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. We are back after a week break. Hope everyone's
feeling refreshed. Much needed, by the way. We
have been burning the candle from both ends.
So that was a nice rest. Definitely. Regroup.
Came back to a ton of questions. So playing a
bit of catch up today. Trying to squeeze a bunch
of questions into our segments as well as our
listener question segment. But week three for
Women's VNL is complete. So we know who our final
eight will be competing in Macau. And we were
pretty close, but we can dive into it later.
We were decently close. The rankings, we were
way off on. But the teams present almost got
there. We have a few other things in the works
with just weekly happenings in the volleyball
world that we have gotten a ton of messages about.
So we are... Very excited to be back to dive
in. So let's get started. So one of the main
topics of conversation in the question department
this week involved love. All of the MLV players
that they signed recently. So I'm pretty sure
that these announcements had to wait until the
last week or so because of the MLV contract period.
But basically, love is draining MLV of players.
Well, how many teams did they add? They added
four, I believe. They need a ton of athletes.
They need a ton of athletes. And so a lot of
the questions kind of centered around Love taking
all these MLV players. Just going off of Love's
Instagram, here are several of the players who
are making the switch. Erica Pritchard. She was
in Italy last year, but she started in MLV, so
I'll say her. Erica Pritchard, Mimi Collier,
Brooke Nunaviller, Sean Poo, Natalia Valentine
Anderson, Sarah Parsons. Abby Walker, Raina Tahiri,
Elena Ogilvie, Isabel Martin, Sage Kahina Torres,
Morgan Perkins, Sydney Hilly, Kylie Murr, Raven
Colvin, Allison Jacobs, Carter Booth, Jenny Mosser,
who started at Bergamo last year, finished the
season at MLV, Brooke Mosher, Malaya Jones. That's
a lot of athletes. That's just the ones they've
posted so far. Pretty sure I heard Elena Scott
is also making the switch. Not sure if that's
confirmed or not. Maybe that's completely made
up. And if it is, sorry. That's crazy. This is
good for the athletes. When you have two leagues
competing for services, you have a choice of
where you want to go. You have the ability to
market yourself for contracts, for other perks.
This is... an athlete's dream in the U S to have
options and to be able to figure out where you
want to go. Now, I don't know what the salary
ranges are. I don't know if they're leaving for
potential national team looks for salary, for
other compensations. It would be curious to know
those things. But the thing that comes to my
mind is like, love has always touted itself as
like one of the best leagues in the world. And
you're poaching from the. less strong league
in your own country yeah so i'm curious if these
players are going to see floor time or if they're
filling out rosters and what happens to the overall
level of love with four new teams i'm concerned
because i think last year love did a better job
of being competitive and interesting to watch
I'm curious how a four -team expansion, like
that's... That's massive. It's a huge leap in
teams from the number that you had. You're almost
doubling. It could be watered down. They are
literally taking all the players from the quote
-unquote secondary league. Yes, they have signed
a lot of national team athletes from around the
world, but not like star power names. A lot of
the questions centered around this idea and...
I'll just kind of talk through a couple of them.
Is the hope that the home players who are considered
to be playing in a lower league, MLV, will elevate
their level of play? Or do you think this is
just a way of filling roster spots because they
haven't had as much interest from top international
talent? You kind of touched on this. I think
it's roster filling. I think it's roster filling.
I mean, there were several athletes that we talked
about last year who were in MLV that we thought
were quote -unquote love athletes. I think Mimi
Collier is a love caliber. athlete carter booth
if elena scott is going those are is not the
most dynamic athlete i'm curious how she will
do with the speed of the game uh she doesn't
move like super fast laterally i think like brooke
nunneville or for example belongs in mlv agree
like she's a bench player in love in my opinion
if she plays she will struggle to score like
she's good ball control everything else but she
she will struggle to score yeah reina terry had
a great year in mlv last year she for me is also
a bench caliber love athlete. Do you think the
mindset of the American athletes is maybe I can
go to love and then eventually go overseas? Like,
do you think love gives them... No, like Brooke
Nunneville played in Turkey. No, I know. Like
she's been overseas. I, okay, this is what I
heard. I don't know if it's true, but I heard
that love bought out, like just... paid a lot
of money to a lot of these players just to get
them to leave MLV and then they're signing a
contract on top of that which I heard and again
I don't know if this is true I heard has caused
a little bit of angst problems in love for the
players who are already there we kind of touched
on this like several episodes ago but i heard
numbers thrown around like a quarter of a million
just to leave mlv and then signing your contract
on top of that you've seen this in several other
leagues women's hockey in north america had this
happen most recently golf with live had this
happen you have competing entities live love
baby laugh Make it sign in your house. So this
is not uncommon and the athletes are reaping
the benefit of there being multiple opportunities
to play. Good for them. So another person was
like, do you think even the players now know
that love is a higher level league and want tougher
competition? Maybe they do rather play in the
bench at love than be a star in MLV. We kind
of, yeah, I don't know. Maybe they, I think the
general understanding. Although I have seen some
clips recently where people were like, MLV and
love is the same level. You guys, it's not. Okay.
It's just not. I think the general understanding
is that love is the stronger league. Do these
players, are they taking bets on themselves and
being like, no, I'm going to earn a starting
spot? Maybe. You would have to think so. Like
these are top college players who have competitive
mindsets. Like most athletes will bet on themselves
given the opportunity. So I, that would be my
take. And then. A lot of these players weren't
necessarily even standouts at the MLV level.
Yeah, a lot of it has to do with playing time.
Like, why do you think they're leaving if they're
not even standouts in MLV? Like, what is their
goal and objective in going? A Mimi Collier,
for example, does she bet on herself and be like,
no, I can for sure play at this level. I'm going
to earn a spot. Yeah, I can see that. But like,
I don't know, a Raven Colvin, for example, who
was like fighting for court time. in MLV like
I wonder what like her motivation would be for
example again it's really hard to talk to what
people want but I will say love has done an excellent
job of bringing in well -connected international
coaches so if you're a North American athlete
and we talk about this all the time you need
to go somewhere to experience a different style
to learn from somebody else to have more experiences
For me, if I have people talking to me about
that, I'm like, okay, here's a chance for me
to stay in North America to maybe learn from
another style from a different coach. And who
knows what connections those coaches have. Like
a lot of these coaches have coached all over
the world. All it takes is one phone call. Like,
hey, I have this player. They'd be a good fit
for your team. Like the coaching fraternity in
the world is small. You know, everybody, I think
there's a lot of call it networking and wanting
to improve under potentially a different style.
Because I think Love has done a good job of bringing
in high name value coaches. Another piece of
news, and I got this sent to me, I saw it on
a Brazilian site, is that Andy Drew Schumacher,
Kelsey Cook, and Justine Wong -Arantes have apparently
said that they are going to return to the national
team next season. I have a question for you before
we go any further. Which of those three players
do you think makes the biggest impact? Assuming
they come back close to old form. Just seen while
we're on test. That was my instinct as well.
Cause there's the thing is there's no guarantee
that you return from pregnancy and are playing
at the same level. That is no joke. Returning
from pregnancy is no joke. Your body gets messed
up. Okay. A, the fact that they're even wanting
to come back. Amazing. But yeah, there is no
guarantee that you're going to be the player
that you once were. The thing that I notice most
about players who have a baby and then come back
is their jumping ability severely decreases from
what I have seen on the beach side of the game.
Well, that's why I think Wongarontas might have
the best opportunity to return to form because
you still have to be dynamic. Obviously, you
have to move quickly, but you don't have to move
vertically. But the thing is, she has to move
laterally. And let me tell you, your adductors
take a hit. So that could be tough. But I think
the biggest room for improvement among those
three positions that we've talked about, we've
talked about it before, is the libero spot. So
I think she could have the biggest impact. Agreed.
You know, it's always been kind of like a debate,
a back and forth of like Annie Drews or Jordan
Thompson, blah, blah, blah. I am personally in
favor of Jordan Thompson. So I think that that's
fine. And then like Kelsey Robinson, I think
that her ball control. With the current climate.
With the national team. Could be a huge asset.
Regardless of what role she might step into.
I think just her ball control. And defensive
ability alone. Could help a lot. She fills a
need. On the team. And gives the coaching staff
flexibility. In situations where you need a good
pass. To get out of a rotation late in a set.
I agree with you. Huge news. If that is true.
If they are able to come back. That kind of like
changes. I know the U .S., and we'll get into
it, did an incredible job in the preliminary
round. They like finished first, which was a
shock to me. But they managed to finish first.
Just that stability and that consistency piece
of adding those three athletes is massive. The
big news keeps coming. Another piece is the Russian
ban has been lifted by the IOC. Individual sport
federations or bodies have been given the option
of whether to allow Russia to come back. And
the FIVB has decided that Russia can come back,
maintaining the points that they had in 2021,
which is when they last competed. So that would
place the women at ninth and the men at third
in the world. We got a question about this. We've
gotten several questions, but one that kind of
encapsulates the general, you know, ideas of
what have been sent to us. And I think just kind
of opens the door to the discussion about this
is the following. I'm interested in your thoughts
on the reinstatement and how this will affect
global competitions next year forward. Personally,
this decision seems very unfair to the countries
who have worked hard for many years, gained points,
lost points, developed their teams, etc., just
to possibly lose their VNL spot next year to
Russia because they are being put back at their
2021 ranking. It is especially painful for the
two countries fighting for the VNL entry berth
next year. They've possibly lost that chance.
Finally, are they going to force Ukraine to play
against Russia next year in the VNL? There are
many comments online where people are happy about
it, but the war is still going on. Nothing has
changed. Yes. Lots of factors involved in this
decision. What do you think? I'm going to answer
broadly first and then I'll get specific. So
first and foremost. The situation is really hard
to talk about. And we've kind of had this chat
last week too. They are coming back. Those decisions
have been made. You know, it's tough because
the athletes don't all agree or aren't part of
it. So I'm happy for the athletes who have spent.
Don't agree. Like the Russian athletes are not
responsible for their country. You have some
athletes who are opposed to it. Some who might
be for it. Like it's so hard to know where they
stand, but it really has nothing to do with their.
athletic career and the fact that you know you
see these athletes give all of this time to train
and try and do something i'm happy they get an
opportunity to put all of the hard work in to
play volleyball i'm happy for the individual
athletes politically it's a very tricky situation
we talked like you alluded to we talked about
this uh last episode i think it was with somebody
asked a question about the u .s playing iran
it's the same a similar situation It's it's difficult.
Like we obviously can't empathize necessarily
in that way because we're from a country that
has never really been involved in conflicts like
that. I can't imagine what it must feel like
for some athletes to have to be put in that position
to compete against, you know, an invading country.
But like we I was we are not qualified to speak
on that and what it would feel like. I don't
know. As far as slotting them into their spot
from 2021. I also am like really upset for teams
that have worked so hard to earn the ranking
to kind of put themselves on that cusp. Can you
imagine? No. And listen, I wouldn't do it this
way personally if I was in charge. Russia is
a volleyball nation. If we look at their ability,
they belong in VNL. They are good enough to compete.
They're both on the men and the women's. In my
opinion, what should happen is you should just
add them in next year and have an odd number
of teams and still allow. one team who should
be normally in on points to come in you have
all these teams go to sites and not play everybody
anyway like i don't think it would be a huge
deal to have one extra team and then next year
you have two teams that are relegated and then
you get back to where you would i would say even
don't allow russia to compete next year and make
them hold on to their ranking spot and compete
for a year against other teams, hold on to their
ranking, and then they can get bumped in next
year if they're the next highest ranked team
that hasn't competed. I don't know if I would
slot them into VNL right away because I agree
with what this person said. There are teams that
have been competing and fighting, and I understand
that the Russian athletes didn't have a choice
in this matter, but for countries who have made
those adjustments and... the evolution to be
able to become that team that are right on the
edge. That's not fair. I agree. So I say, don't
even let them play next year, make them earn
their spot. And then the next year, if they're
the next highest ranked team, then they can play.
Yeah. I mean, I think that's also a good solution.
I mean, I think it's good for volleyball that
they're being reintroduced into the competitions
because they are really good teams. And, you
know, we've speculated on, you know, what would
happen if the Russian women came back with like
Markova and Fedorovseva and all those athletes.
Like we will get a chance to see that now. And
that's exciting. I think it's good for the sport.
But I think they need to do it in a way that
doesn't alienate everybody. Yes. So we'll see
if they make any changes or if there's any pushback
for that. Our last piece of news. After two months
of retirement, Jordan Larson is coming out of
retirement. I feel this way about all athletes
who do this. You're either done or you're not
done. And you should know what you want to do.
The other thing for me is you had a whole year
tour to retire. This is not a spur of the moment
decision. If she had quietly just decided that
she wasn't going to play anymore and hadn't really
said anything and then decided she wanted to
come back, I'm fine with that. But you made a
very... public declaration that you were done
and yes it's her choice I totally get that but
it's just for me and I've had this opinion about
all athletes in all sports I think it's cringy
I mean you guys know I'm I'm a Jordan Larson
fan I played with her in college I have so much
respect for her I've talked about it at length
this is for me nothing to do with Jordan it has
nothing to do with her as a person it's just
like the situation I'm like the league had a
whole thing the whole season we were hearing
about how you're retiring and how there were
just like so many grand demonstrations and gestures
and stuff around this retirement and totally
warranted totally warranted everything that has
gone on even outside of love just like about
this retirement for for it to last two months
Like for me now, it's like, OK, we can't talk
about this anymore. Like it's done. It's just
really confusing to me. Originally, I saw this
post and I thought it was a joke. Like I thought
it was not serious, but I think it is serious.
We'll see. I mean, everybody's entitled to their
to make their own choices. But I just I agree
with you when this has happened in other sports
and with other people. I've just been like, why?
Why did you make this whole deal about it to
go green? I don't know what to say. We might
see her on the court again for Love Nebraska.
Those are the weekly highlights. Quite a few
big pieces of news after a week break. We'll
see how all of these things pan out in the next
year. Okay, we had an interesting listener suggested
segment this week. This was a lot of fun. The
task that was set to us was build a USA women's
roster. For LA 28, but you can't pick more than
one player from a university. A full 12 -person
roster. So we opted to go with three outsides,
two opposites, two setters, three middles, and
two liberos. Cannot repeat a college. This was
actually a lot of fun. Where do you want to start?
I was just going to ask you the same thing. For
me, the easiest position to pick was opposite.
Do you want to start there? Sure. Okay. Who did
you have? I had Jordan Thompson and Stephanie
Samity. What? No, you didn't. Who did you have?
Jordan Thompson and Annie Drews. We don't know
if she's playing. LA 28. Okay. And we just said
she's coming back. Okay. So I excluded the three
players who are coming back from pregnancy because
I haven't seen them play yet. I don't know what
they're going to look like. No. You had a miss
already. Okay, well, we were playing by different
rules. Okay, so I knock off Cincinnati and Purdue,
which I felt like that was also a super easy
pick because those two schools are kind of obscure.
Yeah, and I'm Cincinnati and Minnesota. Next.
Let's see how much better my roster will be than
yours. Okay. Well, yeah, because you're going
to have Justine Wong -Arantes, obviously. Yeah,
Adam, of course you have to pick her. What were
you thinking? Okay, so I didn't realize that
they were in play. So that's my fault. We literally
just said that they're coming back. Okay, let's
go to the left sides. You want me to tell you
one? Let's... Alternate? Let's alternate. Okay,
tell me one. Okay, so I have Avery Skinner. Okay,
did you consider her Kentucky or Baylor? Baylor.
Didn't matter for me. Yeah, me either. But I
considered her Kentucky. Okay. Okay, my second
one was Catherine Plummer from Stanford. Oh,
that's a good choice. I'm going to crush him.
You are going to crush me. I had Simone Lee Wank.
No, you didn't. You guys, I think we can agree
that I'm already winning this game. Okay. And
who is your third? Bajma from Washington. Okay.
I had her too. Okay. I forgot Plummer was an
option, to be honest. Looks like Adam forgot
a lot of things in this game. We're two positions
in. Okay. So, looks like I'm... I'm just better
in both positions right now. Perfect. Let's go
setters. Okay. My first setter was Jordan Poulter,
Illinois. Me too. Okay. Well, you can't pick
Penn State. And I picked Penn State for my second
one and Micah Hancock. Well, I had Kami Miner
from Stanford. Oh. So you did not want to blow
a Texas pick on setter. Hell no. I think a lot
of people might object to that. Okay. Okay. Liberos?
Sure. So, I mean, I have Lexi Rodriguez, but
it should be Justine, given that she's on the
board. Same school. I will give that to you.
Same school. I also had Justine. Yeah. I mean,
that's a no -brainer. And then I had Elena Scott
as my backup. Me too. Okay. Okay. So, my reasoning
was, you know what? Let's just talk out the middles
and then we'll go through it. Okay. Middle one,
Dana Redkey, Wisconsin. Correct. Middle two,
Ogbogu from Texas. I had her too. Who was your
third? So I had... I can't wait to hear this.
I had Anna Stevenson, but then I wanted to take
Elena Scott, so I ended up picking Anna Dodson.
I picked Amber Ajit, Hawaii. Okay, fair enough.
Don't even act like, like, no, it's a better
pick. I mean, you do know the background of all
of these players off the top of your head better
than I do. But I thought that was a good pick
from UCLA. I mean, obscure. She had a decent
season in Italy, sure. Yeah. How much better
do you think IG does than her? Better. But you're
starting Obagu and Redkey. All right, walk me
through your thoughts. So I will concede I didn't
think about Plummer, so that was a good choice.
I didn't realize that those other players were
in play. So yes, Annie Drews and Plummer were
better choices than I came up with. The opposites
for me were no brainers. Yeah. There were obscure
schools and they're both very good. Yeah. And
you know, Olympic experience already setters.
I was like, okay, Jordan Poulter for sure. Mikey
Hancock didn't play particularly well this summer,
but she had a really bad neck injury. Hasn't
really played. I can't hold that against her.
We know that I'm not the biggest Sage fan, but
I was also like, you know, Texas runs deep on
the current roster. Do I want to use my Texas
pick on her or save it for another position?
I was like, you know what? I got some good setting
options. I don't need to waste my Texas pick
on a setter. So then it became, do I want to
use the Texas pick on middle or outside? How
hard of a choice was that for you? Because mine
was almost instantaneous. It wasn't because my
initial, like my instinct right off the bat was
like, okay, Redke Ogbagu. But I was like, okay,
who am I going to pick for my outsides other
than Skinner? That is the thing that kind of
like got me thinking. And then obviously Justine
was my Nebraska pick. Kelsey Cook could have
been a Nebraska pick, but I was like, as of right
now, no. Yeah, exactly. And then it's like, okay,
if I can't use Nebraska again, maybe Morgan Hentz.
But I'm like, no, I think Catherine Plummer could
move the needle more from Stanford than she could,
which is why Alina Scott came into the conversation.
And I had the same reasoning with Kami Miner.
I was like, I like Kami Miner. What about Jenna
Gray? You could use Jenna Gray from Stanford.
But neither of them have played a national team.
True. I like Kami Miner. Okay. Okay, you could
have picked Jenna Gray, I'm just saying. And
then Bajma, because of all the talk, She's solid.
She's one of the better ball control, but the
blocking aspect, I was like, okay, I'll throw
her in. That's how I landed there because I couldn't
pick Penn State, so Vunk got taken out. Yes,
I will continually say her name with that accent.
And then, yeah, Texas was out. Nebraska was out.
So, you know. I mean, I think the rosters are
pretty good, but it was a lot of fun to think
about and go, okay, I would take... These three
athletes from this school, which one is better
in comparison to these ones? It was fun to think
about. So I enjoyed that one. Basically, for
me, it came down to who did I want to prioritize?
Which positions was I prioritizing for Nebraska,
Texas, Stanford, Penn State? Those were really
the only multiples. I had on top of mind. And
part of that thought process for me was who would
start over like a third player. Yeah. And I was
like, okay, the Franklin could come into the
mix for a double Wisconsin situation, but I'm
like, you have to pick her. Same thought process.
That was fun. That was fun. Who would you pick?
Let us know. Put your rosters in the comments
on YouTube. I feel like we're going to be close
to a lot of people, but like I said, those schools
I think will kind of mix things up a little bit.
So we're feeling extra spicy this week because
we missed last week. So why not throw in a bonus
listener suggested segment? And the one we are
going with is who we would pick for our VNL dream
team. Now, as we know, the dream team this year
is going by stats and the MVP is a combo of everything
and like fan voted, I think. We're going to go
back to the old ways, minus just picking teams
from the final four. We went through, we picked
who our dream team would be as we head into the
final eight for women. We'll do the men next
week. Are you ready? I'm ready. Full disclosure,
did I watch every team play VNL? No. That definitely
created some bias on my part of who I was picking
based on the teams that I watched. Okay. So don't
come at me for these picks. Okay. Just keep in
mind. I didn't see everybody play. Okay. And
I added a little bit of who brought the most
value to their team along with performance. So
I think I'll have a couple of picks off the beaten
path that you might not expect. Okay. So I couldn't
pick a couple because I was kind of going the
same thought process as you, but then there were
some like undeniable. Great performance. So I
have like slash, you know? Okay, so yeah. Maybe
you can help me. Yeah, let's see where we ended
up. All right. Who did you pick for your setter?
I had the Ukrainian setter. Okay. I'm going to
butcher her name. Do you want to help me? Shaharadzka.
Shaharadzka. Close. I watched her play a couple
matches. She's a good setter. But I just think
looking at her team, she leads them. And not
to mention. And this is kind of a wild stat.
She led every statistical category for all setters.
Blocking, serving, assists per match. She had
the most assists. She was very, very good. And
I just felt like she deserved the credit. Now,
is she the best technical setter? No. And her
team didn't do well. And her team didn't do well.
But I just thought if you took her off that team,
they're just so much worse. And I felt like she
deserved props for her performance in VNO. Before
I tell you my pick, spoiler alert, it's a slash.
And one of the slashes is the name you just said.
Okay. Okay, so. Just like as an aside, I hate
the way that the VNL does their stats. They're
awful. Don't do like, hey, best attacker is the
person with the most number of kills. What is
that? That doesn't tell me anything. You know
what I mean? It tells you they play the most
five set matches. Well, and the thing is, they
also do like most kills per match. Yeah. What
if some team is going five with everybody? Let's
go per set here. We've talked about this before.
In our stats discussions. Let's give me the numbers
per set. Don't give me the total number. I just
want to know how many kills per set. Period.
And the hitting percentage. Don't tell me their
kill percentage. Tell me their hitting efficiency.
Okay. Anyway. Things like that. I did have Shaharazgah.
But I also had a Slash Poulter. Because I was
like you know what. The Americans finished first.
You can't just like deny them. a pick you know
what i mean and polter definitely i think the
american team we saw from week one to three drastically
different week one polter wasn't even there week
three she was playing like the majority of the
time so i think that needs to be said she if
i was picking an american for a dream team award
it would be her in the setting position i can
get behind that pick it's that's a valid that's
valid reasoning But then I was like you, with
Shoharatsuka, I was like, dang, okay, most assists.
Do I love that it's like just the entire amount
of assists? No, but it is what it is. But also
a blocking factor, a serving factor. Most attacks.
Like she contributed in more than just the setting
category. So that's why I had the slash. Jordan
Poulter's a better setter. She had a great tournament.
But that's what a dream team is, everybody. So
I'm kind of cheating, but stick with me here.
Okay. Who would you pick for outsides? So this
is where I think you and I are going to differ
a little bit. Can't wait. I had Zhuang YS from
China, and I had Ishikawa from Japan. What? You're
giving me a little smirk. I had Zhuang as well.
Okay. She was outstanding. You cannot. She was
the best performing left side, hands down. And
she does it all. Points scored, attacking, serving,
blocking. She was the best receiver of all hitters.
She does everything incredibly well. She is 100
% the non -negotiable on this list. Fair enough.
And then I had an Anna Christina slash Bergman.
I think Anna Christina is a better left side.
I think she is a more terminal. I think she's
a better server. But if we're looking at this
tournament as a whole, Bergman played well. She
served well. She blocked well. Her whole game
was very good. Statistically, I would argue even
better than Ana Cristina. But when I think of
them, I let my bias creep in outside of this
tournament, which is why Ana Cristina is there.
Yeah, I mean, there's no wrong answer. I thought
the Brazilian left sides as a duo. played well.
I just really liked the tournament that Ishikawa
put together. She passes, she defends, she hit
382 on the tournament. I just, I think maybe
because she's a smaller player and to watch her
do those same things and post those numbers and
be as efficient as she is, I just find that very
impressive. I thought the Brazilian left sides
were also very good. I was thinking along the
same lines. I landed on Ishikawa. I like your
Ishikawa pick because she was a consideration
for me too. You're doing much better in this
one than the... I know my international game
a little more than I know my college history.
I had Bergman as my third alternate. She hit
401 efficiency, 181 points. She was very good.
Middles? Okay, so I also had a slash on this
one. But I think... Okay, so let me, the first
one I had was Julia. Yes. I thought she was outstanding.
Same. And then my instinct was to pick Maglio,
but I'm like, I can't pick two people from Canada.
I just look like a homer if I do that. Wow, okay.
But I honestly. So you're fine with considering
multiple Brazilians, but not Canadians. Well,
it's, maybe it's my Canadian. I don't know. You
like feel bad. I do. I felt a little bad, but
I ended up going with her. Because I thought
she just deserved it. She played outstanding
this tournament. She was second in blocks. She
hit 510 on the tournament. Had 73 kills. Like,
she was a force both blocking and attacking.
And I don't think Canada does nearly as well
without her. I think that's maybe the best I've
ever seen her play. We have the same two picks.
And then, as an honorable mention, I had Yelacheva.
Is that how you say it? from Czech, who was also
very good. She hit 470. She was third in blocks.
I watched Czech play a couple matches, and I
thought she was very good, but I don't think
she was as good as the other two. Honestly, I
had the same two picks as you, and I don't feel
bad. Canada put together the best BNL they've
ever had. I don't think it's wrong to pick Canadians,
and Kier van Rijk and Emily Maglio were the two
best. players for Canada she attacked very well
her blocking was outstanding and then Julia you
know played incredible her blocking in particular
just the speed of Julia's arm on that slide too
is just unmatched those two for me I think I
guess I look at US Italy finish top and I didn't
really pick anybody from them, but those teams
are more well -rounded. Those were just some
of the things that I thought about when I was
picking my dream team. Well, no. Anna Genesee
played one week of VNL. You know what I mean?
I'm not going to pick somebody who just played
a week. Julia and Emily both played the extent
of the tournament, so no. I agree with your pick.
What about opposite? I mean, I had Kira Van Ryk.
I had Kira Van Ryk as well. I had a slash for
this one because I was thinking about it and
I was like, the role Kira plays for her team
is huge. Not just from an attacking standpoint,
but from a serving standpoint. Like she single
-handedly brought them back into countless matches
with her serving. Can I guess who your slash
is when you're done? Yeah, guess it. Vargas?
Yeah, for the exact same reason. You know, especially
with like the injury situation. that Turquoise
was dealing with, the load that was required
of Vargas was huge. And I think it's the same
thing. The way that she's able to turn games
around with her serve, I feel like they play
a very similar role for their teams. And yes,
Kira was top scorer, top attacker, but she also
played more matches than Vargas. Kira only hit
like 230 something on the tournament. Vargas
hit 434 with the same role that Kira Van Ryk
had. 434 is insane. So that's why I had a hard
time just like giving it to Kira outright because
yes, she played all three weeks. Yes, she put
together some big numbers, but as far as like
a hitting percentage, it's just like Vargas'
numbers are... better if you're looking like
per set. So like, that's why I have the slash.
Yes. I think those two were by far the best,
the top performers. I thought you're a played
incredibly well. I think I edged in that direction
just because she played all three weeks. She
had the load. She had to do that. It was, it
was impressive, but yes, you could give it to
both. I agree with you. And finally, libero.
I went with the Italian libero. Me too. For Sino.
I was debating between her and Marcelli from
Brazil. There were a couple other good libero
performances. I thought the Japanese libero played
well. I thought the Polish libero also played
well. She is stepping into incredibly big shoes
to fill. She played all three weeks. She posted
good numbers. And while she isn't the same player,
I didn't notice a huge drop -off. In terms of
how she ran the backcourt and how it played.
I was impressed with how she stepped into that
role. I have the same reasons. I thought that
was a lot of fun. I liked the thinking about
the dream team. I like having a couple different
things to look at outside of just pure statistics.
So I think we'll do this for the men's and I
like this little exercise. All right. VNL week
three wrap -up slash final eight predictions.
Last episode for women, we went through our final
eight predictions. I will say I was seven of
eight for the teams, but the order, I got way
wrong. I thought Poland was going to make it
instead of Netherlands. Netherlands came out
of nowhere for me. They were not on my radar
whatsoever. I also thought China was going to
qualify outright instead of relying on their
host spot. So that kind of messed that up. Other
than Netherlands, I was seven for eight with
teams. I think I was six for eight. I think I
had check making it over Canada, which didn't
happen. Now, before we get into the matchups,
I have a couple storylines from week three. And
I'm curious. We can chat about all of them, but
I'm curious. Which one you think is kind of the
biggest news, the most surprising, the most relevant.
So here they are. Japan beating Poland in a reverse
sweep to make it into the final eight. So that's
the first one. Canada coming out 3 -1 to finish
fifth in the ranking. USA winning 3 -1 and locking
up first place. Or the Julia injury. I mean,
the Japan -Poland match was to get in. That was
huge. Going into that week, I thought Japan was
going to either win three or four matches. I
did not expect them to play so or not just lose
so much at home. Yeah, I agree. I was shocked.
Absolutely shocked. I thought they were going
to serve the lights out this week. You know what?
And I watched them. Brazil. And when they were
running the pipe, it was almost unstoppable.
They just didn't run it much. And we've talked
ad nauseum about how little they run the middle.
Their pipe was running and scoring so well. Imagine
if they incorporated a middle attack with the
pipe. I don't understand why they don't do that.
Wada hits a great back roll ball. Ishikawa can
hit a back roll ball. Their middles. I feel like
the staff has just resigned themselves to the
middles being undersized, so we're not going
to set them. But she can score. She's not going
to be your main threat. I get that. But you have
to run your middles more than they do. And it
just baffles me that they don't. Yeah, I could
not believe that they put such a poor week together.
I think it would have been, I mean, I think it's
outrageous that Poland didn't qualify. But coming
down to the two of them, like which one's going
to be in and out, never saw that coming. That
was huge. Canada finishing fifth. We were like,
yeah, Canada's good for a complete meltdown at
some point. They did not have one. Going into
that week, I said I thought Kira was going to
have to be unbelievable in all four matches,
and I didn't think she was going to do it. She
did it. Well, they almost. pissed it away against
belgium yes which i'm like i would not be shocked
if they lost to one of either belgium or dominican
yeah they almost did but they held on okay which
is a huge step from a morale and just like confidence
perspective the fact that you were able to do
that like who knows if this is like a springboard
to like continue this trajectory who knows but
They proved me wrong. I am very happy for them,
and they qualified for their first ever VNL Final
Eight. Kira, yeah, she took care of business.
I think the biggest thing for me, and we talked
about this, is that she's just making less errors
than she usually does. So her attacking stayed
the same. She cut down the errors, and she was
very terminal. So kudos to her. Huge load on
her shoulders in terms of Canada performing.
And she rose to the challenge. USA finishing
first. Did I ever think that would happen? No.
No. Do we want to dive into the U .S. a little
bit here? I know you had a bunch of questions
and we had a couple things to talk about. We
get a lot of questions about the U .S. But one
that I think is pertinent to just this week three
discussion is basically this person said, USA
is night and day from what they were last year
and even from what they were in week one of this
year's VNL. Do you think this is just great players
or is Sullivan finally figuring it out? He's
definitely talking more this year than having
his assistants talk. The follow -up to this was
it seems that Eric Sullivan is going with the
approach of having sluggers on both pins. Logan
isn't a great passer. But there's not a Kelsey
Cook or Jordan Larson who could potentially be
liabilities in the front row. They've got attackers
that are scoring points and putting up blocks.
What do you think the team identity is after
watching them the last few weeks? I mean, we've
talked about Sullivan a whole bunch on this podcast.
And I think you have to give him and the staff
credit. Yes, the players stepped in. Yes, the
players are playing better. I think we're starting
to see the roster they have in mind for the most
part. But they blocked really well this week.
And to me, that means they were prepared. They
had a game plan. They had things they wanted
to take care of. Well, never forget last year
when they played China in the final week for
a chance to finish like fifth and completely
blew it. to have to face Italy in the quarterfinal.
That had to have been looming somewhere in the
background of we cannot mess around this year.
They're not a finished product yet, but they
look much better. Some of the things that we
talked about in terms of not knowing who is setting,
coming in, being disjointed, those things are
cleaned up. You can see the semblance of a defense
in place. I mean, there were a bunch of times
where they were leaving opposites line. Intentionally.
Across the board for every team, I would say.
But they weren't making digs, but the game plan
was there. That was kind of my point. You could
see they had plans in place. So I think the staff
has done a good job of getting the team to this
place. And I like the selections of players.
I think they're starting to find a good rhythm.
Not sure I can pinpoint what their identity is,
though. You know what? I think it's going to
be blocking. I think they're going to be... They
don't serve particularly tough. They don't pass
particularly well. I don't think they dig. They
scramble decently, but they don't dig. But with
hitters who maybe aren't the best at hitting
high, like really fast balls, not passing well
maybe isn't the worst thing. They don't pass
great. But I feel like the only, like Jordan
Thompson's capable of hitting a faster ball.
So is Avery Skinner. But Jordan can also hit
an out -of -system ball. Eggleston struggles
more than any of them with the fastball. The
Bic is still not running like it was last season
for me. I think they used to be better at it.
Their system makes more sense now as far as a
block defense perspective. I think when it comes
down to it, they're going to be tough to score
against because they're disciplined on the block.
And they're going to try and own the middle of
the court with the middle pipe combo. I think
those are going to be the two things that they're
going to kind of rest their hat on. And then
the last thing I had here. Well, Netherlands
coming out of nowhere. Not on my radar at all.
Good for them. Three wins on that to get in.
The Julia injury. Oh my gosh. You've got to be
kidding me. That's heartbreaking. In the match
against the US. She tore her ACL, which I'm pretty
sure she had an ACL tear like two years ago.
So to have it happen again, I cannot even imagine.
But this is going to really hurt Brazil going
into the final eight because Gabi is out. Julia
is out. And I think she was probably their best
player. Oh my gosh. Yeah, I didn't watch the
US game. I just saw like three straight and like
it wasn't even close in the third set. I was
like, what the heck happened? Well, that's what
happened. That's devastating, honestly. Your
heart breaks for her, but that is going to leave
a performance hole for Brazil without a doubt.
I think it cost them their chance to win. I think
so too. So heading into the final eight. The
rankings are as follows. USA, Italy, Brazil,
Turkey, Canada, Japan, Netherlands, China. Quarterfinal
matchups, USA, China. I don't think this is as
straightforward as a 1 -8 necessarily should
be. I think the US is going to win, but China's
playing in China, which I think... I don't think
that matters because they were in Hong Kong this
last week and they did not do great. China, they
have enough talent that if it all comes together,
they can be very good. I'm going to put that
one at like a 65 -35 odds for the US. I think
the US is going to win. Yeah, I still think they're
going to win, but I don't. I'm not sure it's
going to be as close as you think. Then we've
got Italy versus Netherlands. I'm leaning heavy
Italy on this one. Yeah, I mean, I think Netherlands.
accomplished their goal of making the final eight,
but they're out of their depth now, especially
playing Italy, in my opinion. I agree. Then we've
got Brazil -Japan. Brazil beat Japan in four
this week, but without Julia, I feel like Japan
is going to have a lot more confidence to run
the middle. I feel like she was a, and Gianna's
a good middle too, but she was a big deterrent
for them even attempting it. There's that piece
of it. And then she closes the block to the outside
on the fast offense. Well, also, I think the
replacement is going to leave seams for those
outside hitters. When that happens, the Japanese
hitters are very good at finding those. So I
don't know if Julia was playing. But Anna Christina
was unstoppable against Japan. They could not
touch her. And Japan was not passing well against
Brazil either. Yeah. I think Anna Christina is
going to be the wild card there. If she goes
off and she can score at will, Brazil will win.
If she starts getting touched and slowed down
and the rallies are extended, I think Japan has
a shot. Oof, I don't know who to pick for this
one. I'm going to take a flyer and say Japan.
I like Brazil, but I'm going to go Japan. With
the entry, I was also leaning Japan. And then
the last quarterfinal is Turkey -Canada. This
to me is a pick -em. This is interesting because
Guidetti coached Turkey for a while. He coaches
Vakaf Bank. He is very familiar with the Turkish
players. So I think that that gives Canada a
strategic edge. Will they execute though? And
will their mental game stay on track? And will
Kira keep them in it? I think Canada's going
to win this one. Oh, baby. Vargas versus Kira.
It's Vargas versus Kira. I think Maglio is playing
really well. Maglio, Gunnish, head -to -head.
I think both teams have question marks on the
left side. I have been liking Aydin, not going
to lie. I like Aydin. I like the Aydin -Baladin
combo. You think it's better than the Guzin -Grey
combo? Yes. Yes, I do. I think Turquoise has
the edge at Libero. I think... But you know what?
Canada... The thing about Canada, and we've said
this in the past, they play exceptionally well
against teams that they, quote -unquote, have
no business beating. Yes, I was thinking... Do
I consider Turquoise a team they have no business
beating? Normally... Normally, yes. In this situation,
not really. But I think, like... They are going
to be considered the underdogs. So I feel like
Canada is going to show up. And I think Van Rijk
is feeling it right now. I think she puts up
better numbers than Vargas. Really? Point -wise.
I don't think she'll be necessarily as efficient
as Vargas, but I think she will score more points
than Vargas. But I think it's going to be a great
game. Who are you taking? One, two, three, go.
Canada. Okay. You're not picking? I'm like moving
on. Okay. I was actually going to lean Canada
too. I don't know what I'm doing. You guys know
that I hate an underdog. I never want underdogs
to win, but I'm just like, I'm going based on
observation here. You know what I mean? And I
mean, I need to throw Canada bonus their first
final eight. Okay. Semi -finals USA, Canada,
USA. At the beginning of this VNL, did you think
we would ever say that USA was going to be in
the final? No, I didn't either. I didn't either.
Yeah, here they are. Growth. Well -deserved.
Honestly, I'm not even mad. Prove us wrong, please.
Listen. I'm not mad about it. No, because you
can only talk about what's in front of you and
what you can see. We have not said anything that
is untrue in terms of their performance. People
might disagree with that, but I don't care. It
has not looked good up until this point, and
they have turned it around, and they've played
well. Let's see them continue to do that, but
it was a mess week one. Facts are facts here,
people. Yeah. They're playing well. And then
I think Italy is coming out. Italy over Japan.
Yeah. So USA, Italy, who wins? Italy. Italy is
not looking as crisp as they have, you know,
ever since they broke that streak. It's like
they took an exhale. You know what I mean? You
still have an X factor on the right side for
Italy in either Iganu or Antropova. And I think
in a match like this, you need. Someone like
that. U .S. is balanced, but they don't have
an automatic point score. Is a Nervini -Silla
combo going to be effective against Jordan Thompson?
You mean from a blocking standpoint? Yeah. Maybe
not, but defensively, they'll be prepared for
her. I don't think she's a heavy enough hitter
to just blow defenses up. They will be prepared
to make her life challenging, even if they're
not blocking her. Those are our predictions.
VNL Final 8 in two weeks. Who knows? I mean,
I don't think our predictions are very rarely
accurate, so it'll probably be... I'm actually
pretty proud of my predictions for who would
qualify. Again, I'll repeat, my order was a mess,
but still. I'm just going to hold on to this
for a while. A Netherlands -China final. No,
stop. Stop it. Okay, let us know what you think.
Do you agree? Do you disagree? Hit us up in the
comments. All right. Time for listener questions.
Because we skipped a week, we got a lot of questions
on the docket and in reserve. Some very good
ones. Question one. I've been an Iganu fan for
almost a decade, and her arm swing has been my
reference point. The, you know, the big elbow
drawback, double swing through. This year, I've
found comfort and greater attacks in the arm
swing that Gabi uses, which is the sort of circular,
like elbow down circular motion. As someone who's
a 5 '11 male and is... I thought someone my height
would be a better reference as opposed to a 6
'3 player. I've been hitting the ball with greater
timing and consistency. Now I'm torn between
staying consistent and using a gun whose arm
swing or changing it completely. What is your
input? My instinct is you should do whatever
works for you. Everybody's body is a little bit
different. Everybody feels things differently.
At the end of the day. No matter what level you're
playing at, if you're trying to be good, it's
about what allows you to be successful. There
are some right and wrong ways to do things, but
people would say Gabi's arm swing is wrong. Like
it's not technically sound. It's not technically
sound at all. But it works. And so, you know,
as long as you're not doing something that will
harm your body or your shoulder, which some people
do. You got to find and play with what works
for you, what allows you to hit the most angles,
what allows you to have the best vision, what
allows you to maximize the skill set that you
have. So I would say experiment, play with some
different things. There's no quote unquote right
or wrong way to do something. Well, if you want
some context around Gabi's arm swing, she started
out as a tennis player and then switched to volleyball
later. So the reason. her arm swing is the way
it is is because it is from tennis like that
is how you serve or how she served in tennis
and that is what she was able to make work for
her when she transitioned to volleyball for all
intents and purposes as I said it is not a technically
sound arm swing she jumps out of the gym so she
can make it work but that motion in and of itself
if you're not contacting the ball like with precision,
that thing can take off just by its nature. Egonu's
arm swing is much more technically sound, you
know, the double arm drawback, the high elbow.
But as Adam said, like Gabi has made it work
for her. And I will, yeah, echo what he said.
You need to use what is best for you. If I was
picking, I'd pick Egonu. Question two. I noticed
that Moki Dajunaru will often pass a super low
fast ball. whether she's taking it off of serve
-receive or free ball or whatever, and when she's
setting. Turkey's libero also does relatively
low passes, at least off of free balls. The Moki's
out -of -system sets are the fastest and most
precise I've ever seen, presumably to speed up
the pace and catch the opponent off guard. By
comparison, the American liberos take free balls
with a super high pass. and their out -of -system
sets are also very high, especially hence. I'm
wondering if you think the U .S. team is just
unaware that they need to work on this, or are
there any other theories why this is how they're
passing and they're not changing it? I wrote
this person back, and I was like, this is a very
astute observation, and I thought that this was
a great question. Go ahead. Moki Dajunaru is
passing and setting that way because she can,
period. Honestly, when she is setting, she is
trying to emulate an in -system set from the
setter as closely as she can. That makes it really
easy for the hitters to not have to, like, adjust
their timing based on who is setting. You know,
it keeps the flow of the team, the pace of the
offense very consistent across the board, no
matter who is contacting the ball. When you're
on serve receive or a free ball, if you're passing
low and fast, it allows your offense to run that
much quicker. It allows your middles to time
their attacks better. It's just consistent across
the board. That is the ideal situation. When
you are passing balls to the sky or you're setting
out of system balls really, really high, it's
hard, especially if you're bump setting, which
a lot of liberos are. to set with that tempo
and that precision with your forearms. It's much
easier to do it with your hands. I think it's
a capability thing. I do not think that anybody
should pass free ball super high. I'm not sure
why they do that because as a middle, it's really
hard to time it. And as a setter with a pass
that high, you are losing complete sight of the
other side of the court and what the blockers
are doing because you're looking so high in the
air. The flat pass allows you to maintain your
vision and your peripheral vision across the
court. I am not a proponent of passing a free
ball in particular really, really high, and I
think that if a setter and a libero are capable
of running the same tempo, they 100 % should.
I will echo everything you said. I think that's
the ideal scenario. Now, I do think a couple
things on the U .S. side. I think they pass their
free balls that high because they pass that high,
and they're also trying to keep it. So that it's
not one tempo on free ball and one tempo on server
safe. That would be my guess. Okay. It's not
ideal though. No, it's not ideal. But I think.
Like even in like as when I was, I mean, again,
it was a long time ago, but when I was coming
up through the system, it was like tempo was
a huge component of a good pass. A hundred percent.
And there are lots of coaches who will take a
stopwatch and time the amount of time. from the
pass off the arm to the setter's hands, and you're
trying to be consistent across the board. Totally
agree with you. To the point about Hentz's setting,
if you have a higher set, now the hitter has
the ability to adjust their feet and attack if
the set isn't in a good location. Those hitters,
when they're going off De Janeiro, if that ball
is not where they're expecting it to be, they
have nothing. So it's a trust piece, and the
U .S. is putting their faith in their hitters
to step close to a higher set and go from there.
Again, it's a skill thing, I would agree with
you. I loved that question. Very astute observation.
Question three. Watching VNL and listening to
the commentators, I was wondering if there are
any players that, in your guys' opinion, don't
get enough credit or are not mentioned enough
for the work they do. I think a lot of commentators
have favorites, which is understandable, but
do you think some players, men or women, may
get left out a bit? I'm going to take a step
back from that question and say commentators
generally recognize the position they played.
Yeah, 100%. And I know I fall into that. Why
do you think I love opposites so much? Yeah.
Because I was one. And you understand the nuances
of your own position better than anything else.
That's first and foremost. I think Julia from
Brazil does not get enough credit for how good
she is. Both medals from Brazil. Yeah. They will
applaud the big monster blocks, but they don't
get credit for the little things that they do
away from the ball. So that would be the first
one that pops into my mind. I think generally
speaking, middles, period, don't get enough credit.
I will say one announcer in particular, Key Michael,
she was a middle. And so she is one that usually
does shout out middle blockers. I think in general,
across the board, middles don't get enough credit.
I will also say a lot of people get credit for
the spectacular plays, which are usually the
big hits, the impressive digs. But like a Moki
Dajunaru, for example, her setting. She got a
lot of credit, but like. It took years. No, but
like you rarely hear anything said about her
setting. It's like, wow, look at that dig. Look
at that pass. You know what I mean? So I don't
know off the top of my head. I, okay. Okay. And
a Denise for me, you said the Brazilian middles.
I agree with you in a Denise too. Like she's
not a flashy player, but she's efficient. She
is very consistent in what she does. The other
player that popped in mind was Sato from Japan.
Ishikawa and Wada get a lot of credit, but she
does defensively things. She passes well. She
uses the hands. Any player who is consistent
and not flashy never gets enough credit. That's
kind of the mold of players who don't get recognized.
I mean, you would probably name one on every
single team. 100%. They're either a middle set
or a P2. Probably, yeah. Well, I think we also
mentioned last week Fukatsu from Japan. And again,
yeah, it's like Ishikawa, Ran, like all these
players are like this quote unquote superstars,
but like Fukatsu's incredible, incredible. So
he's one that pops into mind for me. So I think
if we're looking to the men's side as well, my
brain was just on women. So I think Semenyuk
from Poland, I mean, he's surrounded by stars.
But I don't think that team wins without him.
The defensive plays he makes in the back row,
the reads he has, the passes he makes, the plays
he keeps alive. Like those are the things that
should get like people who love volleyball excited,
but they don't get mentioned because something
else usually happens in those rallies. So he
pops into my mind. So Maniak is a huge one for
me. And I know he probably has a lot of fans
out there, but like he's like the third outside,
you know, for Poland. So yeah, that was a good
one. Yeah, Marcelli pops into mind for me, the
Brazilian women's libero. She makes a lot of
really good digs. She is solid. She flies under
the radar. Again, we've mentioned you don't really
want to notice a libero because usually they're
getting aced, if that's the case. But she makes
some incredible digs. Yeah, I think those are
a couple of examples that pop into mind. There's
lots more, but I'll stop there. Okay, question
four. During V &L and maybe other competitions,
between sets there's sometimes a graphic shown
where the sets are broken down by percentage
to the left, middle, and right side of the court.
Sometimes they're also colored based on where
the ball is hit, like line or cross. So this
person says... As a middle, I feel like different
people I've played with or for have told me different
things as what constitutes a line swing versus
an angle swing or cross court swing for a middle.
So this has always been a mystery to me. And
I would really appreciate your input on whether
to V &L a middle hitting line is hitting to the
left or right. I mean, that's a great question.
And honestly, I don't know the answer because
you can. I know what my instinct is, but I can't
tell you with certainty that that's how they
stat it. So you tell me what yours is, and I'm
curious if we have the same one. Okay. 99 % of
middles are right -handed, and when they're approaching,
they are usually slightly angled toward the setter.
If they're doing it correctly, yes. If they're
doing it correctly. So for me, a ball that is
hit, if the middle blocker's team is facing the
net, line to me would be toward the right. And
then cross court would be cutting the ball back
across their body to the left. So you're going
based off arm swing. Yeah. Yeah. But then I'm
also like, okay, if they hit a gap set, I think
it also depends on what set they're hitting too,
because if they're running a gap set line would
be towards the left. Cross court would be towards
the right. And then if they're running a slide,
line would be towards the right and cross court
would be towards the left. Yeah. So, I mean,
in general, I think outside of the graphic from
VNL, when you talk to middle players, you talk
about hitting to five and hitting to one. Like
you don't really talk about cross court or line.
Yeah, but the whole question came about because
they do. Yeah. My instinct is actually on a quick
is. An angle swing is to five and a line swing
is to five. You're kidding me. Because you're
coming back across your body. I look at it like
a left side swing. Okay. So if they come across
their body back to one, that's a line swing.
Oh my gosh, we're literally using the same reference,
but our deduction is completely different. Yeah.
Oh, dang. We didn't answer this question. So
who knows? You'll have to ask somebody at the
FIVB how they stat it. Oh my gosh, that's interesting.
Wait, so if they run a slide, what do you consider
a line? Then it switches. So then you're hitting
from the right side of the court, so then it's
to five, and the angle swing is to one. See,
the thing for me, too, is a setter is usually
positioned at two and a half, which is angled
slightly toward the right side of the court.
So also, if we're thinking line, it's usually
the skinnier side of the court, which on a quick
set, if the setter's in a normal position, the
skinnier side is toward the right. I mean, I
think you can make an argument either way, but...
This question is highlighting that this is a
big issue. We don't even know. The person who
asks that question is going to be like, well,
thanks for nothing. I think that may also have
to be like, I grew up playing men's where you
don't really run the slide. So you're thinking
purely gap and 51. That may also play a role
in how you think versus how I think. Yeah, I
don't think so. I think our brains just work
differently. Who agrees with Adam? Who agrees
with me? I'm just interested in to know the split
and the gender. Maybe women think one way and
men the other. I don't know. That is definitely
true. Okay, we got so many questions about Yuki
Ishikawa this week. So many. Question five is
kind of like a multi -parter. Basically, numerous
people that sent a similar question called it
a similar thing, which is like the Yuki Ishikawa
dilemma. He's on the number one team in the world
in Perugia. In two seasons, they've won everything.
They are the Italian champs. Champions League
champions, world champions. But in these years
that he spent at Perugia, he's had to shift from
being the team leader, which he was in Milano
and on the Japanese national team, to being basically
like a bench player. He did have a knee injury,
but he was Perugia's fourth outside this year.
So if you were in his shoes at this stage in
his career, what would you do? Would you stay
in the top team, even if your opportunities to
play are quite limited? Would you go to a team
where you can regain your role as a team leader,
even at the risk of not competing for trophies
and championships? Or would you just accept the
most money regardless of your opportunities to
be a starter or compete at the top level? So
this is a really interesting question. I'm going
to start off by saying people have different
priorities of what is important to them. And
I can't pretend to understand what Ishikawa.
at this point, but I'll give it a crack just
for fun. So he's 30, which is not that old on
the men's side. I feel like with the way Asian
countries train though, like a Japanese 30 is
like a Western 37. Like they train so much, you
guys. The first thing I'm going to say is I think
it depends on how mature he is and where he sees
himself in the process of his career so if he
still feels like he personally has something
to prove then he will go play somewhere where
he can still be the big dog and show that he's
got it my guess would be he's played a ton of
volleyball he's playing for the best team he
probably hurts every day guys like that are wired
to want to win And being part of a team is winning.
He can still come in and play a role in a lot
of situations and be part of that culture. I
think it's hard to switch from a winning culture
and mentality out of that once you've been in
it. I've got to think, too. We just spoke about
how much Asian teams typically train. If he's
going back to the Japanese national team, they
are probably training a ton. And adding an injury
on top of that. It's probably really nice for
his body to be able to earn a living while like
not resting, but kinda, you know, you, you come
in now and then during matches, you play in a
place that is like helping you heal your knee,
get ready. So you can like go all out in national
team season. it might not be the worst thing
for him. It's probably frustrating to be injured
and not be able to play. A lot of people like
to be on the court, but you have to think, I
don't know what his priorities are, but if national
team is his priority, that's a great setup, honestly.
If you've been at a team for a bunch of times,
those guys become your family. You enjoy spending
time with them. Life in Italy as a volleyball
player is... very nice. It's a, it's a sister's
been there. Yeah. So there's a lot of pros in
being there, I would say. And if he can accept
the role of, I'm going to do this to help my
team win. And he still feels like he's contributing.
Like you said, with a national team priority,
it's a really good setup for him. But also I'm
like, if you're, I don't know where he is in
his career, like obviously 30 versus like what
his body is feeling like. If he's near the end
of the career, I'm like, Earn that money. Yeah.
Just take the biggest contracts you can and just
like maximize your earning potential as an athlete
while you can. I don't think there's a wrong
answer here. What would you do? One, two, three,
go. Stay. There you go. There you have it. Adam
would stay. Because you got to think he's probably
thinking about the LA Olympics. That's what I
was thinking. Part B of this is like due to injuries,
Yuki and several other top players like Lavia
and Micheletto had to skip almost the entire
last season. What happens when players are injured
for extended periods of time? Are they still
paid or can their contract be terminated by the
club? So this is usually written into your contract
as far as what the expectations are of the athlete
and the club in case of injury. In most circumstances
that I've seen, as long as the athlete is fulfilling
their obligations to the team as far as professionalism,
showing up to all training sessions, doing everything
in their power to get back to a place of being
able to perform, the club does have to pay them.
Usually there is something written that if the
club does get rid of you, you have like... earn
your money anyway, or you earn an X percentage
of your contract or something like that. But
I would say in these guys' situation, yes, they
are getting paid. Now, the one thing I will say
to that is if you get injured, like skiing or
snowboarding or doing something, not that those
things are reckless, but outside of volleyball,
then there are often clauses about how that works.
Yeah. And then you're let go usually. Most players
will also have some sort of personal insurance
on their careers. So it's not always black and
white. But the basic answer is I would say, yes,
these guys are getting paid still. Agreed. Okay.
Part three of this. Do you agree with this statement?
This person is thinking that since Yuki's moved
to Perugia, his performance has dropped off,
but Takahashi Ren has grown. And so there's like
a generational shift happening where Ishikawa
is kind of on his way out and Ran is entering
his moment. I would say I thought Ran played
well in the matches that I've seen. So I would
agree with at least part of that. I'm not sure
I would say that Ishikawa is on his way out yet.
He still looks very good. Ishikawa looks way
better with Fukatsu setting than anybody else.
I understand what this person is saying. But
I, this is probably going to, people are going
to be so mad, but I'm not like a huge Ran fan.
Let's call a spade a spade. Japan last year was
not good with the setter they had. So I have
tried to wipe my memory of watching them last
year and watch them fresh this year. And all
three of their outside hitters have been much
better. I don't think I understand the Ran hype
as much as... I know it exists. Let's put it
that way. Yeah, that's fair. He's good. I don't
think he's better than Ishikawa yet. I don't
think the torch has been passed at this point.
Question six. If you were an active player on
a national team, which coaching style do you
think you could tolerate more? Eric Sullivan's
communication during timeouts or Dan Lewis's
constant antics with refs? For me, I think that's
an easy answer. Okay. I have an easy answer too.
You said, well, it's going to be the first name.
One, two, three, Dan. Okay. Yeah. Listen, it's
clear when Dan talks to his athletes that he
is prepared. He knows what he's talking about
and like it or not, he has a plan and something
he expects the team to execute. Like they get
a lot of information in timeouts. And quite frankly,
There are lots of coaches who do dumb stuff on
the sidelines and who are just very into the
match. Give me my coach cares about us winning
and is invested over the other. Yeah. I don't
agree with how Dan acts, but I would be able
to just ignore it. Yeah. I think if I was playing
and just be like, okay, whatever you do you,
but. I'm not paying attention. If I had to stand
and listen to somebody say nothing, I would lose
it. Up and down. I'd be like, what does that
mean? Yeah. I think we both played for people
who have some sideline antics and it's easy to
just not pay attention to. Would you accept an
offer the following season if you were invited
to play for the squad again? Yes. Based on who
I picked? Yes. Yeah. And that's the thing is
like, I wouldn't forego my national team experience
if I didn't love my coat. Like I've been in situations
where I'm like, this is not ideal, but like,
here we go. Just be better. Yeah. I would say
the coach is a small part of your experience.
Like you're playing with other players at the
end of the day, you're the one on the court,
like for both Canada and the U S like you're
representing your country. That is more than
a single person. Okay, question seven. Can Italy
continue winning even without an outside hitter
that can score consistently? And Tropova is doing
great, and obviously Egonu is there as well,
but I don't think that this year they can rely
on just them and their middles. So on the outside,
this week in week three, we saw Silla and Nervini.
Interesting question. They will need one of those
two players to generate points. And I think they'll
need to run a pipe out of the back row a little
bit more for the first time. I mean, Antropova
can just go off for 37 points again and they'd
be fine. Yeah. And I don't think we've seen the
end of the Antropova on the left experiment.
You don't? No. You think she's going to be back?
I think she'll be back. Maybe Iganu just like
is hurting and just like needs a little extra
break. And they're like, we are going to use
her like as needed. So we have to move Entropova
back. Maybe she isn't done on the left. And it's
all just like protecting Egonu, you know? Yeah,
if you're their coaching staff and you're looking
at your best lineup with threats on both pins,
I still think that is your dream end goal. And
having Entropova block on an opposite? Come on
now. Yeah, there's still too much upside for
that experiment to be over, in my opinion. I
think Scylla is still capable. But she's not
automatic. She's not automatic. This is her first
week back in VNL. I'm not counting her out. I
understand this question 100%. Can they win?
Let's say that their left sides are not scoring
at a super high clip. Will they win VNL? Is Gabi
back? Gabi is out. Yes. Do you think Italy is
going to win? I do. I just don't. Teams have
injuries. Turkey's injured. I still think they're
better than Poland. I think they're better than
Brazil without Gabi because Brazil doesn't have,
like give me left sides who can't score over
right sides who can't score. But you still have
huge point scores. And I think there's still
more terminal than the U .S. in general. From
top to bottom. Yes. Last question of the day.
What advice would you give to the players on
the U .S. women's wide roster who have not traveled
for the team? assuming that they're healthy,
such as Kip, Miner, Baird, Bajma, would you encourage
them to stay international or play in the States
if it seems like the national team isn't in their
future, at least with this particular coaching
staff? I don't know. Again, it comes back to
like the Yuki Ishikawa discussion. It's like,
what do you want? What do you want? Are you trying
to play at the highest level possible? Like,
do you derive pleasure in... progressing through
the leagues and getting better and better and
better, then stay overseas. Is your goal to make
as much money as possible? You're going to do
that playing for the top leagues overseas. Go
overseas. Do you want to play volleyball and
earn a decent living and have a more comfortable
life? Then come back here. There's so many ways
to take this depending on what you want. Yeah,
every player and every person is motivated in
different ways and uses the sport in a professional
career to achieve different ends. And I don't
know what their goals are, honestly. How much
of the roster do you think at this point is cemented?
Well, they didn't change anything from week two
to three. That's kind of my, like, do you think
regardless, like, let's say Kami Minor has two
great seasons. Do you think she cracked? No,
I think Sullivan loves the three setters that
he has. I agree. Which positions do you think
there's no movement for? Setter, middle. Those
are the two for me. Yeah, because we have to
see how things play out with the pregnancies,
the maternity leaves that are ending. Yeah. That
will tell the story. Yeah. And if Babcock comes
out and has... No, I don't think Babcock's in
the discussion. I'm not... Maybe a bad example.
If there is a right side who comes out and is
just super terminal in the next two years, so
you think it's Jordan Thompson. Thompson and
Drews. I'm less sure on that one. I think there
is... But this whole discussion, like a huge...
I get so many messages about like, why isn't
Cara Badgman traveling? She is the top blocker
in the Turkish league. And she started this season
late and still was the top blocker in the Turkish
league. Like, why is she not given a chance?
Like if these players are riding the bench, like
who cares who like the bench roster is like,
at least let them travel and have a chance. Like
I've gotten so many messages about her in particular
about like, why are you not even giving her a
chance to be put in the front row to block? Again,
Liz, as a coach, you have to pick athletes who
fit your style. Karch did it. Everybody does
it. They just don't see that skill set as a requirement
to winning period. That's what it comes down
to. And that's whether she deserves to be there
or not is kind of irrelevant because the coaching
staff knows what they want and how they want
to play. Yeah. Again, this is another question
that we're not giving like a complete answer
because I don't know how these people are motivated.
I for like speaking from personal experience,
I found I derived a lot of pleasure and I felt
so good about like see seeing progress throughout
leagues and throughout teams within the same
league and making those improvements and, you
know, having a chance to win world championships
and having a chance to, you know, compete like
in like. Champions League Final Four. I liked
that. And then as I got older, it was like an
evolution of like, okay, the athlete timeline
is short. Let's just maximize this. So that was
my thought process, but everybody's different.
I don't know. Great questions this week, everybody.
If we didn't get to yours, I got them all written
down. They're coming eventually. We'll get there.
Yeah, it's crazy what happens when you take a
week off. Love that people were still engaged
in sending us questions. 100%. All right. Looking
forward to next week, Wednesday at 5 p .m. Eastern,
France versus Brazil. So two teams battling to
make it back into the final eight. That will
be a game with lots of implications on the line.
Saturday at 12 a .m. Eastern, Canada. We're talking
Friday night here, people. Yes. Let's not get
it twisted. It's not Saturday night. It's Friday
night. What better thing to do at midnight than
watch Canada -Cuba for a chance at relegation
or a chance to not be relegated? So that game
will also have a ton of implication. And then
Sunday at 9 p .m. Eastern, USA versus Poland.
And that's just straight up going to be a great
match with some of our favorite players and curious
to see how the U .S. men look against the top
team. So those are the matches that you should
be looking out for next week. 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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