Rzeszow, Poland, 5th August 2007 - Polish audience in Rzeszow will see the last two matches of World Grand Prix 2007 in their own yard. At 5:00 PM local time USA will play against China and Poland will face Russia at 8:00 PM.
From what we could see in the last matches, China is clearly not the same team that won the Olympic Games. Having many new, young players on board they still need time to consolidate. Another thing is that they do have that time and their game, although not on a top level yet, is quite consistent. USA showed itself as probably the best team in group “C” so far. The American girls played 6 fantastic sets in their last two matches, using strong serves and accurate attacks, that resembled more of Men’s Volleyball. Moreover, they are the team that doesn’t show the characteristic signs of young, renewed squads – inconsistency as a team.
Russia showed two completely different faces in the last two matches – one was exceptionally good, another one was fairly poor. In the match against USA they played almost all of the game’s elements below even an average level. Match against Poland will prove which face is the real one. Coach Caprara may try to use a different lineup – his first opposite Gamova is not in her top shape yet. Polish team showed so far that they can play very well – but not for too long. Both of their matches were similar – 2 good sets, a breakdown and a final loss in the tiebreak, although the yesterday’s one was clearly better than the first. Polish team should utilize good serves to throw the tall Russians away from the net and have enough time to set a block against Russian wing players. On the other hand, good reception and quick, clever actions should be the key to win against Russia’s strong block. This match will be a duel between two great Italian coaches, who used to work together and consider each other as friends. Sunday night will leave only one of them victorious.