The first day of the Final Round starts in less than a day in Nanjing, China with USA and Turkey playing in the first match.
Speaking of Team USA, we think they are the best team coming into this tournament and gets our vote to win the first edition of the Volleyball Nations League. Every player on the team can play against any of the other strong teams like the other 5 finalists China, Brazil, Turkey, Netherlands and Serbia.
In a recent article by Palo Alto Online, Coach Karch Kiraly strongly believes what every player on his team can do.
“Being able to play at a high level with so many different lineups (12 in 15 matches) speaks really well to the depth we are blessed with. We feel comfortable competing with any two middles, any of our three main outsides and either opposite, all hitting off Carli (Lloyd) and passing with Kelsey (Robinson), plus running the double sub with Micha (Hancock) and whichever opposite isn’t starting. We are extremely fortunate to be able to play so many different lineups, to conserve energy in a long five-week, 15-match series and to have chances to learn more about our personnel.”
He is absolutely right with the depth of his squad.
In the same article, Coach KK also admitted that having outside hitter Kelsey Robinson switched to libero has been a huge help for his team.
“We did struggle a little bit in Lincoln. The big part of the turnaround was stabilizing our serve reception, as Kelsey switched positions to libero. She has really embraced the role, and is diving into it and taking great pride in making us better in a new position. We are very grateful for that.”
In case you didn’t know, USA is in the same pool with Serbia and Turkey while the other pool has China, Brazil and Netherlands. Top 2 teams from each pool advance to the Final 4. The eventual champions will take home US$1,000,000.
Click here to view the full schedule and VNL details.
FIVB IMAGE