Women's Volleyball FIVB World Championship 2025

[copravolley 634]

3 minutes ago, hoversaBR said:

Overall, it was a normal result, but one that leaves me very excited.

I think we can expect good things from this team until Los Angeles. Our weak spot, opposites Rosamaria and Kisy, had a very solid tournament.

 

Now, less than 24 hours after a 3-2 loss, we have to play a bronze medal match. 

That's the problem. Perhaps there should be a day off between the 1/2 finale and the finals? But here we had a 3-4 day break from the group stage to the 1/8, 1/4 and later to 1/2 and then two matches in a row. Absurd. The organization, in my opinion, was terrible.

Edited September 6, 2025 by copravolley

[hoversaBR 835]

8 minutes ago, copravolley said:

Brazil has always been our toughest match in the 21st century; even Russia wasn't that bad. Without Antropova's come to play, it would have been like 2022. However, the problem is that we have two OHs at 184/185cm height (OK, Sylla is a more jumper, like Cubans receny, and makes up for it), but Nervini and Giovannini can't handle matches like today. If we don't get Pietrini back or someone just under 190 cm in that position, we'll have a big problem until 2028.

Brazil has the best blocking in the tournament. It's normal for Sylla and Nervini to struggle more against us.

And Gabi and Bergmann are much more consistent receiving than Karakurt and Baladin.

Unless Turkey presents

something very different tomorrow, I'm unlikely to see anything less than a 3-0 win for Italy.

[copravolley 634]

Just now, hoversaBR said:

Brazil has the best blocking in the tournament. It's normal for Sylla and Nervini to struggle more against us.

And Gabi and Bergmann are much more consistent receiving than Karakurt and Baladin.

Unless Turkey presents

something very different tomorrow, I'm unlikely to see anything less than a 3-0 win for Italy.

Without Vargas, Turkiye is at a level similar to Poland, the Netherlands and Germany.

[phelps 8,638]

3 hours ago, MHSN said:

btw I know about injuries on both sides (Ana Cristina, Degradi etc) but can someone tell me why C. Bosetti is not with Italy anymore ? and Carol (the middle blocker) for Brazil. retired from the NT? injured? not good enough anymore ?

Bosetti, Pietrini and others only wanted to play at the world champs, without going to the early training camps and playing the VNL, so Velasco made them clear that the NT is not a part-time job and left them out forever (he said he won't call them also in the future)

[phelps 8,638]

3 hours ago, copravolley said:

I'm afraid we'll lose to Turkey in the final. However, we play today much longer and  some hours later. Turkey is in the best form of the season here and we're not playing as well as we did in Paris. Secondly, Vargas played brilliantly today, from what I can see in the statistics. It's fortunate we have Antropova, but unfortunately, the pur weakness at second-OH is obvious in matches like this. We would really need Pietrini in good form... Brazil is our toughest opponent recently, so maybe this was our worst match? Hopefully...

c'mon! it's volleyball, not a Marathon

 

the only issue is with Orro's ankle, which might get bigger than a watermelon later in the Thai night

 

Pietrini is out for the rest of her career, at least until Velasco is the coach of the team...we have to search for more effective OH elsewhere (actually, if the girl is smart enough, we have Adigwe, who might be the perfect solution if only she wants to change her role from Opposite to OH, given that she's only 1.75m tall -ok, she hits the ball at 3m, but we already have Egonu and Antropova -who are 10 and 20cm taller respectively- in the same role and given that in Conegliano she's not gonna play much behind Haak...but she has to be motivated and learn to be effective also on receiving and defense and not only as an attacking machine)

[phelps 8,638]

2 hours ago, copravolley said:

If we play vs Turkey tomorrow, like today, and don't stop Vargas, we'll lose. We're not in great form here, and our opponent is playing their best play of the season, and there are no weaknesses in the squad: injuries, withdrawals, etc. If Pietrini were 100% here, I'd be more at ease...

c'mon! Today we struggled because Brazil is a great team, because Gabi is "out of this world", because Brazil were blocking and defending basically every single action as if there was no Tomorrow

 

Turkey just can't defend and if we take care of Vargas (or she wakes up with the wrong foot), there's no match between the 2 teams

 

Tomorrow I expect an easy win 

[copravolley 634]

54 minutes ago, phelps said:

c'mon! it's volleyball, not a Marathon

 

the only issue is with Orro's ankle, which might get bigger than a watermelon later in the Thai night

 

Pietrini is out for the rest of her career, at least until Velasco is the coach of the team...we have to search for more effective OH elsewhere (actually, if the girl is smart enough, we have Adigwe, who might be the perfect solution if only she wants to change her role from Opposite to OH, given that she's only 1.75m tall -ok, she hits the ball at 3m, but we already have Egonu and Antropova -who are 10 and 20cm taller respectively- in the same role and given that in Conegliano she's not gonna play much behind Haak...but she has to be motivated and learn to be effective also on receiving and defense and not only as an attacking machine)

Fahr also had some ankle injures before the match... But generally, if she and Orro played to the end of mach, it's OK. In Boskovic's case it was immediately obvious that the injury was worse and she'd have to miss a few days, even though it wasn't serious either. Now I hope Velasco won't order them to train anymore, just rest and recovery until tomorrow, plus some painkillers for Orro to get her back to 100%. From monday we can rest for many weeks, because the club season starts seriously in early spring. 

Edited September 6, 2025 by copravolley

[copravolley 634]

57 minutes ago, phelps said:

c'mon! it's volleyball, not a Marathon

 

the only issue is with Orro's ankle, which might get bigger than a watermelon later in the Thai night

 

Pietrini is out for the rest of her career, at least until Velasco is the coach of the team...we have to search for more effective OH elsewhere (actually, if the girl is smart enough, we have Adigwe, who might be the perfect solution if only she wants to change her role from Opposite to OH, given that she's only 1.75m tall -ok, she hits the ball at 3m, but we already have Egonu and Antropova -who are 10 and 20cm taller respectively- in the same role and given that in Conegliano she's not gonna play much behind Haak...but she has to be motivated and learn to be effective also on receiving and defense and not only as an attacking machine)

Piccinini was 185 cm and a complete OH. It's a shame Nervini isn't a bit taller: on paper, she's 184 cm, but in my opinion, she's no higher than 182 cm. Omoruyi could have been another Sylla, but she probably never will be. It's a shame, because she has the physical qualities and the dynamics in attack.

Edited September 6, 2025 by copravolley

[copravolley 634]

1 hour ago, phelps said:

Bosetti, Pietrini and others only wanted to play at the world champs, without going to the early training camps and playing the VNL, so Velasco made them clear that the NT is not a part-time job and left them out forever (he said he won't call them also in the future)

Bosetti seems to want to play, but Velasco was the one who decided against it: over 30 years old and increasingly in poor physical condition. Degradi was supposed to replace her and now Nervini, becouse of injury of Degradi. There was also an interesting option: Rebecca Piva: 185 cm heigh and a great season with Busto as an OH, but she was dropped from the A and B squads at the beginning of the National season (apparently due to behavioral problems).

[thiago_simoes 1,458]

7 hours ago, phelps said:

Tomorrow I expect an easy win 

The Italian girls have to win! I will never get over Turkey with a world title for Vargas and Karakurt if this were to happen. I don't even want to THINK this might ever happen.