Expect Sparks To Fly During U.S. Women's Trip To Jiangmen
Expect Sparks To Fly During U.S. Women's Trip To Jiangmen
The U.S. Women's National Team heads to Jiangmen, China, for arguably its biggest week of the VNL season.
There’s good news and bad news this week for fans of the U.S. Women’s National Team as the Americans travel to Jiangmen, China, to gear up for three of its most competitive matches of the entire Volleyball Nations League season.
The bad news? With a 12-hour difference between the Eastern timezone and Jiangmen, East Coasters will have to wake up at 4 AM to catch this week’s matches. West Coast fans might be better off just staying up for the 1 AM start time.
But with No. 5 Russia, No. 4 Brazil, and No. 1 China on the schedule, it'll absolutely be worth the missed sleep.
Here’s what to expect from this week’s matches.
Team USA
The Americans travel to Jiangmen with the same group of 14 athletes that competed in Japan and Thailand for Weeks 2 and 3, hoping that they will be able to retain their rhythm and high level of play as they face their toughest opponents yet.
On the outside, Michelle Bartsch-Hackley, Jordan Larson, and Kim Hill have shared playing time and are the team’s three most prolific offensive contributors. Sarah Wilhite travels to China as the fourth outside; however, the former Minnesota star has also seen some playing time as an opposite.
Carli Lloyd remains the primary setter, with Micha Hancock her back-up and also the setter in the double-sub, when Karch Kiraly chooses to use it. Annie Drews and Kelly Murphy have been battling it out for the starting opposite position, while Rachael Adams, Tori Dixon, Foluke Akinradewo and Lauren Gibbemeyer have all seen significant playing time in the middle.
After starting as the libero for the first time in her national team career in the third match of the VNL tournament, Kelsey Robinson has started in the position every match since and will once again be Team USA’s go-to defensive and serve receive player. Justine Wong-Orantes completes the 14-player roster as the second libero.
Russia | Tuesday, June 5, 3 AM CT
Historically, Russia has fielded one of the best women’s teams in the world. The two-time Olympic silver medalist boasts seven World Championships and 19 European titles.
As of late, however, the program has been rocked by a number of coaching changes and in the past 10 years has only reached the podium of a major international tournament once (a bronze-medal finish at the 2014 FIVB World Grand Prix).
Only a few weeks after Russia lost to Brazil in the quarterfinals of the 2012 Olympics, Russian head coach Sergei Ovchinnikov committed suicide. The Russian Federation tapped Yuri Marichev to take over. Marichev stayed with the team through the Rio Olympics, but following another disappointing fifth-place finish, he left the program.
Vladimir Kuzyutkin then took the reins, but only lasted until September 2017, when the Russian Federation announced his termination the night before the start of the 2017 European Championships. Kuzyutkin’s assistant Konstantin Ushakov finished out the season as head coach but was replaced by Vadim Pankov at the start of the 2018 season.
So far, Russia’s performance in Pankov’s first major international tournament as head coach has been good, but not great. With a 6-3 record, Russia ranks sixth in the standings heading into Week 4. The Russians lost in straight sets to the Netherlands, Korea and Serbia. Their biggest wins so far in the tournament were a sweep of Italy and a five-setter over Turkey.
Four members of the 2016 Olympic squad are on the VNL roster, including 22-year-old outside hitter Irina Voronkova, who leads the team in points, kills, and aces so far in the tournament. She ranks second in total blocks behind middle blocker and fellow Olympian Irina Fetisova.
Brazil | Wednesday, June 6, 3 AM CT
Whenever Brazil and the United States go head-to-head, you can expect sparks to fly. With both teams heading into this week’s match with 8-1 records and just one point apart in the standings, the stakes have been even further elevated.
Brazil has won nine of the last 13 World Grand Prix competitions, including the 2017 edition, which marked a triumphant moment of redemption after a disappointing fifth at the Rio Olympics. Brazil won the gold in the previous two Olympic Games, in 2008 and 2012, defeating the United States in the gold-medal match both times.
So far, the Brazilians’ only loss in VNL was their very first match against Germany. Since then, they have won every match in three or four sets.
Outside hitter Tandara Caixeta leads the team with 158 kills and 12 aces. The 29-year-old helped Brazil win gold at the 2012 Olympics, but she was absent from the 2016 roster after taking some time off to have a baby. Luckily for Brazilian volleyball fans, however, she returned to the team last year, playing a key role in the World Grand Prix victory.
China | Thursday, June 7, 6:30 AM CT
China, this week’s host team, reigning Olympic champion, and No. 1-ranked team in the world, heads into this round of matches ranked seventh in the VNL standings.
Losses to Korea in straight sets, Poland in five, and Serbia and Italy in four have blemished the Chinese record, but never underestimate this team. China lost to the Netherlands, Serbia, and the USA in pool play at the Rio Olympics but roared back to take down Brazil, Netherlands, and Serbia to win the gold medal.
With an average age of 23, China’s VNL squad is young. Twenty-eight-year-old Xiaotong Liu and 18-year-old Yingying Li have been the most effective offensive contributors so far, with 89 and 63 points, respectively. Liu also leads the team in serve receive, digs, and aces.
Non-USA Matches in Jiangmen
China vs. Brazil | Tuesday, June 5, 6:30 AM CT