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- VIDEO VNL SEMIFINALS
Brazil celebrate their qualification for the semifinals of the 2019 VNL
Chicago, USA, July 12, 2019 - Brazil were the last team to qualify for the semifinals of the 2019 FIVB Volleyball Nations League on Friday when they defeated Iran in a thrilling 3-2 (25-20, 25-23, 24-26, 20-25, 15-10) encounter.
After three momentous days of action at the Credit Union 1 Arena in Chicago, the four semifinalists were confirmed as Brazil joined hosts USA, Russia and Poland in the penultimate stage of the competition. In the second match of the day hosts USA defeated Russia to claim leadership of Pool A ahead of the semifinals on Saturday.
2019 FIVB Volleyball Nations League - Semifinals on July 13:
Poland-Russia at 17.00 local time
USA-Brazil at 20.00 local time
In the first encounter of the day, Brazil came into the match on the back of a five set defeat to Poland on Wednesday, while Iran were defeated by the same team on Thursday.
Match centre: Brazil-Iran
In a match opposing the best scorer of the competition, Amir Ghafour of Iran, and its most effective attacker, Ricardo Luccarelli of Brazil, and a wealth of talent on either side of the net, the teams that finished respectively first and second of the Preliminary Round of the competition did not disappoint an enthusiastic crowd.
Iran scored the first point of the match to the rapturous applause of a partisan crowd, but Brazil rapidly found their feet to take the first two sets.
Iran returned to the court in the third set, however, by taking a four-point lead at 5-1 and held on to their advantage until Brazil levelled scores at 22-22. It was not enough to reverse the Iranian team's momentum, however, as they claimed the set 26-24.
Coach Igor Kolakovic's men continued to pile on the pressure in the fourth set methodically building on their third set momentum. The frame started where the previous one left off with both teams exchanging points. When Purya Fayazi put in a pancake dig to take his team to 23-20, however, Iran looked unstoppable. And indeed it was soon 25-20 in favour of the Asian team with a tiebreaker to look forward to.
Brazil took the first point, in a sign of things to come. The South Americans pulled out the magic when it counted most to move to 11-9 and reach match point at 14-10. A Yoandy Leal block sealed the match for Brazil at the end of a breathtaking five sets of volleyball.
The second match on Friday featured hosts USA against 2018 competition winners Russia. The two sides had already qualified for the semifinals on Thursday with one win each after France failed to win either of their Pool A matches.
Match centre: USA-Russia
Coach John Speraw's USA players claimed a convincing 3-0 (25-21, 25-17, 25-20) victory against Russia, with coach Tuomas Sammelvuo rotating his Russia players ahead of the semifinals.
Today's two winners join a youthful Poland, who have impressed onlookers in the final stages of the competition by defeating a more experienced Brazilian side in five sets before outplaying Iran in four.
With just four matches remaining in the 2019 VNL, be sure you do not miss a single minute of the action by logging on to Volleyball TV. The semifinals take place on Saturday at 17.00 and 20.00 local time. They are followed by the medal matches on Sunday with bronze at stake in the first match at 15.00 local time, and the match for gold at 18.00.
Continue on https://www.fivb.com/en/about/news/brazil-join-hosts-usa-title-holders-russia-and?id=85159
0 0 Comments 0 Shares - POST GSTAAD UPSET WIN
Andrea Strbova (right) celebrates a point against Brazil with Slovak Republic partner Natalia Dubovcova during a Round of 16 victory Friday at the Swatch Major Gstaad.
After placing 25th and 17th in their last two appearances on the FIVB World Tour, Natalia Dubovcova and Andrea Strbova of the Slovak Republic were seeking a better result this week at the 20th annual Swatch Major Gstaad.
And, the Slovakia women's pair was always hoping to erase their memories of their last appearance in the Swiss Alps village when Dubovcova and Strbova placed 25th after qualifying for the 2018 Gstaad main draw with two wins.
After losing their first pool play match Wednesday to 15th-seeded Maria Antonelli and Carolina Salgado of Brazil, the 18th-seeded Dubovcova and Strbova rebounded with three-straight wins highlighted by a Round of 16 upset victory over sixth-seeded Agatha Bednarczuk/Eduarda "Duda" Lisboa of Brazil 2-1 (16-21, 21-19, 15-11) in 50 minutes.
With their first win over Agatha and Duda after losing to the Brazilians in a Round of 16 match at an event in May at Jinjiang, China, Dubovcova and Strbova will play top-seeded Nina Betschart/Tanja Huberli of Switzerland Saturday in the Swatch Major Gstaad quarter-finals for a berth in Sunday's final four.
Prior to playing in June events, Dubovcova and Strbova had posted four-straight top nine finishes at FIVB World Tour events in The Netherlands (fifth), Malaysia (fifth), Brazil (ninth) and China (ninth). June started with a 25th in Poland followed by the 17th last week at the 2019 FIVB World Championships in Hamburg, Germany.
The Slovak Republic's best finish in the Swatch Major Gstaad was a fifth in 2012 when Dubovcova was playing with Dominika Nestarcova. This week’s appearance is Dubovcova and Strbova's 22nd World Tour event together as the pair's best FIVB placement was a 2018 bronze medal in Turkey after defeating Brazilians Josemari Alves/Liliane Maestrini in the Mersin third-place match.
The Swatch Major Gstaad is the 29-year old Dubovcova's 88th World Tour event while the 23-year old Strbova joined the tour in 2017 and is competing in her 22nd FIVB tournament.
While Dubovcova and Strbova await their quarter-final opponent from Brazil or Switzerland, the other three Round of 8 matches are set featuring two more pairs from Brazil, two teams from the United States along with Canadian and Dutch tandems.
Competing in the top-half of the elimination bracket with the Swiss and the Slovakians are the American tandems of third-seeded Alix Klineman/April Ross and seventh-seeded Brooke Sweat/Kerri Walsh Jennings. With the United States guaranteed a spot in Sunday’s semi-finals, Klineman and Ross defeated Sweat and Walsh Jennings at the end of May in the Czech Republic in three sets.
The Brazilian pairs of fifth-seeded Ana Patricia Silva/Rebecca Cavalcanti and 15th-seeded qualifiers Maria Antonelli/Carolina Salgado are positioned in the lower half of the bracket with the Canadians and Dutch.
Discover more on https://www.fivb.com/en/about/news/slovakians-dubovcova--strbova-post-gstaad-upset?id=851080 0 Comments 0 Shares - How to warm up well before a tennis match
The TEAM/L'EQUIPE
Well warm up before starting a set is a crucial step to start a game to the fullest of its abilities. But do you master all the secrets to warm up? Find our tips to improve your performance.
Just right
A warm-up should last between 15 and 30 minutes to be effective. During this time, you will have to run, do field trips, and so increase your heart rate, before preparing each part of your body to the test. If perspiration is felt during the first minutes, it is a sign of a good warm up.
1. Footing & Relaxation
Start with a 7 to 10 minute jog to raise the temperature of your body. Once your body is warm, you can switch to muscle relaxation that will last 3 to 5 minutes.
To avoid skipping steps, methodically go up from your ankles to your neck:
- Flexions / extensions of the legs
- Rotations of the bust
- Arm reels stretched for the shoulders
2. Ankles
Work your ankles one by one. Point the foot on the ground by turning your ankle in one direction and the other. Allow 3 cycles of 10 rotations per peg.
3. Knees
With your feet together, place each of your hands on one knee and make circles.
Turn 20 times in one direction then in the other as well.
4. Hips
With your hands on your hips, make circular movements as if you were placed in a hoop. Turn 10 times in one direction then 10 in the other and then do a second identical cycle.
5. Cuffs
Stick your hands to each other by intertwining your fingers. Rotate the assembly without forcing for a minute.
6. Elbows
Place your right hand on your left elbow. Your left forearm must go up and down again about ten times. Do the same with your left hand.
7. Shoulders
To work your shoulders, make large circles, arms extended, then smaller and faster, while keeping your arms horizontal. Do the 40-second exercise in both directions.
8. Nape
Gently tilt your head to the right then to the left, in front of and behind a dozen times. Finish with a dozen loose and unshackled circles.
9. Muscle Awakening
The goal is to solicit your muscles with more energy than during jogging, indulge in these exercises at the rate of 20 for each:
- heel buttocks
- knees lifted
- not hunted (legs bent)
- strides outstretched legs
10. Exchanges
Your warm-up will obviously have to end with some technical gestures and a familiarization with the field ... and your opponent. Work on your supports, feel the surface, adjust your investments. Analyze the rebounds of the ball and its heaviness, the sensitivity of the field to the effects, the speed of the ball rebound, in short master the specifics of your environment. Practice on long balls, then climbs on the fly and to finish on your service.
You are now ready to start the meeting.
Good game !
Continue on https://www.lequipe.fr/
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