Volleyball World Expo 11: Everything Thread

[Quebec and Shingoryeo]

Round of Sixteen Cutoff has arrived.

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Siovanija and Teusland           25  22  25  24  11
Sarzonia                         19  25  13  26  15

Kohnhead                         23  26  25  25
Taeshan                          25  24  20  23

Iba Dawa                         20  17  25  25  13
Mytanija                         25  25  21  23  15

Lisander                         26  25  25
Græntfjall                       24  23  13

Abanhfleft                       19  21  23
Hispinas                         25  25  25

Cassadaigua                      25  28  25
Kriegiersien                     20  26  19

Qasden                           23  12  25  29  15
Commonwealth of Baker Park       25  25  19  27   7

HUElavia (HUE)                    25  18  28  25
Quebec and Shingoryeo (QUE)        9  25  26  19
(Scorinated by Chromatika)

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Quarterfinals:

#2 Kohnhead vs. #16 Sarzonia @ Arena Jacques-Lee-Woodpecker, Quebec City
#4 Lisander vs. #14 Mytanija @ Calania Place, Montreal
#6 Cassadaigua vs. #12 Hispinas @ Pavilion de Levis, Levis
#7 Qasden vs. #8 HUElavia @ Laurent Ahn Arena, Montreal

[Cassadaigua]

Volleyballers Back On Track?
By Hannah Melanson, Concord Heights Times

I have to admit that I was starting to get worried about our volleyball team. They had played so well in their first two games, only to follow it up with a couple of head scratchers. Against Xanneria, they were up two sets to none, at the time putting them on a streak where they prevailed in eight consecutive sets. They would lose the next two, but since they won the fifth against Xanneria, we were hoping that everything was back to normal. Then, came the biggest and most unexplainable result: a straight set loss to Sharktail. That meant five out of six sets were lost, and their last five sets in a row that are played to 25, and not 15. The team was generally quiet after that defeat, not saying much in the media about how things were going, other than giving the cliche answers of needing to get back on track, etc.

Against Hebitaka, they looked sharp in the opening set, and would prevail in four. The middle sets were much tougher than the bookend sets, but a win is a win. Much like we said against Xanneria, though after this game, the body language being shown by the Fillies was not the same level of confidence that we had been seeing. I don’t believe that they felt the win accomplished anything, and they were disappointed that they were “only” a #6 seed for the knockout rounds. In the late game in Montreal, they defeated Kriegiersien in straight sets. Makes you wonder, are they a team that just plays to the level of their opponent?

“We won the game,” Kristen Kruse told me after, “but there is still a lot more to do. All we can do about the games we either lost or underachieved in a win is to take the positives from them and learn from them, or learn what not to do in where we went wrong. No sense in analyzing past games now, what is done is done.” Up next for the Fillies is Hispinas, in a knockout round that has seen some surprises already.

[Mytanija]

MYTANIJA HANG ON TO EDGE THRILLER
THIS TEAM HAVE A HABIT OF GETTING INTO SHOOTOUTS, AT LEAST THEY AREN’T EVER BORING!

by Almedina Radovanovic

Mytanija are into the quarter finals of the World Volleyball Expo, although the team did not make it easy for themselves by any means as they nearly saw a two set lead disappear against an Iba Dawa team which were perhaps done a favour by a relatively easy group. Mytanija built on their fantastic win in their final group game by racing into the aforementioned two set lead, but in the end they scraped through to the quarter finals as Iba Dawa fought back. They won the third and fourth – both close sets – before giving Mytanija a real scare in the tiebreaking fifth set, but a strong final set from Mytanija’s key players ensured that the team would reach the quarter finals of the tournament at the first attempt. In the quarters a tie against Lisander awaits.

In the first two sets Mytanija continued everything good they had been doing in the final group game against Hispinas, with Sara Gemac and Amalija Kolar a nearly unbeatable partnership at the net and Mira Gushtanova and Milena Spasojevic extremely consistent when presented with opportunities to get points on the board. Nevzeta Majstorovic contributed on the defensive end too, the veteran libero showing all of her experience to deny Iba Dawa a succession of points in the first just when they threatened to come back into it. Sara Gemac sealed the first with an outstanding block at the net which Iba Dawa failed to return. The second wasn’t quite as close and Gushtanova’s spike won that 25-17 as Mytanija appeared to be running away with things.

Iba Dawa were impressive in the third and fourth as they brought the game back from 2-0 down to 2-2, demonstrating exactly why they had ended up as the tournament’s #3 seeds for the knockout rounds. A 25-21 win in the third and 25-23 in the fourth meant that Mytanija were frustratingly close and Radina Ristic wasn’t as critical as she has been of her team following previous games, mainly because of this: “In other games we’ve made things difficult for ourselves with a lack of focus or a loss of concentration. This was just a top team scoring points well and sometimes you can’t stop that. We were always in those two sets, we kept them close and the girls showed some grit and determination to see things out in the fifth.”

Ristic may have been diplomatic in public but her withdrawal of Milka Marovic and Zuzana Brajdic ahead of the fifth set suggested that she might have seen enough from those two players. Safija Bojic and Rafaela Kostenceva came in for them and Kostenceva was full of confidence following some strong performances off the bench during this tournament. She was crucial in getting Mytanija a lead here, scoring three points in the early knockings of the set and the team never gave up that lead despite some pressure from Iba Dawa. Mira Gushtanova scored the game-winning point with the final set finely poised at 14-13 in Mytanija’s favour.

The game against Lisander will be as difficult as Mytanija could have hoped for at this stage, with the final eight being a real who’s who of international volleyball. The list of teams remaining would fill most with trepidation but they will also all feel that they can win it from here. They have all earned their place at this stage of the tournament and there will be a great deal of respect amongst those left too. Mytanija have performed brilliantly, had absolute stinkers and had multiple rollercoaster games such as their last sixteen game against Iba Dawa – so whatever happens to them from here you should know that it at least won’t be boring.

[HUElavia]

HUElavia Dominates Hosts in Emphatic Victory!

HUElavia 3-1 Quebec and Shingoryeo
(25-9, 18-25, 28-26, 25-19)
(Commonwealth Centre, Montreal)

For the second consecutive time, HUElavia was playing in the Round-of-16 of the World Volleyball Expo, where the ladies knew that the real important matches were in the present. Despite having a strong crowd backing throughout the Group Stage, this time around Las Amarillas/As Amarelas were taking on a notable opponent: Group A winners and Host Nation, Quebec and Shingoryeo. Playing in Commonwealth Centre in Montreal once again, the team knew that they had to have a strong performance to aspire for the opportunity to advance to the Quarter-Finals. Once the ball was tipped, the match was underway!

The first set was a historic one for HUElavia. where the ladies had near total control with the set. Cabral, Aranda, and Agu had the Quebecois scrambling to stop their shots and it would get past them with ease in a matter of moments. The first set ended with Tao passing to Agu, where she blasted the volleyball down, and the set ended 25-9, the largest margin of victory HUElavia has had in a set in their short history in the WVE. In the second set, Quebec and Shingoryeo began to put pressure and dominate HUElavia. Park, Horakcova, and Page gave shots to have Las Amarillas/As Amarelas scramble to save the shots. Tao and Tran helped the team keep pace, but Quebec and Shingoryeo won the set with a blast from Park, winning it 25-18. The third set went back and forth in a see-saw set, where no team had a strong lead to win the set. Tied at 26-26, Soda passed the ball to Tassi, who passed it to Khadra, to give a strong blast past a diving Veronneau, to give the 3rd set to HUElavia, 28-26. The fourth set had Quebec and Shingoryeo want to dominate HUElavia, taking an early lead, but with the help of Tassi and Tirabassi, they caught up, and a blistering shot from Rocha ended the match, 25-19. The ladies went onto the court to celebrate the victory while the crowd was silenced, and with some slight boos over the result. HUElavia had upset the hosts and for the 2nd consecutive edition of the WVE, Las Amarillas/As Amarelas were in the Quarter-Finals, among the Elite Eight of Volleyball.

HUElavia's next opponent will be #7 Qasden, who comes off a close 3-2 victory over the Commonwealth of Baker Park. The match will be played at Laurent Ahn Arena, in Montreal. The ladies continue to train and study film for the game, hoping to have a good game and keep their WVE dreams alive. The fans will be coming in solid numbers once again to cheer on the team, where they are loving the team's performance in this competition so far. Here's to hoping HUElavia can have another historic victory and make the Final Four of the World Volleyball Expo.

FORCA HUELAVIA! VAMOS HUELAVIA! GO HUELAVIA!

[Quebec and Shingoryeo]

Here we go! A Quarterfinals cutoff.

Host Announcement: Due to everybody (myself included) feeling somewhat burnt out by the rush to finish their IFCF season, the semifinals scorination will be done in 46 hours time, and not less than 24 hours.

Kohnhead                25  15  25  25
Sarzonia                23  25  18  16

Lisander                19  25  19  18
Mytanija                25  19  25  25

Cassadaigua             25  24  17  25  17
Hispinas                17  26  25  17  15

Qasden                  13  25  15  16
HUElavia                25  20  25  25

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Semifinals:

#2 Kohnhead vs. #14 Mytanija @ Arena Jacques-Lee-Woodpecker, Quebec City
#6 Cassadaigua vs. #8 HUElavia @ Laurent Ahn Arena, Montreal

[Mytanija]

JUST ONE MORE STEP
MYTANIJA BEAT LISANDER IN FOUR; KOHNHEAD STAND IN THE WAY OF A FINAL SPOT

by Almedina Radovanovic

A strong Mytanar performance put paid to Lisander’s hopes of winning the 11th World Volleyball Expo in Quebec. A trio of 25-19 sets were split 2-1 in Mytanija’s favour and then our girls went even better with a 25-18 win in the fourth to qualify for the semi-finals. It was a career night for Mira Gushtanova as she contributed around a fifth of the team’s points, she was dominant from the strong side of the court. In this kind of form she is a real problem for any opponent to deal with and her game seems to have caught fire at just the right time as the stakes are raised in the latter stages of the tournament. Mytanija will now meet #2 Kohnhead in the semi-final as they travel to Quebec City for the first time in the tournament with the match being held at the Arena Jacques-Lee-Woodpecker, a shame as Montreal has become a real home away from home for the Mytanar team.

Radina Ristic has always been a strong-willed coach and when she is disappointed in her players she lets them know about it. She’s also unafraid of letting the media know exactly what she thinks of her team and for that reason she is usually good for soundbites, but in the past few games she has been very positive about her team and that was no different after this win: “The girls have taken on-board the advice myself and the coaching staff were giving them when we were inconsistent earlier on in the tournament and it is paying dividends now. They are a great bunch of players and when that determination to improve is combined with the natural talent many of this group have it makes for a potent mix. Our opponents are finding that out as the tournament goes on.”

Players who have come in for criticism from Ristic during this tournament have been particularly notable for bouncing back from that criticism. Zuzana Brajdic and Milka Marovic were exceptional here against Lisander and every single bench player made an important play at some point. Natasa Radic was perhaps the most notable, diving to save a Lisander spike that looked for all the world as if it was heading in and rescuing it. Milena Spasojevic eventually finished the play after a couple more offensive plays for each team. Ristic has underlined the importance of the whole team from the very start of the tournament and in the knockout rounds our squad are really demonstrating their worth and proving their coach right.

Lisander had their bright moments too and in the second their captain Mégara Gasset really impressed along with Noemi Sclia. Mira Gushtanova was particularly keen to praise Sclia post-game: “Yeah, she was a fierce competitor and it was especially noticeable as she was on my side and I had been assigned to her when we were on the defensive end. I think it was pretty clear that it was the same for her with regard to me too. We made it difficult for each other but I think I did a good job and I’m pretty proud to have done it against somebody as talented as Sclia.”

Gushtanova was correct though, she did an extremely good job and Lisander struggled to contain her at times as she creatively scored points, a trio of feinted spikes in the third really caught the attention of the crowd in Calania Place. Majda Omeragic secured the third set when she came in for Gushtanova off the bench and the future of the Mytanar national team looks to be really solid given the presence of those two battling for that left-sided outside hitter spot. This team have gradually made early worries about the quality of national team look a bit silly as they have grown into the tournament and that is really heartening. They should be a force at international level for a good while.

Mytanija play Kohnhead in the semi-final, a team who earned their #2 seed with a perfect 5-0 record in Group E. It may not have been the toughest group, but to amass that sort of record at international level demonstrates real quality and Radina Ristic will be trying to plan for that ahead of this match. Beating Taeshan and Sarzonia in four sets in their two knockout games could strike fear into some opponents but you have to feel that this Mytanar team – after their rollercoaster start to the tournament – are well-prepared for any challenge. We can only hope that they come through this one with a berth in the final.

[HUElavia]

HUElavia Dominates in Historic Advance!

Qasden 1-3 HUElavia
(13-25, 25-20, 15-25, 16-25)
(Laurent Ahn Arena, Montreal)

For the second consecutive edition of the World Volleyball Expo, HUElavia was among the Elite Eight of Indoor Volleyball. After a solid performance in the Group Stage, and upsetting the host nation, Quebec and Shingoryeo, Las Amarillas/As Amarelas were determined to make a strong name for themselves and make further progression in the tournament. Their next opponents were #7 Qasden, who were coming off a tight 3-2 victory over Baker Park. The match was set to be played at Laurent Ahn Arena, in Montreal once again, where a strong amount of HUElavians were present in the stands. Once the ball was tipped, the match was under way!

The match as a whole was dominant by the Ladies, as they showed they meant business from the start. The first set saw Leite and Aranda dominating the court, with rotational help from Tirabassi and Khadra. At the end, a pass from Rocha to Leite, set up the spiking blow past a diving Caremore to end the set, 25-13. The second set had Qasden pick up the pace and show they were not going to be easy pushovers. Marina and Backspace were going on the offense, scoring points, while Delores and Klept came off the bench to help out the team. At the end, a blast of a shot from Marina allowed Qasden to tie the sets, winning 25-20. Las Amarillas/As Amarelas snapped into action from that set loss, and they went to work in the 3rd set. Strong performances from Zelaya, Cusipuma and Tassi helped the team rack up points, and a strong shot from Toledo gave way for the team to win the set, 25-15. In the 4th set, the team looked to serve the final blow and went all out with the main team. At the end, a pass from Leite to Agu allowed the Ibo-HUElavian to give a blistering stike that deflected off the hands of Cloudenborough to go to the floor, giving HUElavia the final set, 25-16. The ladies went onto the court to celebrate their advance while the crowd jumped and cheered with passion, celebrating the team's advance to the Semi-Finals.

For the second consecutive edition of the World Volleyball Expo, HUElavia will be among the Final Four of Volleyball. Eight years ago, this was something unthinkable, but now it is a reality and HUElavia is proving that in whichever sport they play in, they can make deep runs for a title. The next match will be against a very challenging opponent: #6 Cassadaigua. One of the strongest teams in Volleyball is back in the Semi-Finals and these two will be going all out for the chance to play in the 11th World Volleyball Expo Final. The match will be once again at Laurent Ahn Arena, in Montreal. Fans of both teams will be arriving in droves to support their teams in what could be a passionate match. In all honesty, this match is much like a Final itself. The ladies continue training in their facilities and studying film, as well as enjoying the amenities and sights in Montreal, while the fans also continue showing their feverent support for the team. All we can hope for is another win to make it to another final. Here's to what can be a historic game.

FORCA HUELAVIA! VAMOS HUELAVIA! GO HUELAVIA!

[Quebec and Shingoryeo]

Semifinals cutoff.

Kohnhead                25  20  17  25   8
Mytanija                23  25  25  20  15

Cassadaigua             16  25  25  25
HUElavia                25  23  22  23

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Third Place Match:
#2 Kohnhead vs. #8 HUElavia @ Calania Place, Montreal

Final:
#6 Cassadaigua vs. #14 Mytanija @ Arena Jacques-Lee-Woodpecker, Quebec City

[Cassadaigua]

Fillies to play for Volleyball title,
By Hannah Melanson, Concord Heights Times

Team Cassadaigua will be playing for the Volleyball World Expo championship, following a four-set win over HUElavia in the semifinals. None of the three sets that the Fillies won were easy, doing so 25-23 twice, and 25-22 once, but showed their resilience in each of them in order to prevail. The opponent is Mytanija, and this is expected to be a very tough matchup.

In looking at Mytanija, the first thing that you need to do is forget about the number fourteen that is right next to their nation name. Seeds don’t mean anything anymore, and they have had a campaign much like ours. That is, it has not always been pretty for them, but they have stepped up quite well when their backs were against the wall. Their coach, Radina Ristic, has used a lot more rotation in her game planning then we have, and perhaps that can explain why the results are never smooth. However, Shannon O’Rourke, the Fillies’ coach knows that there is no such thing as smooth sailing in a competition like this. “I’ve been keeping an eye on that team, especially during the playoffs, and in many ways they have been a lot like us in terms of needing to deal with some adverse results along the way. They have stepped up, and that can pay dividends in the playoffs. You look at their games, and you might think that they are always an adventure, but if you are winning those adventures, it shows a lot of character. We showed it against HUElavia as well. Now, I expect a great game for this championship.”

As for the players, there was a sense of relief with them as they look for Cassadaigua’s second VWE title. Kristen Kruse told me after the game that, “That was a tough one (HUElavia match), but you feed on the energy that you get from winning a close match in the way that we did. Every one of those sets was tough that we won, and since we lost the first one, there was not any room for error, really.” As for having the chance to win the title, she replied, “This is why everyone came to Quebec. Us, them (Mytanija), and everyone that didn’t get this far. One game remains to achieve that goal, and everyone out there on the floor wants badly to get it for their country and for their team. There’s one chance. Let’s play.” Kruse said the team has just begun their scouting of Mytanija, “Yeah, I mean you’re not going to scout them unless you play them. You know who they are during the tournament, but to try and figure out what they do, and all that, you don’t worry about that until now. There is an extra day of preparation that each of us have, and we’ll make use of that, and obviously they will too. Let the best team win.”

[Mytanija]

KOSTENCEVA KILLS OFF KOHNHEAD HOPES!
STARLET PUTS IN GAME-WINNING PERFORMANCE OFF THE BENCH TO SEND MYTANIJA TO THE FINAL

by Almedina Radovanovic

We witnessed a real masterclass in impacting the game from the bench from Rafaela Kostenceva against Kohnhead, providing headline writers with a dream scenario with all of the alliterative possibilities it threw up. She was impressive in all facets of her game, with some devilish serves including a deceiving floater in the fourth set. She was decisive off the bench, scoring four points in the game-winning set and making a number of solid defensive plays too. It was a truly fantastic display of all the skills required to be a great opposite hitter and Kostenceva is well on her way towards becoming one when you consider this showing.

Kohnhead made the match extremely tough, never further than five points away through the first four sets (whether ahead or behind, we should note). It was a very tight encounter between two of the best teams in the tournament, Mytanija’s #14 seeding perhaps not quite doing the team justice when taking into account the team’s best performances at this VWE. The seeding isn’t decided by committee, of course, but it was affected by the team being placed into one of the toughest groups and Mytanija have fought their way through to the final deservedly. Dispatching Iba Dawa, Lisander and now Kohnhead along the way demonstrates the level of this group of players under Radina Ristic’s leadership.

We must praise Ristic too, when the team have performed poorly she hasn’t minced her words and it seems to have inspired a group of players to push each other throughout the tournament. They’ve reached new levels in every game during the knockout stages (and even in the final game of the group stage against Hispinas), with each player knowing that one poor performance could mean that they are out of the starting line-up given the competitive nature of the squad. The culture Ristic has instilled in this team is a big reason behind this title push and performances like that which Rafaela Kostenceva put in here against Kohnhead only provides further evidence for that. Whether Mytanija win in the final or not it looks like a team which is well set to battle for glory in the future, the age profile of the squad is largely young (Nevzeta Majstorovic and Zumreta Kapilovic aside), and Ristic is a talented coach with plenty of experience when it comes to winning.

Mytanija were off to a good start, winning the first three points of the first set but Kohnhead turned that lead around as Lily Callahan got into her stride. Milka Marovic’s creative skill always kept the opening set close, but Kohnhead edged it 25-23. Mytanija improved defensively in the second, Sara Gemac making a series of important plays at the net and really demonstrating her quality. Mira Gushtanova and Milena Spasojevic have formed a really solid partnership, both attacking from the wing with their exceptional spiking ability causing Kohnhead trouble once they got started. A 25-20 win levelled the match and Mytanija looked to be playing well heading into the third.

The third set ended up being Mytanija’s best of the match as they combined really strong offensive play with an improved defensive showing (Gemac was brilliant once again, she might well be the best middle blocker in volleyball right now). Mytanija settled the third 25-17 and knew that a similar level of play in the fourth would see them through to their first ever VWE final. Kohnhead knew that too and didn’t want to let it happen and the Brains raised their game once again, winning by the same 25-20 score line Mytanija had won by in the second set to ensure the match would be going the whole distance. It would all come down to the fifth set.

Radina Ristic has ensured that the squad has been well rotated throughout the tournament, both to keep players hungry enough to fight for their spot with every performance but also to keep the team fresh and this allowed her to call upon most of her first choice team in the crucial fifth set. For most of the set she did plump for Rafaela Kostenceva ahead of Zuzana Brajdic though and Kostenceva repaid the faith by putting in a fantastic performance. Kostenceva contributed three points for the team as well as four successful sets too, with her defensive nous allowing Mytanija to grow their lead early and then reinforce it throughout as they won out 15-8. Zuzana Brajdic was joyous upon the team securing that final point, demonstrating that there is no bad blood in this team even when others are selected for the big moments. The team spirit in the squad is immense and Ristic has to be credited for developing it.

There is an air of inevitability about Cassadaigua being in the latter stages of any sports competition, they are a nation renowned for their sporting prowess and volleyball is no different. It is a meeting between the tournament’s #6 and #14 seeds, but those numbers are deceiving, there’s no doubting that these are two of the best volleyball teams in the multiverse right now. They’re both in the final for a reason, after all. Cassadaigua were impressive in the group stage, amassing a 4-1 record to finish ahead of Baker Park and another Rushmori nation in the form of Græntfjall. In the knockout rounds they ran the full gamut of performances, beating Kriegiersien in three; defeating one of the other top nations Hispinas in a five set epic; and then easing past HUElavia in four to reach the final. Kristen Kruse and Lauren Delcourt are two players who are likely to be in the Sportmag team of the tournament and Mytanija will have to plan for their quality. Those sort of honours aren’t what the Dagans are after though, they will want to taste glory in the VWE in the second time and they will be determined to prevent Mytanija from earning their first. You can sure it will be a passionate encounter as two Rushmori nations battle for supremacy on the grandest stage in volleyball.

[Quebec and Shingoryeo]

And here's the final cutoff of the competition! Thank you everybody for making this competition a great pleasure.

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Kohnhead                25  24  19  25  15
HUElavia                22  26  25  21   8

Cassadaigua             28  20  25  22  13
Mytanija                26  25  15  25  15

Congratulations and Commiserations.

[Mytanija]

WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS
MYTANIJA EDGE FIVE SET THRILLER TO BEAT CASSADAIGUA

by Almedina Radovanovic

Coming into the VWE there was a sense that this Mytanar team was good, but perhaps a little inexperienced at international level and that meant that a lot of people (myself included) were tempering their expectations as the tournament got underway. The skill levels and depth of quality in the Top League meant that people were confident that Mytanija could at least compete at international level and perhaps even make it to the knockout stages, but few were prepared for the rollercoaster that the national team were going to serve up. In the group stage they were inconsistent, winning one game and then dropping the next in disappointing fashion, throughout all this Radina Ristic warned against complacency and told the players and the media not to get ahead of themselves. She knew that the team would have to work hard, grow into the competition and keep focus on the prize at the end of it. Her leadership was excellent and those who doubted her and the team when there was a rocky patch in the group stage have been proven completely wrong, Mytanija are volleyball world champions.

Cassadaigua actually won more points over the course of this final, but Mytanija won them when it mattered to turn a 2-1 deficit through three into a 3-2 win over five sets. In the final set it even got to 13-13, Mytanija fighting back from 7-1 down to eventually win 15-13. Mira Gushtanova – fantastic throughout this tournament – once again showed up when it mattered to score those two final points of the game and seal a first ever volleyball world championship for Mytanija. The amount of money pumped into our domestic league and youth development has paid dividends as this young team came together at the right time to win the highest honour in volleyball at the first time of asking. Radina Ristic was quick to congratulate her players, but she also said that the challenge was to now build on this: “They’ve done brilliantly! We didn’t start too well, being placed into one of the toughest groups so early on into your first attempt on the international stage made things difficult but the team really grew into the tournament. This result is nothing less than they deserved and to beat Cassadaigua shows how far they have come in such a short space of time. We want to come back and do it all over again next time, that’s the big challenge I have for these players, let’s make it a dynasty.”

Dynasties are tough to come by in any sport, such is the level of competition across the multiverse at the top level, but the professional nature of our domestic volleyball league can only help in ensuring that Mytanija stay towards the top of the game. Talks surrounding a potential international club competition should be received positively among those running the MOF too and would allow for more of our players to play against international quality opponents, a crucial experience if we want to retain the depth of quality we currently have. It’s crucial to have as many players as possible playing the highest standard of volleyball against the best opposition that we can find, it will allow more players to develop and keep the competition for places in our national team as high as it currently is and that is something which can only bode well for the future health of Mytanar volleyball (and any future title hopes!).

On a day when the national football team was dumped out of the Copa Rushmori by Nephara this was a welcome result, the popularity of volleyball is extremely high and it is probably second in people’s affections after football. The crowd in the Arena Jacques-Lee-Woodpecker in Quebec City had a large Mytanar contingent and they could be seen celebrating in the stands along with the players on the confetti-strewn court. Mytanar flags were waved proudly and this was a great moment for the country in the aftermath of the Mytanar Conflict, five of Mytanija’s seven regions are represented on this team and the multi-ethnic, multicultural nature of it is hopefully a marker of how far we have come. Hosting the Copa Rushmori was enormous for the country, but this sort of success could spur reconstruction and reconciliation on even further. The team are expected to fly into Esca International tomorrow where the team will be greeted by Premier Ana Mecava-Catic before a celebratory welcome home in Liberation Square. Let’s hope that that sort of thing becomes the norm in the coming years!