Russian women's volleyball team on the eve of the Olympic tournament

Among the women's game sports since the Soviet times, volleyball has always stood out: the girls managed to please the fans with victories in the World and European Championships. There were ups and downs, but it only twisted the intrigue and aroused the interest and the desire to analyze. Ahead of the Olympic Games - 2016. Twice the silver medalist, the Russian women's volleyball team has never tried on the laurels of the winners. How much is it ready to take the main peak of the sports Olympus?

A bit of history

Russian national volleyball team, the successor of the Soviet team, for many years trained under the leadership of Nikolai Karpol, the legend of national sports. With him, she firmly took the title of the strongest on the European continent - from six European championships girls became winners of four. And they were close to the gold of Athens (Olympiad-2004), only in the finals losing to the cubes. The national team was formed on the basis of the strongest team of the domestic championship, and it seemed that nothing foreshadowed change.

The controversial acquisition and the subsequent train of coaches (there were four of them, including the Italian legionary) led to a twelve-year period of setbacks on the European continent. This was not a failure years: the team won the World Championships in 2006 and 2010, it was in the top three winners of the Grand Prix, its core was made up of the stars of the first magnitude - Lyubov Sokolova, Svetlana Kryuchkova, Ekaterina Gamova. But the excitement was caused by the fact that the basis was made by the same players. And they had injuries, recessions in the game, misunderstanding with the coach.

The next gold of the European Championship was won only in 2013 with the arrival of Yuri Marichev, the current senior coach, who took the course for the rejuvenation of the team and its annual formation. This is evidence of the strategic task of taking the course for the 2016 Olympics.

Winning a voucher in Rio

For the guaranteed entrance to the Olympics, the Russian national volleyball team had to overcome the European qualifying tournament. In January 2016, the girls performed this task, defeating the Dutch national team. It was at this team that a year earlier the victory in the European Championship was ripped out. Then the baptism of fire passed the newcomers: five were invited to the team for the first time. Of the experienced in the team were only four: Natalia Goncharova (Obmochaeva), who brought 24 points in the treasury of the qualifying tournament, Tatiana Kosheleva (23), Yulia Morozova and Svetlana Kryuchkova.

Professionals evaluate the game of all roles: the defenders were pleased, the attackers are stable (only the first tempo is not enough), the binders did not show themselves. This is important, but there are four months to correct the game, make the team really cohesive and focused on the result. The minimum program has been completed - the women's volleyball team does not go to Japan, like most others, for the next round of selection, choosing a straight road on the way to the Olympics.

The success on the eve of the main competitions

In the first days of April, joyful news came from Krasnodar: the local Dynamo won the European Championships of the European Volleyball Confederation by defeating the Turkish Galatasaray in the final. It was an important victory, to look at which the entire leadership of the volleyball federation came:

• The team includes a number of key players, candidates for the national team, which is important to feel the taste of victory;
• The first game in Turkey, the Russians lost (3: 2);
• After the injury Tatyana Kosheleva, the main striker, returned from February to the playground;
• It is necessary to check young people for morale and will.

The Russian national volleyball team will obviously be replenished by the best players of Dynamo: Russian Natalya Malykh won the prize as the most valuable player of the EKV. The game took place in a sharp struggle, and what happened on the court is encouraging.

What will be the composition of the Russian national volleyball team in Rio?

For today, the main team of representatives of five clubs. Most of the legionaries from the Moscow and Krasnodar Dynamo: eight people. Ekaterina Kosyanenko, Anna Malova, Yana Shcherban, Irina Fetisova and Ekaterina Lyubushkina from Moscow. Natalia Malykh, Natalia Khodunova and Lyubov Sokolova represent Krasnodar. Honor of the Kazan "Dynamo" is defended by Elena Yezhov and Yevgeny Startsev. Ksenia Ilchenko - delegate from the "Uralochka", and Irina Zaryazhko - "Uralochki - NTKM."

On the eve of the Olympics, Russian women are waiting for another important tournament - the Grand Prix, which starts in June. The first stage will be held in Russia (rivals - Holland, Turkey and Belgium), the second - in Italy. In addition to the hosts, the team will play against Holland and Thailand. The final one is at the end of June in Japan (competitors are Thailand, Serbia and the host country). The declared participants will clearly enter the team, which will go to Brazil.

Yuri Marichev keeps the intrigue to the last: the Russian national volleyball team will be finally formed by April 22. First 21 names will be announced, then 4 players will be eliminated, and finally an application for 14 Grand Prix participants will be formed. It is already known that the place in the national team is guaranteed by the unfading Lyubov Sokolova, who announced her retirement after the main competitions of the season. Perhaps the return to the team of Ekaterina Gamova. The rest of the participants learn about the rest of the country very soon. About those who so want to see on the gold pedestal Rio-2016.