From 16 teams to ONLY 4!
The first semifinal match tonight will be Brazil vs Turkey and then followed by USA facing hosts China. At this point, any team can win the first edition of the VNL and take home US$1 million dollars.
BRAZIL VS TURKEY: On paper, Brazil should win this.
Since the Final 6 started, Brazil has not lost a set against The Netherlands and China. Tandara is in a really great shape as Brazil’s most effective weapon. We expect Roberta to rely on her against Turkey. We’d also like to point out that Gabi’s all around game stabilizes Brazil’s passing and she is also one of the team’s most consistent player together with Amanda.
As for Turkey, Coach Guidetti’s is the “dark horse” of the Final Round. This team is all about hard work and the results are there. Did you see their amazing come back against Serbia the other day? They were down in the 5th set but managed to win it 16-14. That match was the main reason why Boskovic and team are out of the Final 4. Turkey is playing really well despite the lack of veterans and superstar players. We’d also like to recognize the heart and soul Eda Erdem brings in to the team. She is inspiring to watch as she leads this new generation of players.
Prediction: Brazil 3-1 Turkey.
RESULT: Turkey 3-0 Brazil (25-23, 25-23, 25-22)
Eda and Turkey proved us wrong! Turkey’s serving was on point and they picked on Suelen and Amanda. With horrible passing by the Brazilians, setter Roberta could only do so much. Sadly, she could not fully utilize the power of Tandara. Outside hitter Gabi was THE only consistent player throughout the match. The Brazilian middles did NOT play their best as well. To be honest, the Bia-Ade is the weakest pair of middles we’ve ever seen compare to the Fabiana-Thiasa, Fabiana-Walewska and Walewska-Valeskinha in previous years. Amanda did not show up as well and struggled with her passing and hitting.
With that being said, Turkey just played their BEST volleyball yet in the Finals. They truly deserve to play for the GOLD against the USA.
EDA ERDEM FOR MVP PLEASE!
USA VS CHINA: If China passes and defends well and Zhu becomes unstoppable then USA may succumb to the hosts.
China’s main problem right now is that Zhu Ting is their only and biggest weapon. Will she be enough against Team USA? We don’t think so. USA has picked up their game since the start of the Finals and it showed last night when Larson and Team demolished Serbia in straight sets. Let’s not forget that USA has so much depth and Coach Kiraly can just put any player on the court to face any of the teams left. If Kim Hill has a bad day, there’s Michelle Bartsch-Hackley. If Gibby is struggling, there’s Tori Dixon. If Carli isn’t connecting well with her hitters, there’s Hancock who played as a great match from the bench against Turkey.
As for China, Coach Lang Ping can do wonders. Let’s wait and see if she can pull off a big surprise against USA. We also hope that Li Yingying will do better if she gets to play. We were hoping she could support Zhu scoring for China but it has not really happened. Li – this is your time to SHINE in front of your home fans.
Prediction: USA 3-0 China
RESULT: USA 3-1 China (25-23, 25-20, 18-25, 25-18)
We only got to see the entire set and China just had no answer against the Americans led once again by Michelle Bartsch-Hackley. Coach Kiraly’s executed their game plan very well against the hosts who once again relied on Zhu Ting and Li Yingying who only played in sets 3 and 4.
One thing we notice for sure is that Zhu Ting looked EXHAUSTED. She was their team’s best scorer BUT 18 kills out of 43 attempts is NOT her best numbers. Ding Xia seemed frustrated as well with her team’s passing and struggled to run China’s offense.
Will China beat Brazil to win the bronze?
It all ends tonight!!!
In case you didn’t know, The Netherlands has been eliminated after losing their second match to Brazil.
FIVB VNL Final 6
June 27th:
USA 3-2 Turkey (17-25, 21-25, 25-21, 25-15, 15-11)
China 3-1 The Netherlands ((20-25, 25-21, 25-22, 25-18)
June 28th:
Turkey 3-2 Serbia (20-25, 25-21, 25-18, 19-25, 16-14)
Brazil 3-0 The Netherlands (25-16, 25-17, 25-23)
June 29th:
USA 3-0 Serbia (29-27, 25-22, 25-19)
Brazil 3-0 China (25-20, 25-22, 25-22)
June 30th SEMIFINAL ROUND:
Brazil VS Turkey
USA VS China
Click here to check out the full VNL schedule and tourney details.
FIVB IMAGE