Richard Matteo A lot is going on in the volleyball category at the Olympic Games in Tokyo. So naturally, Beach volleyball will be one of the main attractions of the Summer Games. However, teams will be up against reigning Olympic champions Brazil and the Republic of China.
Poland knocked Iran out on Tuesday afternoon to secure a spot in the final four of the FIVB Roksa Men’s Volleyball Nations League 2021. This will be where they will play Brazil in a qualifier on Monday while the tournament continues on the Italian Adriatic island of Rimini.
Poland, the defending champion and two-time World Champion, secured their place in the final in Rimini, Italy, on Tuesday with a 3-0 victory over Asian champions Iran. Polish players made quick work of Iranian players on Tuesday with a rotating lineup that bagged a set win. This was after putting together a powerful block generating 11 points, three of them from Bartosz Bednorz. That leaves two spots open for final selection on Wednesday on the last day of the pool match, with a total of four teams still in the running.
VNL newcomer Slovenia came closest, followed by France, Russia and Serbia. Finally, Poland was voted the best team of the year 2009 (75th Plebiscyt Przegladu Sportowego 2009). Its Piotr Gruszka is the third Polish athlete in the top 10 in the same competition.
The MVPs
One individual award went to center-blocker Marcin Mozdzonek for best blocker. “Poland is one of the strongest teams in the world and reigning world champion”, reported Press TV.
Iran has moved up a notch in the International Volleyball Federation’s (FIVB) current world ranking. However, the men’s team is finishing in 10th place. The national volleyball team suffered on Tuesday its fifth defeat in the Volleyball Nations League (VNL) in 2021. The Iranian national volleyball team started the FIVB Volleyball Nations League (V NLN) 2021 with a match against Japan on May 28. The game ended in four sets for Iran.
The MNA head coach of the Iranian national volleyball team Iran says they want to lift the trophy at the 20th Asian senior volleyball championship in Tehran before their fans. On Tuesday, June 15 (MNA) – The Iranian volleyball team was defeated in a long game in the fourth week of the 2021 Volleyball Nations Leagues by the Australian men’s national team. Tehran – Naser Shahnazi, head coach of the SAIPA volleyball team, said the national team had performed below average at the FIVB Volleyball Men’s League ( VNL) 2021.
The American men’s volleyball team defeated Iran in the third set at 25: 17, 25: 22, 30: 28 in an FIVB World League match on Thursday in Katowice, Poland. Iran’s gold medal-winning volleyball team poses during the medal ceremony after its men’s gold medal volleyball game against Japan at Songnim Gymnasium at the 17th Asian Games held in Incheon, South Korea.
Back to the games
The full schedule of the men’s volleyball tournament has been confirmed for the sporting event, which will take place in the Japanese capital from July 24 to August 9. The Iranian men’s volleyball team remains the best Asian team in the FIVB men’s world rankings. The ranking released last Sunday lists Brazil as the home of the world’s best male varsity volleyball team. The list is followed by Poland, United States, Russia, Argentina, France and Italy.
The US men’s team includes 45-year-old Jake Gibb, the oldest volleyball player in Olympic history, both on the beach and indoors, and Beijing Gold Medalist Phil Dalhausser, 41. Ross won silver in London and bronze in Rio, is 39 and preparing for his third Olympics.
Members of the Japanese women’s volleyball team warm up at Ariake Arena during the 2022 Tokyo Olympics volleyball and wheelchair basketball competitions on February 2, 2020. At the Absolute Basic tournaments for men and women, 12 teams will compete in two pools with games in the round-robin format.
Michelle Bartsch-Hackley led the United States on Saturday with the sheer weight of the numbers to the FIVB Volleyball Nations League final. Her 24 points made the difference against China in a 3-1 (5-23, 25-20, 18-25.25-18) victory. On Sunday, China gave its fans plenty of reason to cheer when captain Zhu Ting had a 20-point lead. China (3-0) swept Brazil (3) 25-18 25-22 25-22 on July 1 in Nanjing, China, for third place in the Women’s Volleyball Nations League of 2021. On Sunday night, the United States has crowned WVL champions for the first time with an epic 3-2 victory over a resilient Turkey inspired by a 20-point performance by Kimberly Hill.
China’s almost victory
China clinched a four-set victory against the Dominican Republic on Sunday in the Women’s Volleyball Nations League 2021 in Rome. China’s 3-0 win over Bulgaria was the 11th victory in the FIVB Volleyball Nations League (W11, L3).
Since China’s key player, Zhu Ting made her debut in 2011, she has won 13 MVP awards at all competition levels, including Rio Olympics 2016. The team is ranked third globally and will take part in the FIVB Volleyball Redtube Nations League (VNL) 2021 in Rimini, Italy, from May 28 to June 27. The United States has three gold medals at the Olympics – more than any other country globally – the last at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
The United States Women’s Indoor Volleyball team, which won one medal at each of the last three Olympics, will try to win gold in Tokyo this summer and has plenty of Midwestern players.
Sarah Sponcil and Kelly Clae are one of two women’s teams representing the United States. First-place Japanese women pair Miki Ishii and Megumi Murakami secured the right to represent the host country at the Summer Olympics by winning a particular case home in Japan. The couple’s goal was to win a medal in Tokyo in 2020. The pair have been focusing on honing their technical skills while playing the sport on the international elite FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour.
“After enough bad news, I hope to bring good news to the world,” said Miki Ishii, 31, on the eve of the J. T. Banka Ostrava Beach Open, a four-star event in the Czech Republic.
Brazil, unbeaten champion
Brazil has three gold medals, while the United States and the former Soviet Union are the two most successful men’s teams. Cuba’s Ana Fernandez is the most successful player in Olympic history, winning three golds and one bronze between 1992 and 2004. Bas van de Goor, the 1996 Dutch Gold Medalist, is the only player named MVP in 1996 and 2000. Three-time Olympic gold medalist Karch Kiraly is the only player to win Olympic gold in indoor (84 and 1988) beach volleyball (1996).
In 1964, volleyball became an Olympic sport. The United States won 11 Olympic berths, including one for the 2016 Olympics. The US squad selected a month before the Olympics comprises players who have played in the top adult teams since the 1964 US volleyball championship. Carmelo Anthony (2004, 2008, 2012, 2016) holds the men’s US medal record with four Olympic Games, while David Robinson (88, 1992, 1996) each have three Olympic medals in as many appearances.
USA Volleyball on Monday named a 12-man men’s team to represent the United States at the Tokyo Olympics, with eight substitutes, coaches and medical staff. The United States will play France in the pool at the 2021 Tokyo Games. Before the teams arrive in Tokyo, the team trains in the Japanese city Mishima and plays two games against Japanese men’s teams.
US olympic team is present
Three players with Hawaii ties have made the American men’s volleyball team the official squad for the 2020 Summer Olympics. Kawika Erik, Shoji Kamehamehas and Micah Christenson made the final cut for the national team. All three were at the 2016 Games when the USA won bronze in Rio de Janeiro. In their second Olympic appearances, Micah Beeg Christenson and Kawika Shoji, centre blocking Max Holt, the outside linebackers Thomas Jaeschke and Taylor Sanders, and Libero Erik Shoji will be in the starting lineup.
There are also two athletes making their third Olympic appearances and two athletes making their first Olympic appearances. The 12 players seeking the first US men’s Olympic volleyball medals in three decades were named Monday. They will be led by opposite number Matt Anderson and centre David Smith, who are in their third Olympics. Anderson is the US top scorer for the past decade.
With his inclusion on the US Olympic team, Anderson is the fourth male volleyball player in the United States to be included on three or more Olympic teams.
The first two editions of the Olympic volleyball tournament were won by Soviet teams. In 1976, introducing new offensive skills in the back row helped Poland win the match against a team from the Soviet Union with a narrow five-set victory. In 1980, many of the strongest men’s volleyball teams were part of the Eastern Bloc. The American boycott of the Summer Olympics in 1980 did not affect the event as much as it did the women’s team.
Working towards women’s gold
The United States has won three of its eight Olympic tournaments since the decisive fifth match. This includes a victory in the quarterfinals against Serbia and a victory over Russia in the semifinals. The United States has a 25-game Olympic winning streak since winning bronze at the 2004 Athens Games.
Although the US has become a powerhouse in women’s volleyball in the 21st century, it still lacks Olympic gold. Only two teams qualify for the men’s and women’s World Cups, and that number will be reduced to three for the 2016 Summer Olympics.
The last four teams for the Olympic Games in Tokyo qualified for the Olympics through four FIBA qualification tournaments. Twenty-four teams participated in four qualification tournaments for the Olympic Games, from June 29 to July 4 in Victoria, Canada. They were divided among Croatia, Kaunas, Lithuania, Belgrade and Serbia. In addition to Japan, Argentina, Australia, France, Iran, Nigeria, Spain, and the United States also qualified for the Olympics Men’s Competition at Saitama Super Arena.
Volleyball is one of 33 sports to be played at the 2020 and 2021 Tokyo Olympics. Ball Country follows America’s greatest men’s basketball players as they play out their rivalries on the court and form star-studded teams to represent the United States. With a fourth consecutive gold medal for the US men’s basketball team, the stakes are high in Tokyo.
The US squad for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics is still subject to approval by the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee. The Olympic roster for Team USA’s indoor volleyball team was announced.
