Brazil’s women’s national team has long been a force to be reckoned with on the global volleyball stage. The team wound up fourth at last year’s FIVB VNL. 

Watch the 2019 Women's VNL Live on FloVolleyball

However, the Brazilians have largely underperformed since the 2016 Rio Olympics through to the World Championship in 2018. 

They seem to be going through a period of transition as their veterans hand over the torch to the younger stars. This is a fresh year for them heading into FIVB VNL 2019, a chance to build on team chemistry and individual confidence. Will they rise to the top again?

FIVB VNL 2018 record & stats

Win/loss: 12-3 

Points: 35 

Sets win/loss/ratio: 40/20/2.000 

Points win/loss/ratio: 1,376/1,229/1.120 

Final position: 4th

What’s new for Brazil in FIVB VNL 2019?

Significant changes within Brazil’s team occurred mostly in 2016, in the wake of a disappointing fifth-place finish at the Olympics on home soil. 

The team was swiftly thrust into a rebuilding process as its star players including Sheilla retired. And now it seems a new wave of changes are under way with star middle blocker Thaísa recently confirming she would be retiring from national duty with immediate effect and another experienced campaigner Adenizia suggesting she would be unlikely to play this year as she rests and focuses on her upcoming wedding. 

Head coach José Roberto Guimarães continues to work on this new era of Brazilian women’s volleyball and it will be fascinating to watch the squad take shape for the upcoming FIVB VNL. 

Brazil world ranking: 4 (October 2018)

Brazil FIVB VNL 2019 match schedule

Week 1

May 21 at 6 PM CT | Brazil vs. China 

May 22 at 6 PM CT | Brazil vs. Dominican Republic 

May 23 at 6 PM CT | Brazil vs. Russia

Week 2

May 28 at 12:30 PM CT | Netherlands vs. Brazil 

May 29 at 9:30 AM CT | Poland vs. Brazil 

May 30 at 12:30 PM CT | Brazil vs. Bulgaria

Week 3

June 4 at 4:30 PM CT | Brazil vs. Germany 

June 5 at 4:30 PM CT | Korea vs. Brazil 

June 6 at 7:30 PM CT | USA vs. Brazil

Week 4

June 11 at 5:10 AM CT | Japan vs. Brazil

June 12 at 1:40 AM CT | Brazil vs. Thailand 

June 13 at 1:40 AM CT | Brazil vs. Serbia

Week 5

June 18 at 8 AM CT | Brazil vs. Italy 

June 19 at 8 AM CT | Belgium vs. Brazil 

June 20 at 11 AM CT | Turkey vs. Brazil

Brazil games to watch out for in FIVB VNL 2019

Any pool which contains Brazil, China and Russia is going to be thrilling to watch. Throw in the facts that Brazil edged both its rivals 3-2 in last year's FIVB VNL and that the matchups are occurring in week one of the 2019 tournament, and it makes for an explosive mix. 

It should be a fiery start to FIVB VNL 2019. 

Also keep an eye out for Brazil's clash against Turkey, in their final preliminary round fixture. Turkey knocked Brazil out of the 2018 tournament with a 3-0 whitewash in the semis and both teams will be looking to take a psychological edge into the final round, presuming they qualify. If either need a win in that final game it could prove to be compelling viewing.

Brazil provisional FIVB VNL 2019 roster

More players will be added to the provisional roster after the end of the Brazilian Superliga. 

Head coach: José Roberto Guimarães 

Setters: Roberta Ratzka, Juma Silva 

Liberos:Natália Pereira Araújo, Tássia Silva 

Middle Blockers: Ana Beatriz Silva, Milka Medeiros, Lara Nobre 

Wing Spikers (Outside & Opposite Hitters): Tandara Caixeta, Drussyla Costa, Amanda Francisco, Lorenne Teixeira, Gabriela Cândido, Tainara Santos and Julia Bergmann. 

Average age: TBC 

Average height: TBC 

Domestic / overseas players: TBC

Brazil players to watch in FIVB VNL 2019: Gabi, Natalia, Fe Garay

The onus is now on some of the team’s younger players and other veterans to step into the hole left by Brazil's retiring stars & to lead it into the future. 

Central to that are outside spiker Gabi (24), opposite spiker Natália (30), and wing spiker Fe Garay (32). Gabi was named Most Valuable Player during the 2017 South American Club Championship and was atop the Best Spiker leaderboard during the final round of FIVB VNL 2018. 

Meanwhile, Natália was part of the team which won gold at the London Olympics in 2012. Given her age, however, she may already be in the twilight of her career. She is though expected to provide leadership and hold the team together as captain as they make a push towards the Tokyo Olympics next year. 

Another veteran to keep an eye on is Fe Garay, whose strength and physicality are uncanny. Other names of interest include opposite spiker Tandara (30), who was the third best scorer in the final round of last year’s FIVB VNL, as well as middle blocker Adenízia (32).

The latter topped the Best Blocker list at last year’s tournament with an average of 1.08 blocks per game.

The bottom line: Can Brazil dominate again?

In the last couple of years, the Brazilian women’s volleyball team has experienced two key blows: that fifth-place finish at home during the Rio Olympics and a seventh-place crash at the 2018 World Championship in Japan, missing out completely on the later rounds. 

Those two performances came from a team which had won back-to-back gold medals in the 2008 and 2012 Olympics. Even worse, although a World Championship gold has long eluded Brazil, the team had consistently managed a podium finish in that competition since 2006, including two silver medals. 

The losses hinted at the turning tide as the team’s star players aged, even if it managed a fourth-place finish at last year’s FIVB VNL. So now Brazil is in the midst of a transition period, and this FIVB VNL 2019 could potentially be an indicator of where the team is headed, notably as it looks toward the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. This tournament will be crucial for the Brazilians, as it’s a chance for them to pick up the pieces from their recent setback at the World Championship. 

The team is still led by its veterans, with many of them making it to statistical leaderboards at last year’s FIVB VNL. But the team will need new energy at this year’s competition. It certainly has the collective talent, experience and skill, so there’s no doubt it will dominate some of the other countries in this competition. But Brazil has never been about simply manhandling lower-tiered teams. 

This squad goes into every battle with a mission to win it all. So the looming question is whether it can still go toe to toe with the world’s best or, as in the 2018 World Championship, will it underwhelm and stand on the outside looking in once again.

What is a realistic FIVB VNL projection for the Brazil women’s team?

Brazil, with its long history of success and playing with pride, will still aim for the gold regardless of recent poor performances. Expect the Brazilians to play with a chip on their shoulders as they go out to prove they’re still a dominant force in international volleyball, despite recent history. 

It would not be surprising if this team cracks the podium at FIVB VNL 2019, but week one will provide a massive test going up against China and Russia so early in the tournament.

How to watch Brazil in FIVB VNL 2019

Watch the VNL LIVE on FloVolleyball all season long.