USA Volleyball men's 6's team - awesome

[C5 Golfer]

Nice playing against Russia-- what a story too of a great coach and sad events for his team.

Anyway Sunday night is going to be a good one - Go USA guys..

I used to play USVBA and league 4-5 days a week - love the game.

[Ernie00]

It was an amazing game.. well the US has played a very very good tournament so far, specially considering what happened. The first game was sketchy but anyone would understand that.

I have been involved in volleyball for a while here, coaching College men's, the provincial team and being assistant coach with the Canadian youth national team. All I can say is that US team is very exiting to watch. They need to play their game and that's what they have been doing this past few games. Very patient on long plays and waiting for opportunities. Took a while but Ball started using his middle again, specially on long transition play. It works !

The only thing that i'm worried about is the outside position, Priddy has been great but a little worried about Salomon size and hitting style VS brazil. Should be a good matchup.

Canada didn't make the Olympic qualification so all I can do now is cheer for our buddies from the south !

Can't wait to watch the game !

[C5 Golfer]

WOWOWOWOWOWOWOW!

:biggthump:biggthump:biggthump:biggthump

[Ernie00]

indeed very good game against a tough brazil team. In the past few years US volleyball has invested a lot of time / money / effort into their indoor program and it really showed in China. They definitaly earned this one. Clutch serving from Priddy in the 4th set !!!

I not too happy with NBC airing all the games completely for the tournament and for the finals they didn't show the first set, started the second set at 20 points and started the 3rd set at 12 points.

Even someone who doesn't know much about the game .. The "new" Volleyball is very exiting and entertaining to watch. It's a great game ! Too bad we won't see much indoor volleyball on TV for the next 4 years.

[C5 Golfer]

indeed very good game against a tough brazil team. In the past few years US volleyball has invested a lot of time / money / effort into their indoor program and it really showed in China. They definitaly earned this one. Clutch serving from Priddy in the 4th set !!!

I not too happy with NBC airing all the games completely for the tournament and for the finals they didn't show the first set, started the second set at 20 points and started the 3rd set at 12 points.

Even someone who doesn't know much about the game .. The "new" Volleyball is very exiting and entertaining to watch. It's a great game ! Too bad we won't see much indoor volleyball on TV for the next 4 years.

Some of the reason we won't see it on TV for 4 more years...

For most it is too boring-- just think if Basketball or Football were of a strict rules such that no player other than a captain can talk to a referee or to other players, no taunting, no unsportsmanlike conduct, to play you must be on your best behavior - most if not all VB players are not felons or criminals, -- VB would get is due if that were to change to the crude and rude of the NBA. Hockey, NBA and NFL attendees are there for the player fights - nothing else. My 2 cents.

[AaronG]

Some of the reason we won't see it on TV for 4 more years...

For most it is too boring-- just think if Basketball or Football were of a strict rules such that no player other than a captain can talk to a referee or to other players, no taunting, no unsportsmanlike conduct, to play you must be on your best behavior - most if not all VB players are not felons or criminals, -- VB would get is due if that were to change to the crude and rude of the NBA. Hockey, NBA and NFL attendees are there for the player fights - nothing else. My 2 cents.

WOW, C5, very nicely put!!! I like it when the Brazilian Beach duo were taking too much time between points against Dalhuaser/Rogers and were flashed the yellow card. A warning for taking too much time, ya gotta love it.

I actually ref'd a few years in a city and girl's club league, nothing better than shutting up an unruly player or irate coach with the flash of a yellow card, never had to whoop out the red though. I wish the yellow/red card would apply to the player's parents on the sidelines though. I did have to have a few removed on occasion. One parent waited for me, after I tossed him out of the gym, as I walked out to the car, fotunately for me, he couldn't judge my size too well while I was standing on the platform. He was quite surprised to see my 6'02, 200 lbs mass coming out the door. He said a few choice words and mosied on his way. He wasn't allowed back into the gym after that for the rest of the season.

On my way to play some vball tonight, sometimes it is good play where we can run a set offense 5/1 or 6/2, other times it is your typical middle front set aka 4/2.

[C5 Golfer]

On my way to play some vball tonight, sometimes it is good play where we can run a set offense 5/1 or 6/2, other times it is your typical middle front set aka 4/2.

Used to be a certified ref to play in USVBA -- I yellow carded several but if I remember only 1 or 2 red cards.

Too bad I am not closer I'd join you on the court. I played at the US Open years ago in the Masters Div. and we won gold that year. I am a lefty that likes either strong side or weak side.. prefer strong side due to most don't know how to handle a lefty playing strong side. Love the line @ 4 inches from the antenna. i scored many points by hitting into the block and then it goes off the attenna.

[Ernie00]

I've been known to be pretty tough on ref in my younger coaching years.. now I've gotten older and wiser ;) I know most of them pretty well having coached and travel with a lot of them. Usually when I'm not happy I just get up .. give them the stinky eye and they know ! Point made.

Look at Lloy Ball he looks like a killer ! I guess this win might help bring Volleyball back on TV a little more. Obviousely they need to argue a calls once in while but it doesn't work much.. the men's game has become so fast and tiny touches here and there are missed by refs. Eventually some kind of video replay will be in the talks.

Lefties are always a pain in the ass to block ! no matter how much experience you have! hehe for some reason of of the lefties have really ackward swing.

Fun to play.. I used to play in a great league here in Montreal. 36 mens team with a lot of guys who played pro in the top pools. I Play outside hitter or opposite, I like opposite better but I'm no Stanley ! With coaching, riding, working and everything something had to go.

I haven't seen a 4/2 or 6/2 in ages ! :)

[AaronG]

Always nice to meet fellow vball players. Were you guys around during the Steve Timmons, Pat Powers, Bob Ctvrtlik days?? In SoCal during the winter months they would gather the US team and all the beach players, Sinjin, Randy, Mike Dodd, Tim Hovland Kent Steffes and of course, Karchie and they would mix all the players on the teams and they would play indoor matches at the old Great Western Forum. The Lakers used to play there many years ago. They called it Team Cup Volleyball. They had 6 weeks of play on Thursday nights, a bunch of us would pilein cars and head for LA to watch these guys play. It was incredible to watch

During the break between matches they put on a hang time contest. Jeff Stork or Dusty Dvorak would set middle 2 sets and the guys would just pound the ball straight down. The timer would start on the initial bounce and would stop on the second bounce, Timmons, Powers, Craig Buck, Kiraly and Stoklos would get good times but the guy that always seemed to win was a young asian fellow, Eric Sato. He was only 5' 10" but could jump out of the building, had a nasty jump serve too.

Sato played on the US team for many years, got two gold medals with the 84 and 88 teams. Since he was only 5' 10" they used him for back row purposes only, this was before Libero was a designated position so they could only substitute him for a short time. He was amazing to watch, if it was a diggable ball, he would fly in from wherever to slide his hand under it for the pancake dig, or take the hard driven spike off the shoulder.

Those were the good ol days of US vball, the AVP tournaments were free, just bring a beach chair and you're set.

Hope I didn't bore you with my flashback

OOps. Ernie, I see you are from Montreal, you probably didn't follow USA volleyball much, or did you??

[C5 Golfer]

Always nice to meet fellow vball players. Were you guys around during the Steve Timmons, Pat Powers, Bob Ctvrtlik days?? In SoCal during the winter months they would gather the US team and all the beach players, Sinjin, Randy, Mike Dodd, Tim Hovland Kent Steffes and of course, Karchie and they would mix all the players on the teams and they would play indoor matches at the old Great Western Forum. The Lakers used to play there many years ago. They called it Team Cup Volleyball. They had 6 weeks of play on Thursday nights, a bunch of us would pilein cars and head for LA to watch these guys play. It was incredible to watch

During the break between matches they put on a hang time contest. Jeff Stork or Dusty Dvorak would set middle 2 sets and the guys would just pound the ball straight down. The timer would start on the initial bounce and would stop on the second bounce, Timmons, Powers, Craig Buck, Kiraly and Stoklos would get good times but the guy that always seemed to win was a young asian fellow, Eric Sato. He was only 5' 10" but could jump out of the building, had a nasty jump serve too.

Sato played on the US team for many years, got two gold medals with the 84 and 88 teams. Since he was only 5' 10" they used him for back row purposes only, this was before Libero was a designated position so they could only substitute him for a short time. He was amazing to watch, if it was a diggable ball, he would fly in from wherever to slide his hand under it for the pancake dig, or take the hard driven spike off the shoulder.

Those were the good ol days of US vball, the AVP tournaments were free, just bring a beach chair and you're set.

??

Boy! -- did you bring back some great memories... Craig Buck middle and then -- Steve timmons who Terrorized opponents with a back court attack that needed slomo replay to watch "WTF" expression on the opponents face. :biggthump:biggthump

[Ernie00]

That's a little more Old school than me.. I'm in my early 30's of course I know about Sato and Kiraly and most of the other name ring a bell, probably from reading a few of Doug Beal's books.

I do follow a lot of the US team. The way things are made we are only allowed to send 2 teams of our region Norceca (north central and Carrabeian) and so far 90% of the time it US and Cuba in different order and now with puerto rico in the top 10 it won't be easier. Vball Canada just decided to open a dedicated training center for the men's team, so I think this is very good for the program and the future of it.

When I was with the National Youth team we use to travel and train quite a bit whit them. They were based for the summer in Lake Placid and we were in Montreal so it was pretty easy to get together and scrimmage. Great Facilities in Lake Placid and amazing hosts, the volleyball gym has a super high ceiling. I remeber at the Norceca qualification touranment in Mexico city (the US won and we finished 2nd) The US team didn't want to watch and scout the games on small Laptop screen so they went to Walmart in Mexico city and bought a 27 inch TV... They didn't want to carry it back to home to they gave it away to the Mexican Volleyball federation. They had the budget to do this, they invested so much in their programs and I think it really showed this past olympics. Gold, Gold, Gold and silver.. almost a sweep.