Volleyball World Expo VII - IC Thread

[Yttribia]

Yttribian National Volleyball Team

Starters

Right Setter: #1 Wilhelm Mill - 22 - Fontvieille University
Right Hitter: #2 Ricardo Gervausio - 21 - College of Pontidexxu
Middle Hitter: #3 Osvaldo Aldebrandi - 18 - Dahlen Universitaet - Captain
Left Hitter: #4 Erik Pál - 19 - O'Richards School - Vice Captain
Left Setter: #5 Lucas Traviss - 20 - University of Telino-Downtown - Assistant Coach
Libero: #6 Nicolao Szombathy - 22 - Delare Minon College - Head Coach

Bench

Setter: #7 Harmon Becke - 19 - Olivera State College
Setter: #8 Jeremy Weiner - 20 - University of Gaillard
Hitter: #9 Brenton Quattrocchi - 21 - College of Zevella
Hitter: #10 Brandon Vicario - 17 - Collegio di Serraville
Hitter: #11 Sancho Abaroa - 22 - State College of Penedès, Fontaubella
Libero: #12 Eulalia Nardi - 18 - The Rollox College

RP Permissions
Don't kill them. If you want to injure them, TG me first. Thanks.

[Costa de Ouro]

This is the second cutoff of the VWE.

I promise that IC info will be up by tomorrow's cutoff.

Group A
Armeia                      23  25  25  27
Protectoria                 25  14  18  25

Avissian Union              22  25  25  25
Taeshan                     25  16  12  20


  Group A                  Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 Avissian Union             2   2  0    6   1  +5    6
2 Protectoria                2   1  1    4   3  +1    3
3 Armeia                     2   1  1    3   4  −1    3
4 Taeshan                    2   0  2    1   6  −5    0

Group B
Ctulthii                    26   8  11  25  15
Semarland                   24  25  25  12  13

Estelar                     25  25  27
The Sword Bloke             22  19  25


  Group B                  Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 Estelar                    2   2  0    6   2  +4    5
2 Semarland                  2   1  1    5   3  +2    3
3 Ctulthii                   2   1  1    5   5   0    3
4 The Sword Bloke            2   0  2    0   6  −6    0

Group C
Luxdonia                    17  23  19
Neu Engollon                25  25  25

United States of Devonta    22  22  25  13
Cosumar                     25  25  22  25


  Group C                  Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 Neu Engollon               2   2  0    6   2  +4    5
2 Cosumar                    2   1  1    5   4  +1    3
3 United States of Devonta   2   1  1    4   5  −1    2
4 Luxdonia                   2   0  2    2   6  −4    0

Group D
Welcomzia                   22  25  17  22
Abanhfleft                  25  21  25  25

Uitbregen                   25  24  25  25
Lons                        23  26  22  19


  Group D                  Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 Abanhfleft                 2   2  0    6   2  +4    6
2 Uitbregen                  2   2  0    6   3  +3    5
3 Welcomzia                  2   0  2    3   6  −3    0
4 Lons                       2   0  2    2   6  −4    0

Group E
New West Guiana             25  25  25
The Jeckish Union           18  18  19

Patistan                    22  16  25  20
San José Guayabal           25  25  21  25


  Group E                  Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 New West Guiana            2   2  0    6   1  +5    6
2 San José Guayabal          2   1  1    4   4   0    3
3 The Jeckish Union          2   1  1    3   4  −1    3
4 Patistan                   2   0  2    2   6  −4    0

Group F
Breitenfeld-Sibbesborg      14  25  17  17
Natanians and Nosts         25  22  25  25

Yttribia                    25  25  27
Krytenia                    18  18  25


  Group F                  Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 Natanians and Nosts        2   2  0    6   1  +5    6
2 Yttribia                   2   2  0    6   2  +4    5
3 Breitenfeld-Sibbesborg     2   0  2    3   6  −3    0
4 Krytenia                   2   0  2    0   6  −6    0

Group G
New Hayesalia               25  21  25  21  15
Alastonia                   15  25  17  25  13

95X                         25  25  25
Royal Kingdom of Quebec      8  23  17


  Group G                  Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 95X                        2   2  0    6   0  +6    6
2 Alastonia                  2   1  1    5   3  +2    3
3 New Hayesalia              2   1  1    3   5  −2    3
4 Royal Kingdom of Quebec    2   0  2    0   6  −6    0

Group H
Euskirribakondara           25  25   8  19  12
Kaboomlandia                15  23  25  25  15

Albaie                      22  25  22  20
Reçuecn                     25  19  25  25


  Group H                  Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 Reçuecn                    2   2  0    6   2  +4    6
2 Albaie                     2   1  1    4   4   0    3
3 Kaboomlandia               2   1  1    4   5  −1    3
4 Euskirribakondara          2   0  2    3   6  −3    0

[Natanians and Nosts]

"Natanians and Nosts wins its second game in VWE VII,a great win against Breitenfeld-Sibbesborg,see now some of the points:
-Numa passes to Mihai,he attempts the 'pipe',but the attack is blocked,Márcus digs,Mihai sets to Ion Natan,he spikes,and it's 15-5!
-Mihai recives the ball,the ball is placed perfectly for Ion Natan to try to set,he does,Rodion spikes,no blocker,and it's a beaultiful spike.23-15
-Ion Márius serves 'voyage' and it's an ace,a great ace,the ball is perfectly located between the positions 6 and 1!22-22
-Numa passes to Iohannis,hecsets to Gheorghe,and he spikes...no he gives a 'largada'!23-14!"

[Armeia]

"Holy crap, we actually did it!" shouted Albina as the final whistle sounded and the Armeians won.

"You sound surprised, don't you have faith in us?" asked Alexandrie, who had scored the winning points as well as forced the fourth set.

"It's not that, Lex... It's just that they're better than us, and now we have hope in the group," said Albina. "Hopefully the media will like this too and leave us alone."

"We can only hope..." sighed Alexandrie as they left the court. The next match would decide Armeia's fate, and everyone would have to give their all for a win...

[Neu Engollon]

"Neu Engollon, I'm right here with you! Once again, Jackie Pleuvar, your new volleyball anchor on NETV 19. Of course, this is the NETV Sports 19 Special Update. I'm now reporting live from Costa del Ouro, having made it in last night via Javelin Airways. I will be honest, I almost didn't make it to the match as I was having so much fun checking out Nova Lisboa and the beautiful beaches of Santa Maria. A magnificent, muscular Costeño, named João, volunteered to guide me around. I must say, I would have been lost without João. Somehow, I made it to the venue on time after catching a ride from the hotel from...so, yes, the match!

Our brave men and women of the Ibex team won their match against Luxdonia's squad. Major kudos to Solonge Fenlier, who served for an astonishing 12 consecutive points in the second game, while Ursula De Billiere and Guillaume Feinstein hammered in the slams and spikes. After that, the Luxdonians never seemed to quite recover from their shock for the rest of the match.

Let's hope they can keep up this momentum throughout the tournament. After talking with Solonge and Alan Goerdel, I believe our Ibex can pull it off. The next group match is against Devonta. You can catch it right here live on NETV Sports 19, tomorrow night. Stay tuned for previews after the break..."

[Recuecn]

Reçuecian National Volleyball Team

After seeing how excited Reçuecians could get when rooting for a national sports team during the World Cup, volleyball players throughout Reçueçn decided they ought to capitalize on the patriotic sporting fervor and start their own national team for the upcoming Volleyball World Expo. Volleyball in Reçueçn didn't have a national governing body, so a few avid volleyball lovers got together, invited some volleyball clubs (clubs is the precise term: these were largely amateurs who got together a couple time a week), included several university volleyball teams, formed an association, and got themselves recognized as the National Volleyball Governing Body of Reçueçn. By that exact name, as it didn't occur to anybody to make it sound nice, or that they would be having to say the name a lot when The Body (now its official nickname) became a reality. Despite the amateur or collegiate status of the members involved, writing off the team the NVGBR decided to send to the World Volleyball Expo would be a mistake. The members did play competitively, although not professionally. Many people in Reçueçn did and do attend volleyball games regularly--there just doesn't happen to be an organized league or tournament.

Roster

Coach: Estienne Dior

Starters

Jean-Claude Pascal	Middle Hitter		#3
Chloé Pélissier 	Libero			#6
Apollonia Pirrone	Setter			#1
Aimee Rogers		Setter			#4
Ester Seidl		Right Side Hitter	#2
Cäsar Wilpert		Left Side Hitter	#5

Reserves

Ghislaine Brugière	Middle Hitter		#9
Madison Fraser		Left Side Hitter	#11
Antonio Pieretti	Libero			#12
Margarete Prochnow	Setter			#10
Morgane Saunier		Right Side Hitter	#8
Charles Simpson		Setter			#7

The team was not called up by any one person, or even by some committee or panel of "The Body." There was not even a vote. Instead, a bunch of the players got together and agreed on who the most skilled candidates were for the competition. A few things and people to note:
The team is neither a men's team nor a women's team. Nobody in The Body ever bothered to suggest the idea. If it had been brought up, it probably would have been voted down: plenty of skilled volleyball players in Reçueçn wanted to go to the World Expo, both male and female.
Chloé Pélissier is the sister of one of the members of the Reçuecian National Football Team. Her brother, named Luc, is a reserve player for the side.[OOC:iirc] Chloé is probably more skilled in volleyball than he is in football, and is the best player on the team. She is just out of college and unsure of her future plans, as she spent most of her time in school playing volleyball (for which she was given a scholarship.)
Jean-Claude Pascal is also a very skilled player. probably next best after Chloé. He thinks she's cute. He is in grad school.
Estienne Dior, the coach of the team, got the spot not because the team, a very informal bunch of athletes, really needs a coach, but because he really wanted to come along, but at 34, is already (disappointingly for his fans, who had hoped for a longer career) past his prime. He used to be recognized as Reçueçn's best volleyball player, but he and everyone else is aware that he's not quite as in shape as he used to be.


RP permissions: Have a blast. Although don't kill Pascal or Pélissier, please.

[Estelar]

Two wins for Estelar overshadow accusations against Anita Tremarie
news brought to you from the Daily Predictor, in association with Astrology Today/Past/Forever

Participating in their first international competition, the volleyball players of the Estelarian National Team had a very good start, winning the first two matches. However, the start was not that easy. Playing against Ctulthii, a nation that our official sports commentators had huge difficulties in saying its name during the match, Estelar made many mistakes, especially in serving and blocking sending the ball out in several plays, which caused the match to reach the tie-break set. The numbers speak for themselves: in the first three sets, the results were the same, 25-21, alternating between the two teams. In the first set Ctulthii managed to keep a lead of at least 3 points since the beginning of the set, and even several substitutions promoted by Anita couldn't change it. The three following sets were much more exciting, with many changes in the leading team, and the tie-break was decided thanks to an amazing streak of three consecutive points, two of those being aces promoted by Zélia.

The second match was against The Sword Bloke and, although the game was decided in just three sets, Estelar had some complicated moments, especially when the team was losing by four points in the first set. Anita then changed Adriana and Vênus for Camille and Rachel, the latter performing so well that she will probably start in the next match. With some great moves by Helena in the minutes she played, the team was able to overcome the difficulties and win the first set, with the second being an easier one. In the third set, the same problems returned, especially blocking mistakes, which even led Anita to an angry outburst that didn't help things much. Hopefully, or just luckily, the team managed to keep calm and win the game with the last point coming from a successful blocking by Alisson.

Two wins, and expectations in Estelar have grown. The fans of volleyball, a reasonable number, are excited about this performance and filling bars and mobile phone chat discussions talking about their favourite players. This helped a lot coach Anita Tremarie, who before the first matchday began to receive several critics from the sport's fans and of professional players in Estelar due to her decisions about who to call up for the squad. After Anita made it clear her opposition to Gemini and Aries players, only calling Zélia because she won twice the award for best player in the country, other top players of these two signs expressed their frustration and anger. "I am the captain of my team in Estelar and considered the second best setter in the country, but she called Kate Horus just because she is a Virgo", said Aries player Talissa Camacho, who plays for Ascendant Athletics. This is just an example of the critics sent to Anita.

But a controversy which is even bigger than the decision to not call Aries players, is the decision of Anita to call three Virgo players, while most other signs have just one player (the team has two Sagittarius players, however). The conspiration seems even clearer when we remember that the coach is also a Virgo, which may lead to the conclusion that there was a clear bias in the choosing of the squad members. It is not really common for people to have a bias in working with people of their own sign, especially since two similar people is not equal to compatibility, so this decision by Anita raised several questions. To call too many people of the same sign may not be the best balanced way to build a team, and a lack of balanced in the stars may doom the team, some specialists commented. But, since the team is winning, Anita is getting away with her decision so far.

[Recuecn]

Reçueçn Doing Well in Costa de Ouro
The Reçueçn Journal

Vilança, Costa de Ouro--Two four-set matches in, Reçueçn's new volleyball team has already qualified for the Round of 16, after performances which pleasantly surprised everyone but its own fans--and, of course, its opposition. The group of amateur and collegiate players first defeated Kaboomlandia, 22-L18-15-20, and then served Albaie in the same style, 22-L19-22-20.

"I think our optimism and perseverance is really what put us through," said Libero Chloé Pélissier, when asked what she attributed her team's victory to. "We're just here to have fun and win games."

"And we're all out of fun," laughed Jean-Claude Pascal, another of the team's starting players, walking past our journalist.

"No, but seriously," continued Pélissier, "I guess that came out wrong. What I meant to say, is we're just here to have fun and enjoy ourselves, and I think when the other teams are all stressed out, they tense up, they're more stiff on the court, and their play just flows worse. And we're just on the other side of the net, laughing and bouncing a ball around."

The team's coach, Estienne Dior, was also upbeat, and refused to take credit for any of the performance. "I think Chloé's right," he said. "The team's been having a blast just being here, seeing the sights, soaking in the experience, and if we go home after the Round of 16, I think we'll have already had a great time. Of course, winning both our games so far plays into that," he added with a smile. When questioned about his own influence on the team, he said, "I think it's pretty minimal, to be honest. All the players came together from such different backgrounds that organizing the team as a highly unified, organized body would be kind of a nightmare. I've given a few individual tips, here and there. But mostly everyone's really smart, talented, and they can figure it out on their own."

The team's next game is this Wednesday against Euskirribakondara, which has already been mathematically eliminated. As Reçueçn has already clinched their spot in the next round, most likely only avid supporters of those two countries will tune in, while the other game in the group, between Kaboomlandia and Albaie for second place, will draw all the crowds.

[95X]

from the Pacific City Courier:
95X Turns Back Quebec
ANTILLA, COSTA DE OURO—The 95Xers lobbed the Royal Kingdom of Quebec across the Calanian Channel in their second match of the Seventh Volleyball World Expo, as 95X won in three sets.

Ai Onefortythird switched things up a bit, starting young Josie Jones in the backcourt, who would play a majority of sets one and three.

"Josie showed tremendous potential in practices, had some powerful hits in our game against New Hayesalia, and it made sense to increase her role in this one," Onefortythird said of the switch.

Quebec showed signs of life in the second set, going on a 9-point rally to pull within one at 24-23, when Mara Tolliver set up Talia Oxnard for set point on the kill.

Through two games, 95X is the only team that has not yet lost a set, and will need to continue this momentum as they play Alastonia in their final Group G match. Then it's on to the single-knockout tournament portion of the competition.

[Natanians and Nosts]

"Today I am here with Ion Márius Álvares,our centre hitter.First of all,congratulations Ion for the great VWE,and what do you think about the two games we had until today?"
"Thank you!I think that we are just making our job,and we aren't making it very well,we are leaving them to score so many points,and if weren't our setters and our Libero,well I really don't know where we woud be."
"Ion,what do you think about our way of play?"
"I think our coach is making a good job,and we are part of a few teams that are using the 5x1(or 1x4x1,with the Libero) instead of 4x2 or 6x0.We are using well the centre for spiking,and our side and opposite hitters are making a great job too,and don't forget that we're using the 'pipe'!But it all wouldn't work without our coach and our setters."
"Last one Ion:What do you think about the game against Yttribia?"
"I think that they're a good team,but we are better,I know it sound overconfiant and offensive,but it's my way to see it,they are the other team who had won a match in our group,but I think we have more talent and hability,some may discord of me,but I still see it like this."
"O.K.,so good bye Ion,good luck!"
"Bye"
"And don't forget to see the VWE VII here!"

[Costa de Ouro]

This is the last cutoff of the group stage.

Who will win? Who will go home? We find out soon!

Group A
Taeshan                     10  13  15
Armeia                      25  25  25

Protectoria                 23  25  26  20
Avissian Union              25  17  28  25


  Group A                  Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 Avissian Union             3   3  0    9   2  +7    9
2 Armeia                     3   2  1    6   4  +2    6
3 Protectoria                3   1  2    5   6  −1    3
4 Taeshan                    3   0  3    1   9  −8    0

Group B
The Sword Bloke             21  18  25  25   6
Ctulthii                    25  25  19  18  15

Semarland                   18  18  22
Estelar                     25  25  25


  Group B                  Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 Estelar                    3   3  0    9   2  +7    8
2 Ctulthii                   3   2  1    8   7  +1    6
3 Semarland                  3   1  2    5   6  −1    3
4 The Sword Bloke            3   0  3    2   9  −7    0

Group C
Cosumar                     25  16  25  25
Luxdonia                    18  25  20  19

Neu Engollon                25  25  29
United States of Devonta    10   9  27


  Group C                  Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 Neu Engollon               3   3  0    9   2  +7    8
2 Cosumar                    3   2  1    8   5  +3    7
3 United States of Devonta   3   1  2    4   8  −4    2
4 Luxdonia                   3   0  3    3   9  −6    1

Group D
Lons                        21  22  25  25   7
Welcomzia                   25  25  12  16  15

Abanhfleft                  27  25  25
Uitbregen                   25  13  19


  Group D                  Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 Abanhfleft                 3   3  0    9   2  +7    9
2 Uitbregen                  3   2  1    6   6   0    5
3 Welcomzia                  3   1  2    6   8  −2    3
4 Lons                       3   0  3    4   9  −5    1

Group E
San José Guayabal           19  25  21  25  15
New West Guiana             25  20  25  19  11

The Jeckish Union           25  25  25
Patistan                    16  18  22


  Group E                  Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 New West Guiana            3   2  1    8   4  +4    7
2 The Jeckish Union          3   2  1    6   4  +2    6
3 San José Guayabal          3   2  1    7   6  +1    5
4 Patistan                   3   0  3    2   9  −7    0

Group F
Krytenia                    25  22  16  25  15
Breitenfeld-Sibbesborg      18  25  25  22  13

Natanians and Nosts         25  19  25  23  15
Yttribia                    16  25  18  25  12


  Group F                  Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 Natanians and Nosts        3   3  0    9   3  +6    8
2 Yttribia                   3   2  1    8   5  +3    6
3 Krytenia                   3   1  2    3   8  −5    4
4 Breitenfeld-Sibbesborg     3   0  3    5   9  −4    2

Group G
Royal Kingdom of Quebec     24  15  11
New Hayesalia               26  25  25

Alastonia                   21  24  19
95X                         25  26  25


  Group G                  Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 95X                        3   3  0    9   0  +9    9
2 New Hayesalia              3   2  1    6   5  +1    7
3 Alastonia                  3   1  2    5   6  −1    4
4 Royal Kingdom of Quebec    3   0  3    0   9  −9    0

Group H
Reçuecn                     25  25  25
Euskirribakondara           16  11  18

Kaboomlandia                25  25  25
Albaie                      20  21  15


  Group H                  Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 Reçuecn                    3   3  0    9   2  +7    9
2 Kaboomlandia               3   2  1    7   5  +2    5
3 Albaie                     3   1  2    4   7  −3    3
4 Euskirribakondara          3   0  3    3   9  −6    1

Ro16 Draw
Avissian Union vs Ctulthii
Uitbregen vs Neu Engollon
Abanhfleft vs Cosumar
Armeia vs Estelar
New West Guiana vs Yttribia
Reçueçn vs New Hayesalia
Natanians and Nosts vs The Jeckish Union
Kaboomlandia vs 95X

[New Hayesalia]

TRANSCRIPT, UNION 24/1 NEWS, NEW HAYESALIA'S SOURCE FOR NEWS

"With two wins under their belts, the New Hayesalian volleyball team have successfully made it to the round of 16 at the Volleyball World Expo."

The camera showed the team during it's game with the Royal Kingdom of Quebec and shaking hands with them afterwards.

"We played really well today, really well." said right hitter Liam Leam. "Just gotta do it a few more times!"

"The team now goes onto the round of 16, with their first match against the Recuecn Confederacy. Winning that will take them onto the finals, and maybe New Hayesalia's first international volleyball victory."

"We are definitely hoping for that." Leam said, ending the report. "Competing is awesome, but bringing back the trophy would be incredible."

[Estelar]

Dominating performance and an answer to critics
news brought to you from the Daily Predictor, in association with Astrology Today/Past/Forever

The third matchday of the Volleyball World Expo brought another win for Estelar, a calm and quick victory over Semarland by 3-0. This time, the team didn't repeat the same blocking mistakes of the last two matches and, with more concentration, could easily show some superiority, which impressed even many Estelarians who didn't expect the team to be performing so well in its first international competition. Many experts say that the reason why this third game seemed so easier is exactly because the initial nervousness of the squad, surrounded by controversies since the call-up, is gone, and now we can only expect the players to do their best in the decisive matches ahead. The first one of them is the Round of 16 match against Armeia, a team that looked really impressive after a devastating victory against Taeshan, in which they made the opponent team look like amateurs. "If they managed to defeat a National Team squad by such an absurd margin, they probably have chances against any other team in the world. We may have qualified in the first place of our group, but their performance really shows us that we can't be considered the favourites", said captain Alisson, who received a positive nod from her coach after her words.

Right now, the strong points of the squad seem to be the set up plays involving Zélia and Adriana, a pair which produced many points from Estelar in the group stage. Helena's defensive qualities are proven, as the numbers show that Estelar conceded less points when the libero was playing. Anita, the coach, commented about the team's good form: "This is a well prepared team and the players know exactly their roles. I knew exactly what I had in mind when I called up each of the players, and they have not disappointed me. My objective, together with the Federation, of course, is to prepare a team ready to win the title, or at least challenge for it." This comment was, of course, an indirect answer to those who have crticized her player choices when choosing the squad, as she called three Virgo players, the same sign of hers.

Due to the good results, the critics lost some influence. It is clear that there was some Virgo preference, but no one can blame Anita if positive results are coming from this. Helena, one of the main stars of the team and one of the Virgo players, commented about this: "We play really well together. She called us because of our quality and ability to work as a team, and our zodiac sign is not the main reason of the choice. Honestly, to keep saying this is offensive to me". But, of course, many dismiss these defensive comments, since Virgo people are known as very trustworthy. So, of course they are going to defend their coach and friends, they probably have organized themselves as a specific group. Anita probably wanted some people who would defend her and organize the team in an union, and even Zélia seems to be working fine with her team mates.

"Well, I can't say they don't bring many good ideas about moves and they really help us to stay focused with their words", said Zélia, the Gemini star of the team. "There are two Sagittarius players as well, so perhaps there isn't a complete bias... although I like the Sagittarius ones because they my complementary opposite..." Then, while talking about this, she suddenly changed the subject and started talking about other stuff not related to volleyball at all, but still talking about her relationship with her team mates. "You know, we have decided to commemorate our three wins in a nice nightclub, do you want to come? We have already bought three bottles of vodka, two of rum, one of whisky, one of cachaça and one of tequila, plenty of options! You know how we love to party, but I guarantee you that we'll be more than ready for the next game, we brought plenty of medicines to recover from hangovers and headaches... expect more success coming!"

[Neu Engollon]

"Jackie Pleuvar here with you, Neu Engollon. You're watching the NETV Sports 19 Special Update. Reporting live from Nova Lisboa, Costa del Ouro,. So, the Ibex have made it to the Round of Sixteen in the Volleyball World Expo here. They vanquished their foe, this time around it was the United States of Devonta's squad, in order to move on from the group stage.

Solonge Fenlier again shone as a star on the court, but the whole crew really came together to take down the Devontans at their own high speed volley style of play. There was a lot of rapid fire over the net and Goerdel, Feinstein and Sarpietro all were able to smash several over on their opponents throughout the first two games. Allia Jovolic had an incredible dig in the third game to save the squad from a fierce Devontan attack, Ursula De Billiere was able to set it off Jovolic's save and Heissen pounded it home, as we see in this footage. The series was won with a bountiful amount of points by the Ibex.

Next up, they take on Uitbregen in order to fight their way into the quarter finals. Uitbregen is a national foe that our athletes have seen many a time on the rugby pitch, but it will be a first to face them on the volleyball court. There is a large contingency of Neu Engollian fans who have flown down to support them here in Costa de Ouro.

You who could not afford the tickets and away time and are relegated to watching the broadcast can catch it right here live on NETV Sports 19, tonight. Several viewing parties are planned in the pubs in Panoli, Albertville and Burgunden from what I hear. Who knew that volleyball would build up such a viewing crowd in the Confederacy? Stay tuned for player profiles after the break..."

[New West Guiana]

The Rundown

Today we are sitting down with the head of the All Womens Professional Volleyball League (AWPVL) Jayne Goldberg, and in our discussion we will talk about the West Guianan volleyball squad and the future of the AWPVL.

TJ: Welcome Mrs. Goldberg to The Rundown, Morning Today.

Jayne: Thank You.

TJ: Now Mrs Goldberg in their second appearance in the World Volleyball Expo, just as in their first all those years ago our girls have advanced to the round of 16 where in they'll play Yttribia. Now all that we do know of that first knock out round match was that we lost in five sets, how far do you believe that they could go?

Goldberg: I am very pleased with how well the gals of West Guiana have done, up until the last match day they were undefeated then lost in five sets. However though despite only showing up in the fourth expo which took place more than forty years ago. I along with the many fans that did travel to the expo have the feeling that they will continue their journey, I', not sure how far they'll get but I am confident in them.

TJ: Now as the head of our nations professional league, you have seen it grow from its first season which only showed five teams, to the current issues that abound it. Is the league in trouble?

Goldberg: The league is not in trouble I will state that right now, yes we have seen one of our franchises go into the red and suspend operations for the time being. However Those two teams that were unable to play last season have informed me that they will in fact play this next season.

TJ: But despite that do you have any doubts that the North Gem Diamonds will be able to operate the whole season. I ask this because their owner Sam Carl is right now in court being sued for $900,000 in unpaid salaries and rent.

Goldberg: I am aware of this and have confidence that they will be able to pays these debts and that they will be able to play.

TJ: It isn't only North Gem that many in the nation have doubts about, they have many questions whether the league will be able to survive another season. Last season you averaged only 980 people per game and in order to insure the championship game wasn't blacked out you had to give away 3,000 tickets.

Goldberg: Look we have been able to restructure many of our contracts with players and cut several others to insure that we we will be able to meet our obligations to pay our players. I will admit we are counting on the success of of the national team, but we are still working out problems that we haven't been able to find the middle with. But I will say right now that the state of the league is stable.

TJ: Thank you Mrs. Goldberg.

[95X]

from the Pacific City Courier:
95X Volleyball Completes Sweep
ANTILLA, COSTA DE OURO—After defeating Alastonia in three sets, 95X completed their sweep of their Group Stage opponents in the current Volleyball World Expo. 95X moves on to face Kaboomlandia in the first round of the playoffs.

Alastonia was attempting to gain the second Group G spot, and clung to life throughout the match. Their best chance was early in the second set, when Ashli Xxz went for a kill. As the seven-footer raised her right arm and anticipated a point, Alastonian hitter Emily Jordan dived for a tricky and successful dig near the net. Play kept alive as Madison Spelling passed to Lisa Wayne, who powered the ball past the castle-like 95X front line for Alastonia to take the lead, 5-4.

"She's extremely athletic and talented, yet nobody's perfect," 95X Coach Ai Onefortythird said of Xxz's performance following the match. "She's helped us dominate every match we've played so far, it just means our staff has something to work on before our next match, and even the best players have ways to improve."

"It was extremely cunning," Xxz herself complimented the competition, trying to hold composure. "Most competitors are like, 'she's seven feet tall and nearly undefendable,'" she stops, chuckles, and admits she's still adjusting to the media exposure being on a national team brings.

The first and third sets were all-95X. In the latter, 95X never trailed as the smell of victory became imminent.

[Costa de Ouro]

Cutoff for the Round of 16!

Avissian Union*          25  25  25
Ctulthii*                 7  17  14

Uitbregen               21  17  12
Neu Engollon            25  25  25

Abanhfleft              25  20  15  18
Cosumar                 19  25  25  25

Armeia                  25  19  14  16
Estelar                 23  25  25  25

New West Guiana         25  25  19  18  15
Yttribia                21  15  25  25   6

Reçuecn                 21  20  12
New Hayesalia           25  25  25

Natanians and Nosts     25  25  25
The Jeckish Union       21  19  17

Kaboomlandia            16  22  25  20
95X                     25  25  23  25

Quarterfinal Draw: Avissian Union vs Neu Engollon
Cosumar vs Estelar
New West Guiana vs New Hayesalia
Natanians and Nosts vs 95X

* Avissian Union vs Ctulthii scored by Semarland

Sorry Armeia, I missed your post. :-(

[Armeia]

SUPER DRAGONS ADVANCE, DO NATION PROUD

It was their first ever World Expo. The first team assembled really. And they advanced into the round of 16 on the last group stage match, showing a will to win throughout all three games in a successful campaign that led up to this. The Dragons don't play like most teams, but that didn't matter, the opposition had trouble keeping up with their fast paced, up tempo style of play, and the swagger that they carry themselves with, and this frustrated the Taeshan players, giving Armeia a runaway win.

There was an incident at the end of the match, however, where Armeian players Albina Tesarik and Jana Stauss got involved in a brawl with the opposing team's players. The fight erupted after a frustrated Taeshanian, Zackary Johnson, muttered 'fucking nazis' to a teammate, and Stauss overheard. There are reportedly no serious injuries but Stauss received cuts to the head and Tesarik received a bloodied nose when the duo started a fight with three rival players.

Coach Vlad has only commented that 'he's proud of his players for standing up for the country's history' and that Stauss is in consideration for the captain's armband in the round of 16 match. Player Slavica Leclair has released a statement over twitter also, stating 'when you mess with our history, don't be upset if you get punched'.

[Estelar]

Estelarians praise Virgo power!
news brought to you from the Daily Predictor, in association with Astrology Today/Past/Forever

The controversy appeared, and many comments involving it happened during the last weeks, since the announcement made by Anita Tremarie. However, the critics of the volleyball team ended losing their arguments. No one can say that the Estelar team is not a strong which has a chance to win against any opponent, and that some of the players called didn't deserve the honour. The squad organized by Anita is a very determined one, with a good team chemistry and very tactical and, after reducing the number of mistakes made in the first matchdays, became a machine of deadly moves, something proven in the Round of 16 match against Armeia. And, look at the irony, one of the reasons of this huge success according to the experts is exactly the union of the Virgo players, and several people are now praising the decision of the coach to call several players of her zodiac sign. Marta Elerri, main sports commentator of the Starry News, gave her opinion: "We can't deny that there were some very talented players who could have been called... however, I think that the teamwork Estelar is showing has proved to be more efficient than to mix only individual stars. Anita is a very tactical coach and we needed responsible players to make it work."

The performance that shut up the mouths of so many critics was a very convincing 3-1 win over Armeia, which finished in the second place of group A. The horoscope promised a difficult match, while betting agencies predicted a five-set match. In the end, although being surprised in the first set, Estelar managed to easily take control of the game, which means that we have interpreted the stars in the horoscope wrong. The leader of the State Horoscope Agency fired three specialists, claiming that the stars couldn't lie and that the country needs to train better their professionals. Returning to the story of the game, Armeia's good start was mostly thanks to Marta Eichel, who scored 10 points herself with strong attacks, in which can be considered once again a failure of the Estelarian blocking tactics. Estelar attempted to recover and the combo Zélia-Adriana once again proved useful, but it was too late and Armeia won the first set.

In the second set, Estelar managed to block better the opponent attacks, and slowly turned the game to its favour. In the last minutes of the set, the team managed to score four points in a row to end it in a 25-19 result, which probably affected the morale of the Armeia players, since they couldn't play at the same level of the first set any longer. In the third set the defensive abilities of Helena and the great attacks by Adriana, Rachel, Alisson, Vênus and Camilla, who received practically the same amount of playing time, made the result easier to achieve, the same happening in the final set. 25-14 and 25-16 putting the Stargazers, nickname promoted by the Estelarian Community of Sports, in the quarterfinals, where they will face Cosumar, which curiously had a very, very, very similar performance against Abanhfleft in their Round of 16 match... coincidence? Well, we here in Estelar have already learnt that coincidences are suspicious.

In the commemoration after the match, libero Helena commented on her happiness to see the team reaching the latter stages of the competition: "As this is a squad that was assembled weeks before the competition and we didn't know much about our opponents, I must say that our team is doing an amazing job, and I am really proud of my great performance... I mean, we are really proud of our great performance." Meanwhile, team captain Alisson was reuniting the players and staff in order to organize a tour around Santa Maria. "Our focus are the bars, honestly", said her, "not that we don't want to visit the beach or do some shopping, but since we had another great win we really want to get wasted. Reporters are invited, of course, we don't want to get too late back at the hotel since we have to get prepared for the next important match."

[Neu Engollon]

"Jackie Pleuvar here, Neu Engollon and you're watching the NETV Sports 19 Special Update. Once again we broadcast live from Costa del Ouro. The Ibex have made it past the Round of Sixteen into the quarter finals of the Volleyball World Expo. They took on Uitbregen and were able to squash that nation's trophy hopes in three games to wrap up the series.

Allia Jovolic stood out in the first game, as she had another incredible string of digs that ultimately set up Heissen and Fenlier for some spectacular spikes. Goerdel and Sarpietro were the duo to beat in the next two games to launch several attacks into the Uitbregen backfield and open corners.
The Ibex have really come together as a team and weeks of practice have paid off as they got to work after first hearing about the VWE.

Neu Engollian fans that flew down to support them here in Costa de Ouro have not been disappointed. The fans have been rewarded with an incredible show of steel from the young team. I hope I don't jinx them in their roll forward to the quarter finals against the Avissian Union.

Those of you at home in the Confederacy can watch the match right here live on NETV Sports 19, tonight. Several more viewing parties are planned in the pubs in Panoli, Albertville, Telleursville and Burgunden. Check your locals. After the break, Dom Togliani will be on with some ATP tennis coverage."

[Natanians and Nosts]

The Natanians and Nosts' volleyball team will face 95X in the quarterfinals,the 95X's team is a good and famous team,and everyone knew that the clash of pontencies would be inevitable since the group seedings were announced,the two teams are like Carthage and the Roman Republic,in which confront we hope to be the Romans!The Natanians and Nosts' team is unbeaten and just lost 3 sets in the whole competition,so does 95X,but they've lost only one one set.The game against The Jeckish Union,was "easy",the game ended 3-0,and their points difference between us and them while the game went on.Our coach had been training the team for this game,one of the hardest of this VWE!
The game against The Jeckish Union was lead by our capitain Ion Natan,who scored 30 times in the game(5 aces,16 net spikes,3 block points and 6 "pipe" spikes), followed by Gabriel 15 times(1 ace and 14 net spikes) and Gheorghe Enderssen 14 times(2 aces,1 "pipe" spike and 11 net spike),our Libero had made several digs(37 in total),The first set their team tried to be the best,but our team could end in 25x21,in the second set Gheorghe Enderssen replaced Rodion almost te whole set and played as best as he could,our setters discovered his inspireation and made and smart use of it, and this set ended 25x19,the third set started with Gheorghe Mihai replacing Márcus Enderssen,he helped with the passes and the deffensive part,but in the attack he wasn't so good today,and that set ended 25x29!

[95X]

from the Pacific City Courier:
95X Drops the Boom on Kaboomlandia, Advances
(Editors' Note: due to communication problems, full coverage, stats, and pictures of this game will appear online at pcc.95x. We apologize for the inconvenience.)
COSTA DE OURO—Kaboomlandia may have forced the first fourth set match for 95X this tournament, but 95X otherwise dominated their opponents in the Seventh Volleyball World Expo Round of 16. 95X next faces Natanians and Nosts, who is also undefeated.

Current 95X President Jason Clinton, who was elected with one percent turnout of the small number of 95Xers eligible to vote under current voting laws, puts the newspaper down.

"This country has so many problems," the former mayor of Cascadia talks to his secretary, who is also his office's only employee, "but instead our main newspaper for economic and global news runs sports and personal ads to sell copies!"

"True," the secretary replies. "But, as you know, the national government is nowhere as overreaching as your 'commie' regime in Cascadia. Labor laws? Minimum wage? Privacy? Freedom of speech while not on the clock? Housing standards? Financial regulation? It'll never work on the national level!"

Clinton thinks aloud: "Maybe if we found sports figures willing to take a stand for these things?"

His secretary laughs. "Do you really think their contracts would permit something like that?"

The phone rings, Clinton answers. It's the CEO of a corporation that could remove him from office as quickly as it put him there.

[Costa de Ouro]

---

Avissian Union Excels at Volleyball
Friday, August 14, 2015
Story by Natália Gomes

---

Antillia, Costa de Ouro: The team from Ctulthii stood, waiting for the serve from middle hitter Lucas Ferreira. He stands way behind the line, throws the ball up, and smashes it to the right corner of the opposite court. It's the first point of the match, an ace. Ctulthii stands wide-eyed at the power and placement of Ferreira's serve. Ferreira chooses to change speed and pace a little bit - he throws the ball and lightly (a relative term in comparison to other serves) taps it into the front row. Ctulthii begins the motions - bump, set, spike, but the set goes straight into the net. Ferreira continues to serve, knocking the ball into corners and holes. Sometimes the Ctulthii team manages to return it, but the Avissian team is ready. Setters Sonia and Catarina Magalhães both (almost) flawlessly send the ball up into the air, and Cristovão Ivo Gomes continues with his lovely spike that sent Ctulthii quivering in the corner. André Alves still manages to dig a good number of balls, including some amazing ones. By the time the first set is over, Ctulthii is devastated; they've only scored seven points, most of them on Avissian errors.

Realizing their bad strategy, they reposition some players to return the serve better; they start to dig more balls; they start to set and spike more accurately. André Alves continues his magnificent work digging, and really, the entire team continues its magic - both defensive and offensive. While Ctulthii has managed to improve its standings in the second and third sets, by no means were they close enough at any point to win any set; the Avissian Union was leading the entire match. The home support was possibly part of it. Avissians love volleyball, and they wanted to see their team do better than dismal quarterfinal showings at the last Olympics, in the Kytler Peninsulae. They may have to see their team lose in the quarterfinals again - to a tough Astyrian rival Neu Engollon, or they could move on to one of the top three positions. It's anyone's guess, but the match against Neu Engollon will be a crucible in the Avissian Union's quest to win something - anything - at volleyball.

Before they meet Neu Engollon, they met four other opponents - the aforementioned Ctulthii in the Round of 16, Armeia, Taeshan, and Protectoria. The test against Armeia was nerve-wracking, but the Avissians had nothing to fear in the end - they dismissed Armeia quickly and easily, 25-18, 25-18, 25-11, with good digs, sets, and spikes from all parts of the team. The Avissian Union was working as a team, with six good players keeping the ball in play. No more was the old system of one or two players keeping the team aloft; the entire team was keeping itself aloft, with skills meshing with skills. Their next test was in Taeshan, which had previously done well in the Volleyball World Expo. After losing a tight first set -including some excellent Taeshani spikes - the Avissian Union shrugged off the loss in the next two sets, keeping the Taeshani team off balance with some unorthodox play, including some angled bumps from the front and sets right down the line. Taeshan, used to by-the-book play, was flabbergasted - how dare you do this, they seemed to say. As they found a way to adapt to the Avissians in the fourth set, they began to lead, including some tap-over balls, but the Avissian Union would have none of it, and Lucas Ferreira and Cristovão Gomes took their serving and spiking up a notch. Finally, they ended the match in a victory, 22-25, 25-16, 25-12, 25-20.

The final match in the group stage came against Protectoria, a communist nation in which everyone is treated equally. Avissians aimed to treat Protectoria equally, too, with a smashing win. it almost didn't come to fruition; Protectoria played extremely well, capitalizing of Avissian errors and mishits left and right. It only took a good period on serve to bring Avissians to set point, which they promptly took. It was a relief to have taken the tight set, but the loss spurred Protectoria on to demonstrate the power of their Communist philosophy. Protectoria, too, were working as a team to shut the Avissian Union down in the second set, not only setting up errors but also outright winners for themselves. Protectoria continued to play well in the third set, having several set points, but the Avissian Union saved all with nicely placed sets and a dig where Protectoria thought they had the third set. The fourth set was less competitive, but still close, as the Avissian Union threaded the needle, exploiting holes in the Protectorian formation and intercepting a good number of balls. Protectoria held on, but in the end, the Avissian Union sped ahead.

[Costa de Ouro]

This is your quarterfinal cutoff!

Avissian Union          28  25  22  23  11
Neu Engollon            26  18  25  25  15
Scorinated by Semarland

Cosumar                 13  16  23
Estelar                 25  25  25

New West Guiana         25  27  25
New Hayesalia           19  25  18

Natanians and Nosts     16  18  25  22
95X                     25  25  20  25

Semifinals Draw
Neu Engollon vs Estelar
New West Guiana vs 95X

[New West Guiana]

The Rundown

Upcoming AWPVL season is leaving people with more questions than answers, the finical troubles the league has been suffering has become a wide ranging issue among many but not a national issue though. Yesterday we had on Mrs.Goldberg who is the current president of the league, and many times she assured us that the league has stabilized and that they will start becoming solvent. However though we asked BNF bank whom the league has a account with and also one of their top sponsors whether or not Mrs. Goldbergs' account and explanation to us adds up or agrees with their assessment. Their answer? No.

Jeff Simon who is the head of the banks sports sponsorship and accounting firm told us in a press releases:

What Mrs. Goldberg told you[The Rundown] that she believes that from now and into the future that the league will become more financially stable is in our own beliefs and according to our knowledge , untrue. I am un-able to get into the details, but the quarterly report that all sports leagues are required to release to the public and their sponsors, shows that starting at the time of the fourth season the leagues average revenue is expected to drop by 15.7%, while their expected debts will increase by 9.8%.

Last year the league brought in roughly 2.4 million, however though leasing for stadiums, advertisement and payroll cost the league 2.9 million. Leaving them over 500,000 in debt and unable to pay some of their players and coaches along with other staff. The main problem with the league is not their small size, it is how they are operating, they operate as if they are the size of the NPSL or NLL. On full time pay they have 240 employees, the UFL only has 100. In order for us at BNF and others to give the league some more faith, they must cut down to at least 40 full time employees.

Right now on the eve of the new season we have been able to confirm that all the teams from the 3rd season St. Johns Crowns, Ft. McCarney Tanks, Gemsbrook Gladiators, Rock City Warriors, Port Salem Falcons along with the Willington Volleys who were unable to play due to having most of their players suspended. Also the league has also announced that they are looking to expand despite the negativity and doom predictions concerning the league. Mrs. Goldberg today in a statement said that the league is looking forward to expanding to ten teams by next season.

Now though yesterday Mrs. Goldberg told us that she and the league are counting on how well the national volleyball team does in hopes that it will gain support and interest in the AWPVL, which yesterday we were cautious but today Gossip the nations largest search engine reported today that search results for volleyball and the AWPVL is up 80% from this time last month. We will not know what effect the expo will do for professional volleyball in the country until several months to at least a year after the seventh expo.

Before I end, congrats to the WG ladies for advancing to the semi-finals where in they will now face powerhouse and fellow regional neighbor 95X.