just doing something mindlessly
but you're given the opportunity to make decisions
to try and be better to execute specific skills
yes you want to be competing with the best players
day in and day out that does make a huge difference
but all of those things come into play when you
talk about getting better. So yes, putting yourself
in the best training environment, which usually
means the best players on your team, is the best
way to get better, period. Men, women, doesn't
matter what sport it is. I honestly think it's
less critical than it is on the women's side
though. So like, for example, on the women's
side, when you look at Champions League quarterfinals,
you're looking at basically four... Turkish teams,
three Italian teams, and a Polish team, for example.
When you look at the quarterfinals in a men's
Champions League, you've got a couple Italians,
you've got a couple Polish teams, and then you've
got a Turkish team, maybe a Greek team, a German
team, you name it, a French team. This year,
there was a Spanish team. There is more parity
across the men's game, and the leagues aren't
quite so... stacked heavily on one side of the
spectrum. You do see talent dispersed a little
more equally, I would say in the men's game,
as opposed to just like really overly loading,
like two, two and a half leagues, like you see
in the women's side. So I will take a slightly
different stance and say that it's not as critical
on the men's side. Okay. Question four. We, when
watching, we noticed a stark difference in the
number of triple blocks between men and women.
Why is that? And when the women do commit to
the triple block, what circumstances enable it?
I mean, men are out of system more often than
women because A, they're worse passers. Force
passers A or the serving is just ridiculous.
That's what I was going to... I was making fun
of us as a gender. In general, we pass worse
than the women, I would say. The serving is much
more difficult. The heavy spin serves. You see
a lot of the best spin servers. You're basically
trying to dig that ball high in the middle of
the court. And when that happens, everybody knows
where the ball is going. So it makes it easier
to get outside and put a triple block up. There's
a bunch of other nuances around it, but that
is... the majority of the reason. Yeah, that's
for sure the biggest reason. For women, you see
it happen when the play really breaks down, similarly
to when a man is going up and bombing a spin
serve and the serve receivers are just trying
to get a high middle of the court. If somebody
gets a dig, high middle of the court, you already
know who the attack options are. It can be clear
where the ball is going. It happens much less
frequently in the women's game because of the
ball control. The women aren't hitting the ball
as hard, so the defensive plays are a little
more controlled. In general, the women are running.
The men are running a fast offense, but I would
say across the board in the women's game, every
team is running pretty fast. The one other thing
I will say is strategically, tips in the men's
game score less frequently. Like the defenders
are fast enough generally to cover the same amount
of court. So when you bring that outside blocker
in, the three defenders, if they read a tip,
can play defense and dig that. Whereas if the
men are hitting super sharp angles, that blocker
is more effective in the triple. Whereas on the
women's side, there are less outside hitters
who can just blow up a super sharp angle. And
so... stepping back and playing defense might
actually give you a better option or a better
chance to dig the ball and you can cover the
tips better. Okay, question five. What do you
think is the ideal rotation for the Brazilian
team? And I am assuming this question was for
the women. And I think specifically around who
should play right side. Okay, so if Senga B comes
back, we know she's injured, but Gabi, Anna Christina,
and... We're assuming the three of them will
be on the court. So I think the question is kind
of like, which one is going to be on the right
side? Because you're not going to change your
middles. McCrease and Roberta are what they are.
And Gabby is going to play on the left, period.
Yeah. I think you keep Anna Christina on the
left and you put Bergman on the right. I think
Anna Christina is a big player. She's what, like
6 '5"? or something like that a small like bergman's
not small but a smaller player i feel like has
an easier time adapting to different positions
because of the speed of set they're generally
a little more dynamic i think her feet to ball
are better than anna christina's yeah bergman's
feet to ball is a little bit better she has a
little bit of a faster arm swing Anna -Christina
hits incredible angles from the left side. She
hits a heavy ball. She's able to also use the
block. She's creative. You don't want to lose
her size either blocking other teams' right -side
attackers. So I think you keep Anna -Christina
on the left and Bergman on the right. I agree
with your reasoning 100%. I think you're going
to lose some efficiency regardless of who you
put on that side, less from having Bergman out
there. And I think the upside of Anna Christina,
like you said, from a blocking standpoint as
well, is more effective on the left. Okay, question
six. Does the political situation of countries
ever affect performance? I believe this question
was referencing Iran and the U .S. So I want
to say first, this is a very hard question to
answer. I think the answer changes probably greatly
if you have or have not been in a situation like
this and experienced it on either side, which
neither of us have. Like we're Canadian. We are
going to try and answer this question, understanding
that it is sensitive and that we have no experience
in this regard. Yeah. Yeah. I almost didn't even
want to put this question in because I'm like,
there's no way to like adequately answer this
for us. Or I think for anybody because you can't
really understand anybody's personal experience,
political views, etc. Personally, I think and
my assumption would be that I think the fan bases
are probably more affected by the matchups than
the athletes themselves. Like these athletes
are professionals. Some may have, there are probably
differing political views within. each team among
players. And, you know, you see some athletes
kind of taking the stand as we are seeing recently
with like Jordan Thompson and Micah Hancock and
in their national anthem situation. But I think
these athletes are professionals. They understand
there's obviously a lot of pride in representing
their countries, but they, I think the understanding
is that they are there to play volleyball. And
that's that. I can't say, and that's that, but
like. So there's two other things I would add
is that one at this level, most of the athletes
also know each other. If you don't know each
other personally, like you've had enough interactions
that there's a level of respect. Like you're
not seeing somebody for the first time. So I
think that helps kind of keep things neutral.
And I agree what you're saying. It's more the
fans. Like if two teams. play in a neutral location,
probably nothing is going to really happen or
be said if there's unrest politically. But let's
take, for example, the U .S. and Canada played
in Canada and there's a little... Yeah, there's
already tension with what's going on and being
said and everything. The fans were giving it
to the American players and that... elevated
the level of intensity of the match but I think
that came more from the fans than from the players
so I think there are a couple things you know
that are dependent and I also think that having
a group of people versus it being a single like
an individual sport helps kind of if somebody's
worked up about it you have teammates in a support
system around that can kind of help you stay
in check please don't hate us for this answer
we tried our best it was really tough Hopefully
we were able to articulate our thoughts in a
coherent way. Okay, question seven. Compare playing
left side versus right side from a movement or
technical point of view. This is inspired by
Anthropova. Okay, so I've made the switch myself.
I attempted it too. I had to play left side one
year of pro. I would rather forget it. So I think
when we talk about this, the biggest... difference
is the ball has to travel across your body on
one side and not on the other that for me causes
a whole lot of vision issues like I noticed when
I moved from the right side to the left side
I saw the court just innately so much better
than I did from the right side so that was one
huge difference I noticed and then again technically
where you're cutting the ball off to make your
different swings I noticed the same thing. I
found it much more difficult to hit, particularly
out of system on the left side because I'm left
-handed. Just the ball coming over my shoulder.
And you're like trying to figure out the appropriate
approach angle to like give yourself maximal
vision. So that's challenging. But for me, I
also noticed a big difference blocking. The blocking
responsibilities and... how you help and which
sets you're helping on differ from right side
to left side. So on the right side, you're generally
helping block the pipe, the gap set or the 31
for the middle, and then everything for the left
side. And then, or if you're a left side blocker,
you're helping everything that the middle is
hitting aside from the gap set and then right
side. So it's, you have to be I found it more
difficult to block on the left side, maybe because
I just did right side my whole life and I was
just used to it. Well, your hand position changes,
right? Your outside hand is different where you're
holding your inside hand, how you rotate to push
the ball back into the court when you're getting,
like when you're making contact on the ball,
like all of it is mirrored. So it takes a while
to get used to it again. Yeah. And then like
on the right side, you're blocking the left side.
So you're like making sure that you're not getting
used down the line with your right hand and you're
dropping your left hand into the seam. But then
it's the opposite on the other side. So it's
just like whatever you're ingrained to do, your
body just knows through countless reps and muscle
memory. And then to switch it is a trip. I wish
I never had to play left side. Well, and the
one other thing I will say, and this is mostly
because we saw it with Entropova, is the timing
of your approach is different when you pass,
right? So if you're passing, a lot of times if
you pass and you can flow into your set, but
your angles of your approach, you have to work
harder to get outside, and then you're rushing
in on the right side, you're waiting a little
more, you have time to find your approach angle
and watch the play develop. So there are very
big... even if they're nuanced in playing each
of those. Question eight. What hypotheses do
you have for Team Canada women for VNL that they've
beaten higher ranked teams like USA and Poland,
but they lost to teams like Germany and Thailand?
Do you think they struggle against teams that
they're expected slash supposed to beat? A hundred
percent. That's a tale as old as time. I don't
know if this is the case for sure, but I feel
like... You see this, I saw this in beach volleyball
a lot, and you see it in just a lot of sports
in general, is a lot of people place value on
opponents, on scores, on things like that, rankings.
As soon as you assign value or good, better than,
worse than to anything, you're screwed. You're
screwed. I didn't see the Thailand game, but
in watching the Germany game, it's like runs
of points, build a lead, give it away. I just
think it's a lack of focus. It's taking your
foot off the gas because maybe you think you've
got it in the bag or whatever, but it is definitely
a mentality issue because you're right. If you're
able to beat some top teams, there is no reason.
that you should experience this level of inconsistency.
And yes, we do see some up and down results.
I'm not just saying that Canada is the only team
that this happens to, but I think it happens
to them enough that it's worth commenting on.
Okay, so I have a cultural take. I'm curious
what your thoughts are. I think Canada, as a
nation, plays the underdog very well. I think
we embrace that mentality in everything other
than hockey. I think that's fair. And so when
there's, when you feel like your back's up against
the wall and you're like, I'm going to show you,
we're like, I'm going to show you. We're really
good in that position. But when we have to like
puff your chest out and go, okay, we're, we're
expected. Like we're better than this team. We
don't, we don't, we don't do that very well.
Like, yeah. And I, Canadians, it's just. I think
there is a cultural component to that. Yeah,
Canadians, generally speaking, are too nice.
Too nice. They're like the nice guys, you know?
And nobody can really take them seriously. When
they're on top, they're not the ones who are
going to have that swagger and that confidence.
And you can kind of see it even with the national
team. The women's team has gotten so much better,
but it's like... Yeah, I think that's a good
shout. Okay, our last question of the day. We
know Adam loves stats and this person was struggling
to find good data for matches. The VNL provides
some stats, but not to the extent that we'd like.
Interesting stats like where attacks are coming
from, serve speed, things like that. So the question
is, where is the best place to find good volleyball
stats? We'll post the link in the show notes.
So VNL does have access to all these stats, but
for whatever reason, they don't post it on their
website. But you can get them. You can get the
raw data. And I've actually built a little interface
I use for this podcast to pull data and look
at different things. I don't know where else
to find them. I couldn't find them anywhere.
Or the place to look. So I just built it so we
can. I mean, it's not perfect, and it's rough
around the edges, and it takes me a while to
update it sometimes. But I'll post it in the
show notes if you want to take a look at it.
That's what I look at. All right. Those are our
questions for the week. Some controversial ones,
some not controversial ones. Please understand
that we're trying our best here. So we'd love
to hear your thoughts regardless. And yeah, keep
sending the questions in. We love them. Looking
forward, there's nothing. There's no games next
week. The week is off. Which is crazy. Between
weeks two and three? Last year wasn't the break
between weeks three and finally. I thought so.
Maybe I blacked out. I kind of like this though.
Then you can build a rhythm going into the finals.
Other players can get some rest. I like this
better. It's the final chance to make it. The
teams that are on the edge of relegation can
really buck up. The teams that want to fight
for rankings, they have extra preparation time.
I don't know. I just didn't, I didn't even know.
I was looking at the schedule. I was like, hold
up. What? Anyway, what are we going to do? I
don't know. Maybe we'll take a break. Maybe we'll
be here. We'll surprise you. That concludes this
week's episode of Volley Talk. There's always
something shaking in the volleyball world, and
we hope you enjoyed this little fix. Be sure
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and we'd be so grateful if you'd leave us a five
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at volleytalk underscore podcast. If there's
a topic you'd like us to discuss, you can reach
out on Instagram or at info at sarahpavin .com.
Thanks so much for joining us and we'll be back.
Maybe next week, maybe not. Who knows?