Chemistry not a problem for AVC Asian Club-bound Foton

One of Foton's pair of reinforcements for the AVC Asian Women's Club Championship Lindsay Stalzer is set to arrive in Manila on August 12.

Chemistry will never be a major issue as foreign reinforcements Lindsay Stalzer and Ariel Usher will be arriving at least three weeks before Foton Pilipinas competes in the AVC Asian Women’s Club Championship from Sept. 3 to 11 at the Alonte Sports Center in Binan City in Laguna.

Newly-appointed team manager Jose Mari Angulo said Stalzer will be flying from Denver, Colorado on Aug. 12 while Usher will be arriving from her hometown in Portland, Oregon on Aug. 15, giving them at least three weeks to train with the team for this prestigious and competitive continental battle.

Angulo, who served as Tornadoes’ assistant coach before being promoted to team manager last week, said both Stalzer and Usher vowed to be in great shape after participating in a handful of indoor and outdoor volleyball camps during summer in the United States.

In fact, they are expected to hit the ground running and will join the team in its daily training starting Aug. 16, or as soon as the ongoing Philippine Superliga (PSL) All-Filipino Conference comes to an end on Aug. 14.

“We are in close coordination and both of them are very excited to play for the country in a tournament as prestigious as the AVC Asian club,” said Angulo, Foton’s sports and development director who was part of the coaching staff of Ronald Dulay when De La Salle University claimed the UAAP men’s volleyball title in 2004.

“Both of them are in great shape and there will no honeymoon period. We will buckle down to work as soon as possible and get themselves familiar with the locals.”

Stalzer and Usher will be joining a potent local crew led by Asian tourney veterans Aby Marano of F2 Logistics, Rachel Anne Daquis and Jovelyn Gonzaga of RC Cola-Army and Jen Reyes of Petron as well as mainstays Jaja Santiago, Angeli Araneta, Patty Orendain, Bia General, Ivy Perez, Rhea Dimaculangan, Maika Ortiz, Kara Acevedo, EJ Laure, Cherry Ann Rondina and Carol Cerveza.

The Tornadoes are bunched in Pool A together with Lien Viet Post Bank of Vietnam and Kwai Tsing of Hong Kong.

Other prominent clubs seeing action are Taiwan Power of Chinese Taipei, NEC Red Rockets of Japan, April 25 of North Korea, Bohai Bank of China, Jakarta Electric PLN of Indonesia and reigning champion Bangkok Glass of Thailand, which the PSL All-Star team will also face in the FIVB Women’s Club World Championship at the Mall of Asia Arena from Oct. 18 to 23.

Angulo reiterated that their target remains fixed at capturing a semifinal finish.

“That’s the goal,” he said. “With two premier imports, four seasoned locals and a bunch of young and aggressive players, I think that goal is very doable.”

Source:http://sports.abs-cbn.com/volleyball/news/2016/08/03/chemistry-problem-avc-asian-club-bound-foton-13939

Foton, Army in winner-take-all battle for a Finals berth

Top seed Foton Tornadoes battle RC Cola-Army to punch a ticket to the championship round.

MALOLOS CITY – Powerhouse RC Cola-Army will remain wounded when it clashes with top seed Foton in the semifinals of the 2016 Philippine Superliga (PSL) All-Filipino Conference women’s volleyball tournament Thursday at the Malolos Sports and Convention Center here.

Action starts at 6:00 p.m. following the equally crucial battle Generika and Amy’s in the classification for 5th to 8th places at 4:00 p.m.

Malolos City Mayor Christian Natividad said this historic city is proud to roll out the red carpet the country's best volleyball players, especially to Bulacan players like Mika Reyes of F2 Logistics, Jen Jen Reyes of Petron and Ria Meneses of Generika.

"It is our pleasure to host this volleyball spectacle," Natividad said. "We welcome the league with open arms and look forward to inspiring the yourh through volleyball."

Billed as a solid heavyweight for parading a mixture of young blood and seasoned veterans, the Lady Troopers was dealt with a major blow when they surrendered a pair of back-to-back losses to F2 Logistics to start the second round on a sour note. 

Then, in the first set of their match against Foton at La Salle Lipa Sentrum last week, the heart and soul of their offense – Rachel Anne Daquis – went down with a left foot injury, forcing her to sit out the remainder of the game. Daquis was assessed with a partial tear on her plantar aponeurosis, an injury that requires at least two weeks to completely heal.

Daquis, however, is listed as day to day while Dr. Isagani Leal observes the healing process.

RC Cola-Army lost against Foton in five sets followed by another heart-crushing loss to Petron to finish the second round without a single win in three matches. The Lady Troopers took the fourth seed while the unbeaten Tornadoes assumed the top spot in the semifinals.

“Now we have a big problem: How can we replace Rachel’s production of around 15 to 17 points a game,” said RC Cola-Army coach Kungfu Reyes. “As you saw against Petron, we struggled offensively because our top scorer was out. We have to find a way to solve that if we want to remain in contention for the title.”

A loss by RC Cola-Army will relegate it to the battle for 3rd and 4th places against the loser of the other semifinal match between Petron and F2 Logistics on Saturday when the league moves back to The Arena in San Juan. 

On the contrary, the 2015 Grand Prix champion Foton is playing like a well-oiled machine.

The Tornadoes escaped the Lady Troopers by the skin of their teeth before crushing Petron and F2 Logistics to survive the second round unscathed. And three of the biggest reasons behind this amazing run are the youngest players on the team – Cherry Rondina, Jaja Santiago and EJ Laure.

Against the Cargo Movers, for instance, Santiago and Rondina carried bulk of the offensive load as they finished with 19 and 11 points, respectively, while Laure had six markers and provided a ton of intangibles for Foton, which will represent the country in the AVC Asian Women’s Club Championship from Sept. 3 to 11.

“We are peaking at the right time,” said Foton coach Villet Ponce-de Leon. “I like how the team is playing right now. The morale is high and the mood in training is very lively. I just hope we sustain it.”

But Ponce-de Leon warned her wards against complacency.

“We know that RC Cola-Army is hungry,” she said. “They are the veteran team and they can use their experience to their advantage. We have to dictate the pace from start to finish.”

Source:http://sports.abs-cbn.com/volleyball/news/2016/08/03/foton-army-winner-take-battle-finals-berth-13940

Petron, F2 Logistics battle for right to face Foton in the Finals

Defending champion Petron collide with F2 Logistics in a knockout semifinals match to set up a best-of-three championship series date with Foton.

Foton secured the first Finals berth.

Now its F2 Logistics and reigning titlist Petron’s turn to shoot for the second championship berth when they clash in the semifinals of the 2016 Philippine Superliga (PSL) All-Filipino Conference women’s volleyball tournament Saturday at The Arena in San Juan.

Intense action starts at 4:30 p.m. following the 2:30 p.m. battle between Cignal HD Spikers and Standard Insurance-Navy Corvettes in the first game.

Bannered by the stars of reigning UAAP champion La Salle, the Cargo Movers are slightly favored after they dominated the Tri-Activ Spikers twice to close out the double-round eliminations with just a single loss. Their lone setback was handed by Foton, which booked the first finals slot following a thrilling 21-25, 25-19, 25-15, 25-21 win over RC Cola-Army in the other semifinal pairing late Thursday at the Malolos Sports and Convention Center.

The win sent the Tornadoes to their second consecutive finals appearance after conquering the 2015 Grand Prix that gave Foton the ticket to represent the country in the AVC Asian Club Championship happening next month in Binan, Laguna.

Laure tallied 18 kills and three blocks for a total of 21 points while Santiago and Maika Ortiz had 17 and 13 points, respectively.

Rondina finished with 13 points, but provided the spunk and a lot of energy that left the older, depleted Lady Troopers groping for form.

“Army is such a strong team. Even if they are depleted, they still gave us a good fight,” said Tornadoes’ coach Villet Ponce-de Leon, noting that the absence of RC Cola-Army’s top gun Rachel Anne Daquis worked to their advantage.  “We’re just happy that somehow we managed to overcome their resiliency and composure.”

With Daquis nursing a broken foot, Jovelyn Gonzaga registered 20 kills and four blocks for the Lady Troopers, who saw their dynasty come to an end after suffering a complete meltdown and finish the tournament with five consecutive setbacks.

A win by F2 Logistics will pit it against its tormentors in a best-of-three finals duel starting next week.

On the other hand, a setback will send the Cargo Movers to a knockout encounter against RC Cola-Army in the battle for 3rd to 4th places.

F2 Logistics coach Ramil de Jesus, however, doesn’t want to be complacent.

“Advancing to the finals will only happen if we will beat Petron on Saturday,” he said. “Petron is also a young and dangerous team. We have to minimize our errors and improve our defense if we want to stand a chance.”

True enough, overcoming the Tri-Activ Spikers will not be a walk in the park.

Led by veteran Aiza Maizo-Pontillas with an army of young guns in Bernadeth Pons, Frances Molina, Remy Palma and Mina Aganon, Petron is expected to go all out, especially after coming up with a morale-boosting straight-set victory over the Lady Troopers at the end of the second round.

Petron coach George Pascua said their defense at the net featuring middle blockers Palma, Cherry Nunag and CJ Rosario as well as on the floor with Bang Pineda and Jen Reyes would serve as their main weapons against the hard-hitting Cargo Movers.

“Our defense will carry us through,” said Pascua, who guided the Tri-Activ Spikers to a historic 13-0 sweep of the All-Filipino Conference last year. “Our attacks may falter, but we have to make sure that our blocking and floor defense will be sharper in the semis.”

Pascua noted that they have to stop the attacks of Ara Galang, Paneng Mercado and Cha Cruz from the wings as well as Aby Marano and Mika Reyes in the middle in order for them to dictate the tempo.

“We have to take away those scoring options,” he said. “We had a hard time stopping their attackers in our previous game. We have to do some adjustments on defense to throw them off their comfort zone on offense.”

Meanwhile, the winner between the HD Spikers and the Corvettes will march to the classification battle for 5th to 6th places against Generika, which pulled off a 21-25, 25-17, 25-23, 25-14 conquest of Amy’s Thursday. 

The loser, for its part, will be relegated to the battle for 7th to 8th places against Amy’s.

Source:http://sports.abs-cbn.com/volleyball/news/2016/08/05/petron-f2-logistics-battle-last-finals-berth-13997

They should stop bashing Alyssa --- Ricky Palou

 

Alyssa’s getting a lot of bashing in social media in fact ako rin pero I don’t read social media so it doesn’t affect me. But I guess it affects Alyssa because she follows it --- Former Ateneo athletic director Ricky Palou

Former Ateneo de Manila athletic director Ricky Palou sought the help of the media Wednesday night to clarify his and Alyssa Valdez’s side regarding the recent bashing they received from netizens in social media. 

“Alyssa’s getting a lot of bashing in social media in fact ako rin pero I don’t read social media so it doesn’t affect me. But I guess it affects Alyssa because she follows it,” said Palou to a select reporters at the press room of the PhilSports Arena in Pasig City while the 13th V-League Collegiate Conference game between San Sebastian and National University was on going.

Palou, president of Sports Vision that organizes the V-League, was referring to the constant barrage of bashing Valdez received after the two-time UAAP champion and three-time UAAP Most Valuable Player was left out of the teams that will see action in the AVC Asian Women’s Club Championship next month and the 2016 FIVB Women’s Club World Championship on October 18 to 23 at the MOA Arena.    

Palou said that Valdez was approached by Foton, the reigning Philippine Superliga Grand Prix champion slated to play in the Asian tilt to be held on September 3-11 in Binan, Laguna, two weeks ago for a chance to join the team.   

“First Foton asked Alyssa to play in the AVC Asian Women’s Club Championship so they talked to me and I said, “Yeah, she can play.” I told her, “Alyssa if you want to play, you can play.” She said, “I’ll play in the Asian Club but not in the world.” Kasi sabi niya sa world pito ang import baka hindi kami makalaro roon, di ba? Kasi most probably they will play the imports. So she agreed to play in the Asian Club,” said Palou.

“I was talking to Alvin Lu na pwede na (maglaro si Alyssa). Alyssa is ready to play. A few days later they came back to me and said, “Hindi pwede, she cannot play because PSL has a rule that to play in the (Asian) club championship you have to play in the PSL tournament for one conference at least.” So hindi nga siya pwede that’s the reason why she’s not playing in this Asian Women’s Club Championship,” he added.

Palou also clarified that he has nothing to do with Valdez’s choice to stay in the V-League and not transfer to the PSL. He pleaded netizens to respect her decision.  

“The other thing, people are forcing, asking her to play in the PSL eh ayaw niya eh. They are saying pinipigil ko. Hindi ko siya pinipigil na maglaro. In fact, I called her sabi ko, “Alyssa if you want to play in the PSL it’s fine with me. Hindi sasama ang loob ko sa’yo, choice mo yan eh,”” Palou continued. 

“If you think you’ll be better off there, by all means. It’s her decision but ayaw niya eh. People are bashing her kasi bakit ayaw niyang mag-PSL eh choice niya yun eh di ba?,” he pointed out. “Let’s respect her choice. ‘Yun ang decision niya so they should respect her. Naawa na nga ako kay Alyssa kasi you know naman how she is, napakabait na bata, ayaw niyang may kaaway siya. But then we’re hoping this thing should stop. You should respect the choice of a person.”

“They should stop bashing Alyssa,” Palou stressed.

Palou also revealed that Valdez, who won three straight Miss Volleyball awards from the Philippine Sportswriters Association, was even bothered by the flak and bashing received by the media who helped her throughout her career.

“I understand in the game when Ateneo lost to TIP (Technological Institute of the Philippines) she came out of the dugout and masama na nga ang loob niya dahil heto nga people keep on bashing her and all that and sinabi niya sa inyo and I think she mentioned, “You are the press you have a job to do. I’m an athlete I’ll just do what I’m supposed to do.” Ganoon lang yun di ba?,” Palou said  

Source:http://sports.abs-cbn.com/volleyball/news/2016/08/03/they-stop-bashing-alyssa-ricky-palou-13954

Cargo Movers dethrone Petron, punch last Finals ticket

 

F2 Logistics takes the last bus ride into the best-of-three championship round to face Foton.

F2 Logistics ended the reign of Petron with an emphatic straight sets, 25-18, 25-15, 25-13, win Saturday in their knockout semifinals match to set a championship date with Foton in the 2016 Philppine Superliga All-Filipino Conference at The Arena in San Juan.

The Cargo Movers turned a tight battle in the early going of the match into a rout by zapping the confidence out of the Tri-Activ Spikers in a telling comeback rally of F2 Logistics midway in the first set with Abigail Marano, Kianna Kim Dy and Cha Cruz leading the charge.

Mika Reyes saw limited playing time for F2 Logistics to rest a pulled left hamstring, seeing action in just the opening set and was scoreless.  

“Noong first set Ok naman (ang Petron) pero noong siguro noong nakuha namin ang first set kasi down kami.  Noong inabot namin ang score siguro na-down morale sila,” said Cargo Movers coach Ramil De Jesus. “Then second set medyo na-dominate na namin and hindi na sila nakabangon.”

F2 Logistics begins its best-of-three Finals series against the only team that defeated the Cargo Movers in its road to the championship round on Thursday.

Dy and Marano finished with 12 points each with a combined 17 attack kills in the Cargo Movers’ total of 34 spikes in the 75-minute match. Cruz posted 10 points for F2 Logistics.       

The win also serves as a perfect revenge win for De Jesus, who in the previous two Finals appearances fell short against Petron while calling the shots for Generika and Shopinas.com in the 2014 Grand Prix and 2015 All-Filipino Conference, respectively.

F2 Logistics recovered from a 10-14 deficit in the opening set, blasting a telling run 15-4 spurt to steal the frame and eventually control the tempo on their way to winning the match.

No Petron player scored in double figures with Aiza Maizo-Pontillas posting a quiet eight points while FIVB Women’s Club World Championship-bound Frances Molina had six.

Earlier, Cignal leaned on its solid blocking and well-balanced offensive assault to frustrate Standard Insurance-Navy, 25-19, 25-19, 25-21, in the classification phase.

Jeanette Panaga and Cherry Mae Vivas served as a deadly combo at the firing end, finishing with 13 points apiece while wing spiker Carmela Tunay had 11 markers for the HD Spikers, who will face Generika in the battle for 5th to 6th places today also at the same San Juan venue.

The Corvettes, for their part, were relegated to the battle for 7th and 8th against a young Amy’s squad. 

Source:http://sports.abs-cbn.com/volleyball/news/2016/08/06/cargo-movers-dethrone-petron-punch-last-finals-ticket-14055

With flair, Olympic beach volleyball is underway

Spain's Liliana Fernandez, center, hits over Argentina's Ana Gallay, left, during a women's beach volleyball match at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Saturday, Aug. 6, 2016. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

JIMMY GOLEN, AP Sports Writer

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Men and women in skimpy swimsuits frolicked in the surf, sprawled out on towels or kicked around a soccer ball at Copacabana Beach. Others cooled themselves under an umbrella at one of the many open-air kiosks serving food, beer and the local sugar cane cocktail, caipirinha.

Inside the Olympic beach volleyball venue, the atmosphere was only slightly less festive.

With a DJ spinning a samba beat and thousands cheering on their hometown teams, the Olympics' sexiest sport returned to its spiritual home on Saturday for an opening session that brought out the best the beach has to offer.

Fans sang, waved their flags and cheered on their teams for the four matches on a sun-baked morning at the temporary stadium erected on this city's signature strip of sand. (Two more were to follow in the afternoon and evening.) Players kicked up sand as they dived for the ball, celebrated points with hugs and high-fives, and invariably saluted the crowd when walking off at after their matches.

"I love South American fans, and I love how the people love sports," said Argentina's Georgiana Klug, who lost her opener with Ana Gallay, losing to Spain in straight sets. "All the singing, dancing — it makes me feel like home."

Beach volleyball joined the Olympic program at Atlanta in 1996, but for most Summer Games the venue has been built in a park (or parking lot), with thousands of tons of sand trucked in to create the playing surface. For the first time since Sydney in 2000, the sport is returning to an actual beach.

And there's none more fitting.

With the party ready to start both in and outside the arena, Italian Adrian Carambula got things started with his trademark Skyball, a high and spinning serve that wanders into the path of the sunshine and wind and confounds attempts at a return. Although he typically uses it sparingly, Carambula said he was egged on by his friends to start things off with a little flair.

"They said they wouldn't talk to me if I didn't," he said in a post-match, mix zone interview that was twice interrupted because Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi asked him to come over and pose for a picture.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry also watched Carambula and Alex Ranghieri beat Clemens Doppler and Alexander Horst 21-14, 21-13.

"My legs were shaking" before the first serve, Carambula said. "When I walked in I actually got a little bit emotional. I wasn't expecting it, but I embraced it and I played with it. So very special."

The biggest crowd — and the most vocal support — was for Brazil's reigning world champions Alison and Bruno, who beat Canada in a straight-set but razor-thin 21-19, 22-20 victory. In the morning session's other match, Austria beat Costa Rica in straight sets. 

Source:http://sports.abs-cbn.com/volleyball/news/2016/08/07/with-flair-olympic-beach-volleyball-underway-14066

Banned at home, Iranian woman attends first volleyball game

Holding a small Iranian flag Sajedeh Norouzi cheers on her country's team during a men's preliminary volleyball match between Iran and Argentina at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Sunday, Aug. 7, 2016. Norouzi jumped to her feet, both arms reached high into the air, beaming as she waved a small Iranian flag. She waved at every chance. She waved for every woman back home who couldn’t be there alongside her at Maracanazinho arena cheering for the men’s volleyball team in its Olympic debut - her first time in a stadium because women aren’t allowed in Iran.(AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

JANIE McCAULEY
AP Sports Writer

 
RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Sajedeh Norouzi jumped to her feet, both arms reached high into the air, beaming as she waved a small Iranian flag from side to side. Again and again.

She waved at every chance. She waved for every woman back home who couldn't be there alongside her at Maracanazinho arena cheering for the men's volleyball team in its Olympic debut — her first time in a sports stadium because in Iran women aren't allowed to attend all-male sports events.

The 27-year-old Norouzi, wearing a beautiful navy blue headscarf decorated with flowers of pink, yellow, orange and turquoise, insists she represented all of the other Iranian women Sunday night who are fighting to one day cheer their teams from the stands and not the TV. She had a purpose, and a passion, that she could release at long last sitting beside men who have been able to attend the games all along.

"We want to go to the stadium because the government doesn't allow us to. I want to cheer my team!" Norouzi said, sitting alongside husband Saeed Javdaniyan in a lower section of seats across the court from the team benches of Iran and Argentina.

She was overwhelmed by the special moment, one she couldn't have envisioned even a year ago. Iran lost in straight sets.

"Very, very much," Norouzi said. "I've never been in the stadium."

She and her husband have been in Brazil for four months to study, living in Copacabana. Norouzi called the opportunity for her to be in the arena "really, really big" and an important one to show support from afar for those Iranian women who wanted nothing more than to attend the Rio de Janeiro Olympics.

"I think so," she said, "every woman wants to see the games."

One of those female sports fans? A 32-year-old Iranian woman working with a group called Open Stadiums to push for access. The group's Twitter handle has become an underground voice of advocacy for women pushing to end discrimination.

"I really wish I could watch it in stadium. It's been very long time that I couldn't watch their matches live," she wrote to The Associated Press on Sunday, declining to be identified publicly out of concern for retaliation.

From a world away, she watched the match over a very early breakfast with her mother and two sisters after only four hours of sleep. They had tea and ate cheese with freshly baked bread, butter and jam.

The match Sunday in Rio started shortly after 6 a.m. in Tehran, thus the early start to the day. The trip also is a challenging one for many Iranians: a 23-hour flight costing approximately $2,500.

In 2012, the longtime ban on women from soccer matches in Iran was extended to volleyball. Former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice last year called the ban "ridiculous" and said that nations that are part of international bodies should respect women's rights.

Women have been fighting for months and years to change a long-standing tradition of women being barred from attending male-only sporting events in Iran — efforts by authorities to enforce strict interpretations of Islamic norms.

It's an issue that came up yet again as the 10th-ranked Iranians prepared for their first appearance in volleyball at an Olympics.

For last month's World League tournament at the Azadi Sport Complex in Tehran, some Iranian women unsuccessfully attempted to purchase tickets. A group trying make events more open said the tickets weren't available despite multiple efforts to buy them online. From the moment tickets became available, the website for sales said the female allotment had been filled, according to several women who say they tried to purchase tickets.

The International Federation of Volleyball, Switzerland-based FIVB, made a statement at the time that the Iranian federation said the first-day matches sold out within five minutes, and that 466 of the 5,000 tickets were allotted for a section set aside for women. Women were shown in the stands via livestream, but the section appeared smaller than 466 and it was unclear if the women were members of the general public or invited guests and VIPs. A female announcer handled substitutions during Iran's match.

Human Rights Watch and other organizations have closely tracked the situation, and the chairwoman of USA Volleyball has even been outspoken in support of the women. USA Volleyball chair Lori Okimura even brought her "Let Iranian Women Enter Their Stadiums" T-shirt along to Brazil.

The women in Iran stay hopeful. They remain spirited about their sports teams.

And, for now, those who can't actually be in Brazil are here in spirit. "We say in Persian, 'my soul fly' for that photo of stadium!" the woman behind Open Stadiums wrote. 

Source:http://sports.abs-cbn.com/volleyball/news/2016/08/08/banned-home-iranian-woman-attends-first-volleyball-game-14150

US women hold off scrappy Netherlands team in 5 sets

   

United States' Kim Hill (15) spikes the ball as Netherlands' Yvon Belien (3) and Anne Buijs (11) block during a Women's preliminary volleyball match at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Monday, Aug. 8, 2016. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

JANIE McCAULEY
AP Sports Writer

 
RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — This past year in Istanbul, U.S. assistant coach Jamie Morrison worked right alongside a man he considers among the best volleyball minds in the business.

And fired-up, Italian-born Netherlands coach Giovanni Guidetti is suddenly making quite a splash in Brazil with group of tenacious Dutch women determined to spoil the fun for the top teams in the tournament. Even if few might have expected them to contend while playing in their first Olympics in 20 years.

Morrison was an assistant on Guidetti's staff at club power Vakifbank in Turkey, coaching Olympians Lonneke Sloetjes, Anne Buijs and Robin de Kruijf and also U.S. outside hitter Kim Hill, who through the net saw several familiar faces.

So, when the top-ranked Americans received a real push from the Netherlands in a hard-fought, five-set victory Monday, Morrison and the rest of the U.S. group were nowhere near surprised by the stellar display on the other side. The Dutch had already spoiled China's Olympic debut Saturday, then the Chinese bounced back with a straight-set win over Italy.

"They're not intimidated by anybody now, and they shouldn't be. They're good," said U.S. coach Karch Kiraly, who figures the group winners won't go unscathed. "And that's great, because the Olympics are about being good."

Guidetti credits Morrison — someone he considers above an assistant — for helping him become a better coach.

"I learned a lot from him and I hope I can keep learning a lot from him," Guidetti said after the match. "He's an amazing coach. He's an amazing man and he knows volleyball very well.

"He's like a lead guy. I'm really trying to learn every time from the people that can teach me, and he's for sure one of the ones that can teach me."

The U.S. rallied from one set down and again behind 2-1 to win 18-25, 25-18, 21-25, 25-20, 15-8 on a day Netherlands captain Maret Balkestein-Grothues had to be helped off midway through the fourth set with a right ankle injury and didn't return.

Simple communications were made before the match.

Such close international connections are commonplace in a sport that has no professional league in the U.S. for men or women, meaning players move across the world for eight months of the year to play professionally.

"I looked across the net and we were smiling before the match," Morrison said. "A head nod, nothing more than that, not a hug."

You bet the Americans envisioned this success for the Netherlands, a squad Morrison has seen make big strides in a matter of weeks ahead of the Olympics.

"Volleyball has come enormously far in the Netherlands in the past two years," he said. "The team is up and coming and the support in their country is as well."

Post-match, beach and indoor gold medalist Kiraly was "getting goosebumps on top of my goosebumps" thinking about the important test the Americans had just received Monday.

The first-pumping, hard-clapping Guidetti lost his voice during the opening match and animatedly bounced around the court again. His example of passion, a desire to learn every day to make everyone around him better, has been a positive influence on the 35-year-old Morrison.

He coached on the gold-medal winning men's Olympic staff in 2008 under Hugh McCutcheon and an assistant again as McCutcheon moved to lead the women to silver four years ago in London.

Now, he's one of Kiraly's right-hand men. When Morrison is not in Turkey with Guidetti, that is.

When it came to scouting the Netherlands and other pool opponents — a six-team group Kiraly called "truly gnarly" — in the Olympic lead-up back at training headquarters in Orange County, everyone took part. Morrison said it was a collaborative effort involving the athletes that led to lots of insight into how to attack the Dutch.

"They pushed us," U.S. middle blocker Foluke Akinradewo said afterward. "That's what we love. We try and embrace those moments." 

Source:http://sports.abs-cbn.com/volleyball/news/2016/08/09/us-women-hold-scrappy-netherlands-team-5-sets-14186

Netherlands captain Balkestein-Grothues out with hurt ankle

Netherlands' Maret Balkestein-Grothues is helped off the court during a women's preliminary volleyball match against United States at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Monday, Aug. 8, 2016. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

JANIE McCAULEY
AP Sports Writer

 
RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Netherlands women's volleyball captain Maret Balkestein-Grothues will not play in Wednesday's third group match against Italy because of an ankle injury sustained in a five-set loss to the United States on Monday.

Coach Giovanni Guidetti told The Associated Press in a message Tuesday via Twitter that Balkestein-Grothues might need more than four or five days to recover, a blow for a determined Dutch team that has played spectacular volleyball thus far at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics.

"Thanks for all the sweet messages and support," Balkestein-Grothues posted on her Twitter account Tuesday afternoon. "Now it's difficult to say what the exact damage is on my ankle, but the bone is not broken."

The Netherlands pulled off an upset against No. 3 China in Saturday's opener before pushing the top-ranked Americans to five sets Monday, 18-25, 25-18, 21-25, 25-20, 15-8.  Balkestein-Grothues was hurt in the fourth set and didn't return.

An MRI exam after Monday's match showed Balkestein-Grothues had nothing broken in the sprained right ankle, Guidetti said. She is undergoing regular treatment for the injury from the Dutch medical staff in hopes she could return by week's end.

She is one of the spirited emotional leaders for the 11th-ranked Netherlands squad, back in the Olympics for volleyball for the first time in 20 years.

"The injury is big and the ankle is really very big right now," Guidetti said. "Physiotherapist and doctor are working with her continuously! It's not the first time in this season that the team lost a teammate. 'Til now we always reacted good, giving anybody something extra — like we wanna do tomorrow!"

Source:http://sports.abs-cbn.com/volleyball/news/2016/08/10/netherlands-captain-balkestein-grothues-hurt-ankle-14217

Italy, despite injured captain, tops US in men's volleyball

 

(AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

JANIE McCAULEY
AP Sports Writer

 
RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — One by one, as best they could, Emanuele Birarelli's teammates made their way over to him for a hug or handshake.

Their captain lay on the sideline with his right ankle elevated and freshly taped. He was injured in the third set of Italy's 28-26, 20-25, 25-23, 25-23 victory over the United States on Tuesday, and his status for Thursday's preliminary match against Mexico is unclear.

Whatever happens, Italy believes in its deep bench. The players assured their 35-year-old leader he need not worry.

"We have to wait the night. It seems swollen. Serious for sure, but we will see how it works," coach Gianlorenzo Blengini said. "I have a team of 12 players."

Birarelli was part of the Italian group that won a bronze medal four years ago at the London Olympics. On Tuesday, he pumped his right fist from his spot on the floor in one corner of the court at Maracanazinho arena. He motioned his hand back and forth to signal he felt "so-so."

The Americans — ranked fifth in the world with eight first-time Olympians — had to contend with a raucous crowd chanting "Italy!" They responded from a startling sweep by Canada in their Olympic opener two days earlier with a far more steady performance and improved serving, but it wasn't enough against powerful Italy.

With the score tied at 23 in the fourth set, U.S. star Matt Anderson served into the net to give Italy match point. The Italians, ranked fourth in the world, closed it out to move to 2-0 in Rio. Birarelli stood and limped along, and teammate Simone Buti rushed over to embrace him.

"We are a team," Buti said. "Injury, when it happens, it's important to stay together."

In London, Italy stunned the top-seeded U.S. in straight sets and eliminated the Americans in the quarterfinals before losing to silver medalist Brazil in the semifinals.

Now, the winless Americans must figure out how to play better in a hurry because Brazil is up next Thursday night. They spent part of the off day Monday having a heart-to-heart talk, discussing what went wrong in the 3-0 loss to Canada on Sunday.

U.S. coach John Speraw went with a youth movement from the start of this Olympic cycle and has known all along there would be growing pains. But to avoid an early exit from Brazil, things must come together now.

The Americans won last year's World Cup and didn't face the pressure of a last-ditch Olympic qualifier that might have prepared them for the task in Rio.

"For them to step out on this court with the balance between the moment and the expectation while being as inexperienced as they are, it's been a really challenging thing for a lot of our young guys," Speraw said. "This is what we signed up for. We knew this four years ago what we were going to do, and here we are. It's a tough journey."

This is a strange position for U.S. captain and third-time Olympian David Lee, a gold medalist at the 2008 Beijing Games. He has never been in the hole of an Olympic tournament in the group stage. He is trying to support his young teammates.

"I feel like these guys have the weight of the world on their shoulders because they don't want to let down these older players, (Reid) Priddy's last Olympics, my last Olympics," Lee said. "I've never made them feel any pressure like that. I feel like we've created a culture we want these guys to feel free and be themselves, use that youth to your advantage and come out with fire and passion. I feel like they're kind of crushed right now, they're down. But they're getting better." 

Source:http://sports.abs-cbn.com/volleyball/news/2016/08/10/italy-despite-injured-captain-tops-us-men-s-volleyball-14229