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 The
Netherlands
Following the
heights of a European Championship title in 1995 and a
fifth place finish at the 1996 Olympics under coach
Bert Goedkoop, the Netherlands women's Volleyball has
fallen by the weigh side lately to see them drop to
13th  in
the world rankings in 2002.
The failure to qualify for the Sydney 2000
Olympics was a result of a team being ravaged by
injuries but now under new coach, Italian Angelo
Frigoni, the Netherlands are on a roll with some
impressive results. Despite last year's disappointing
ninth place finish at the 2002 World Championship in
Germany, the Netherlands will be backing themselves to
be fighting it out at the business end of the World
Grand Prix.
This years World Grand Prix will be only their fourth
since the tournament's inception in 1993 and their
first in four years but there's a humble feeling
around the "Orange Country" that this latest
edition of Dutch women's volleyball is young, fit and
strong, marking a strong resemblance to the heydays of
the early 90's.
 Francien
Huurman, 28, is bound to be the lynch pin in this
Netherlands outfit again with over 150 appearances in
the national jersey. At 192cm she plays a crucial role
as middle blocker and her experience in the Italian
league where she has been playing since 1998 will be
relied upon heavily by her teammates.
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