Toyoda Gosei Trefuerza and Hisamitsu Springs triumphs after capturing the recent Emperor’s Cup and Empress’ Cup Volleyball Championships.

Toyoda Gosei Trefuerza and Hisamitsu Springs were on cloud nine after capturing the recent Emperor’s Cup and Empress’ Cup Volleyball Championships.

It was a very first time for Toyoda Gosei to advance to the final showdown in the men’s Emperor’s Cup which saw a total of 536 teams vie for the top honour on December 27, 2015. Toyoda Gosei faced an uphill task against JT Thunders, defending champion and 2014/15 V Premier League winner. Toyoda Gosei won the first two sets with hard attacks and serves of Croatian opposite Igor Omrčen.

However, JT, fielding a strong line-up with the likes of Brazilian opposite Leandro Vissotto, showed solid defense and fought back bravely to take the third set. Still, they could not  stop the onslaughts from the Croat attacker to go down in dramatic four sets 19-25 22-25 25-21 21-25.

Omrčen was satisfied with the team’s performances. “I am very happy with the result. Also I appreciate our supporters and my team-mates’ dedication.”

Swedish head coach Anders Kristiansson praised his players, “I’m really proud of my players. We could show what we have built up as a team for these two years. It’s true that we had very difficult moment that being reconciled to the lowest rank in the national league. However, we could overcome the difficulty, so I’m very grateful to lead this team to victory.”

Meanwhile, the women’s Empress’ Cup saw strong players of Japan national team for the FIVB World Cup 2015 join the fray including Sarina Koga and Haruyo Shimamura for NEC and Miyu Nagaoka, Yuki Ishii, Chizuru Kotoh, and Kotoki Zayasu for Hisamitsu Springs.

It was the second time that these two teams confronted each other in the final of national tournaments in the Year 2014/15 consisting the V Premier League and the Empress’ Cup.

Thanks to Kotoh’s tricky serves, Hisamitsu had big lead in first set. NEC attempted hard to counter-attack Hisamitsu with devastating spikes from Shimamura and Risa Shiragaki, but Hisamitsu totally controlled the match and closed the match without much effort 25-13, 25-21, 25-22.

It was four times in a row for the Hisamitsu’s victory in the Empress’ Cup since Kumi Nakada started leading the team as head coach. During the interview, she said in tears, “I didn’t care about the number of championship, but had great pleasure. We missed the title of 2015 Asian Women’s Club Championship in September and had difficult time in national league this season. We came back what we are like by great effort of my players.”

Hisamitsu’s scorer Nagaoka, showing her delight, said, “I feel relieve to see everybody happy. My team-mates and I played well with good concentration in each set. I will keep in mind that I had great support from lots of people and will play our best again in 2016”.

Both Toyoda Gosei and Hisamitsu captured the top spot in the 2015/16 V Premier League in their latest ranking and are seeking more successes in another season.

The Iran Volleyball Federation signed Argentinean Raul Lozano as the new head coach of the national volleyball team of Iran

The Iran Volleyball Federation signed Argentinean Raul Lozano as the new head coach of the national volleyball team of Iran, hoping that the 56-year-old will make their dreams of qualifying for the Rio Games come true.

Right after 2015 World Cup and achieving world’s eighths title, the IVF in various meetings has concluded to implement major changes in the technical committee. A number of Inquiries brought the national federation to Raul Lozano. On Tuesday, September 22, the contract has been officially signed by both parties – Lozano and IVF President Dr Mohammadreza Davarzani.

Davarzani said, “Earning the Olympic ticket is our long-lasting dream and now we have come up to a crucial moment to approach the goal. We finally made up our mind to choose Lozano as he had already experienced two participations in the Olympic Games and he is well worth a trust. In our first step, we both agreed on a term cooperating up to the end of the Olympic Games. Since Iran are also planning for the 2020 Olympic Games, we will think of the extension of the signed contract if required.

The new coach of Iran in a press conference said, “There is no enough time, yet the goal is as big as qualifying for Olympic Games in Rio.”

He admitted that Iran proved their high potential in volleyball and explicated more: “The Olympic Games are incomparable with those of the other major world and continental events. It is always an honour for any team to take part in the Olympic Games and it will never repeat for any professional athlete”.

“We have to perform well in the World Olympic Qualification Tournament in Japan first to secure an Olympic berth. The Iran national team are scheduled to set up the trainings by the end of March. So, we still have up to seven months at most to get prepared. Fortunately, Iranian players are strongly motivated, for they are ready to record an important time in the history of Iran Volleyball. Tough trainings await us”, he said.

He found the technical matter on the priority for selecting the players. In addition, the players’ performance in the Premier League as well as their injuries are to be taken into account.

In reply to the question of whether Iran will mount to the Olympics, Lozano said: “I wish so. It is so hard to make any response for it. We have to try first. I have a special feeling toward Iranian volleyball. I love this feeling. People must enjoy watching volleyball. I hope we will see a high volleyball from Iran in Rio. This is my dream that I am here to make it come true”.

FIVB Congress date confirmed

Lausanne, Switzerland, December 10, 2015 – The FIVB Executive Committee approved dates of the 2016 October 4-6 for the 2016 FIVB Congress, which will be held in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

The elective Congress will take place on October 5 & 6 with workshops for National Federations in categories 1 & 2 taking place on October 4.

The Executive Committee also approved the electoral process, which will be sent out to all federations, and includes the process of Election of the FIVB President, the Process of Election of the Members of the gender in minority in the Board of Administration along with key excerpts from the FIVB Constitution on the subject of the FIVB Rules of the Congress.

Derakhshandeh named Chairman of League Organization in Iran Volleyball Federation

 Following resignation of Manoucher Pourhasan from his position, Saeed Derakhshandeh, director of International events, becomes chairman of the League Organization in Iran volleyball federation.

In his speech, Dr M.R. Davarzani, president of the Iran Volleyball Federation  said: “For several times Mr. Pourhasan had requested his resignation, we were not agreeing with his decision. However, when considering his hard work as well as his mental and physical conditions since his health is more important, this time we agreed to his resignation.

“Therefore, Mr. Saeed Derakhshandeh, who currently serves as Director of the International Events Committee and has a lot of experience in holding the international tournaments, normally each year FIVB nominates him as observer and responsible for holding the international competitions, we appointed him as Chairman of the League Organization. We want to bring our national competitions more closely to the international standards.”

He added: “Pourhasan was tired. We then allowed him to take a temporary break. Certainly in the future and during other opportunities we still ask for his assistance because he is a very experienced person. In terms of Mr Derakhshandeh, he has experience and sufficient skills to accept this responsibility. At the recent World Cup tournament, he served as an observer.

Meanwhile, Saeed Derakhshandeh said: “Mr. Pourhasan has dedicated his life for hard work in the league Organization. During his working term, the league of Iran volleyball has got noticeable improvements.  Credits of this success go to Mr Pourhasan.”

Pourhasan said:” Form sometimes ago I wanted to reduce my responsibility.  Management of the League Organisation is a very difficult task. It demands a lot of energy. I had given my service in this post for seven years for competitions of volleyball league in different situations. Just today, I had to work from 7am till the sunset. This situation has caused problems to my health. For a while I feel that physically I feel uncomfortable. Pain starts to take its toll at  my joints. I went to see the doctor and he advised me to take more rest, do exercises and reduce sitting for a long time. That’s why I asked to reduce my responsibility and keep a low profile.”

AVC releases revised calendar for 2016-2019 indoor volleyball competitions

The revised calendar for the 2016-2019 indoor volleyball competitions has been recently released by the Asian Volleyball Confederation, with Thailand receiving the AVC's green light to host major tournaments for three consecutive years.
This year, all eyes will be on Thailand when the sports-loving country will host one of the most-watched competitions in the FIVB World Grand Prix Finals (Group 1) in Bangkok from July 6 to 10, which will see the best five teams after the three-week preliminaries plus hosts Thailand vie for the top honour.

In the same month, Thailand, where the AVC Headquarters is located in its capital city, will organise the 18th Asian Women's U19 Championship in Nakhon Ratchasima from July 23 to 31. Thailand has also got the AVC's nod to host three major competitions in the next three years. In the following year, the country will become the battle ground for the second Asian Women's U23 Championship in the fourth week of May.
In 2018, Thailand will host the sixth AVC Cup for Women in the first week of July. Volleyball will again hit a fever pitch in Thailand in 2019 when they will organise the 20th Asian Senior Women's Championship in the fourth week of June. When the 2013 edition of the Asian Senior Women's Championship was hosted by Thailand in Nakhon Ratchasima, it turned out to be a volleyball phenomenon when local spectators started to arrive at the competition venue as early as midnight in an effort of booking the tickets. Still, thousands of fans made a long queue each morning, waiting patiently for their turns to book tickets. At around 8 am, all tickets were sold out, smashing dreams of hundreds of fans to watch the match at the jampacked actual venue.
Meanwhile, a total of six AVC competitions will be held this year. Chinese Taipei will get the 2016 volleyball events off the ground when they will host the 18th Asian Men's U20 Championship from July 9 to 17, followed by the 18th Asian Women's U19 Championship in Thailand between July 23 and 31.
After the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil from August 5 to 21, Myanmar, following their significant success in organising the inaugural Asian Men's U23 Championship last year, will take a major step in hosting the 2016 Asian Men's Club Championship from August 23 to 31. The 2016 Asian Women's Club Championship will take place in the Philippines during September 3 and 11.
In the same month, the fifth AVC Cup for Women will be held in Vietnam from September 12 to 18, with the fifth AVC Cup for Men starting the next day in India between September 19 and 25.
The indoor volleyball will approach its peak in Asia in 2017 which has been regarded as one of the busiest years ever for the AVC. A total of eight AVC competitions will be held across the continent, starting with the 2017 Asian Men's Club Championship in Malaysia in the first week of April, followed by the 2017 Asian Women's Club Championship in Chinese Taipei in the second week of April.
In May, Australia will organise the second Asian Men's U23 Championship in the third week of the month, with Thailand hosting the second edition of the women's competition in the fourth week of the month.
Three tournaments will be held in June. Myanmar will kick off the month with the 11th Asian Boys U19 Championship in the second week of the month, followed respectively by the 11th Asian Girls U18 Championship in Vietnam in the third week and the 19th Asian Senior Women's Championship in the Philippines in the fourth week.
In the first week of July, Indonesia, which will host the next Asian Games in 2018, will hold the 19th Asian Senior Men's Championship, the last stop of the AVC competition in 2017.
In 2018, the first AVC competition will start with the Asian Men's Club Championship to be hosted by India in the first week of April, followed by the Asian Women's Club Championship in Chinese Taipei in the second week of April.
Thailand will organise the sixth AVC Cup for Women in the first week of July, with Vietnam holding the 19th Asian Women's U19 Championship in the third week of July.
Iran and Malaysia have shown their interests in staging the 19th Asian Men's U20 Championship in the first week of August and AVC will later decide the right host nation. In the second week of August, Chinese Taipei will stage the sixth AVC Cup for Men.
From December 5 to 20, Indonesia will host the 19th Asian Games, a Pancontinental multi-sport event held every four years among athletes from all over Asia.
The year 2019 will turn out to be another busy year for the AVC when a total of eight competitions will be held. However, among the eight tournaments to be contested, six of them have yet confirmed the host nations. Thailand will organise the 20th Asian Senior Women's Championship in the fourth week of June, followed by the 20th Asian Senior Men's Championship in Australia in the first week of July.
Earlier, the 2019 Asian Men's Club Championship will take place in the first week of April, with the Asian Women's Club Championship being held the following week.
In May, the third edition of the Asian U23 Championship for the men's and women's events will be held in the third and the fourth weeks respectively.
The 12th Asian Boys U19 Championship will be organised in the second week of June, followed by the 12th episode of the Girls event in the third week of the month.
Opportunity is still open for interested countries to host the mentioned six tournaments. To become the candidate countries for any 2019 AVC competitions which have yet confirmed the host nations, the interested countries have to contact the AVC Headquarters in Bangkok earlier to make sure their applications will be submitted in time.

Women Volleyroos head coach appointed

Volleyball Australia is proud to announce the appointment of its head coach for the Women Volleyroos (indoor team) for the 2016 international season including the FIVB Women’s World Grand Prix.

Shannon Winzer has been the coach of the winning WAVL (Women’s Australian Volleyball League) team for the last 3 years, and in 2013 and 2014 also contributed as an assistant coach to the Women Volleyroos. She played in the WAVL for five years, and was a member of the national team in 2008 and 2009. A Canadian national, she also has playing experience in her home country and the UK.
She will guide the Volleyroos during the FIVB Women’s World Grand Prix (Group 3) in June, when they will play against Cuba, Colombia and Croatia in Wollongong from June 3-5, and against Mexico, Colombia and Kazakhstan in Colombia from June 10-12, aiming for the finals in Kazakhstan from June 17-19.
The campaign begins with a camp in Melbourne at the Maribyrnong Academy of Sport and Fairhills High School from January 22 to 24, followed by camps in Adelaide (February), Sydney (Easter) and Brisbane (April) before some international matches in May.
“Shannon brings both enormous enthusiasm and passion to the Volleyroos campaign, together with significant and sustained success in the WAVL over recent years”, said John Boultbee, VA High Performance Director. “This stood her out in a strong field of international candidates, and provides a role model for Australian based coaches seeking to ply their skills on the international stage. Our best Australian based players have all nominated for the January camp, and will eventually be joined by some of the overseas based players, prior to the World Grand Prix.”
Shannon Winzer commented “I am excited about this opportunity to bring together the best players Australia has to offer and work with them to build a program that we can all be proud of setting the foundation for future success.”
Photo: Volleyball Australia is proud to announce the appointment of its Head Coach for the Women Volleyroos (indoor team) for the 2016 international season including the FIVB Women’s Grand Prix.

2016 AVC competitions draw huge interest

 
Powerhouses China, Japan, Iran and Chinese Taipei emerged as the only four teams to confirm their participation in all six indoor volleyball competition to be held this year by the Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC).
The Confederation has recently released the 2016-2019 competition calendar and its 65 affiliated member countries paid tremendous attention in hosting those competitions. In 2006 in particular, Chinese Taipei, Thailand, Myanmar, the Philippines, Vietnam and India have already received the AVC’s green light to host the tournaments.

However, among the six competitions to be held this year, only China, Japan, Chinese Taipei and Iran have confirmed their participation in all events, with the 18th Asian Men’s U20 Championship attracting a large number of 21 teams. Among 65 affiliated member countries, only 37 have shown no interest in contesting any AVC competition in 2016.

Chinese Taipei will kick the AVC competitions in 2016 off in the 18th Men’s U20 Volleyball Championship as they will host the prestigious tournament from July 9 to 17. So far, a total of 21 countries have already confirmed their participation in the top-flight competition, which will serve as the qualification tournament for the 2017 Men’s U21 World Championship.

Reigning champions Iran will return for their title defence in Chinese Taipei, with tough challenges expected from Korea and China.

The indoor volleyball will then take centre stage in Thailand as they will host the 18th Women’s U19 Championship in Nakhon Ratchasima, in which the top-flight tournament was held ten years ago in 2006. Only Korea, Japan and China dominated the biennial competition, with the formidable Chinese ruling the roost with 11 titles including the previous edition in 2014 in Chinese Taipei.

So far, a total of 15 countries have been confirmed to strut their stuff in the thrilling tournament in Thailand, which is due to take place from July 23 to 31.

After a great success in organising the last year’s inaugural Men’s U23 Championship in Nay Pyi Taw,bj Myanmar will this year host the 2016 Asian Men’s Club Championship, where 17 countries have already submitted their entries to be pitted against one another. Surprisingly, as the entry will be closed on January 16, Korea, one of the strong teams to be reckoned with, have yet confirmed to send their club team to the Myanmar meet, due to be held during August 23 and 31. Korea’s Sangmu finished a disappointing sixth place in the previous edition in Chinese Taipei last year, while in the 2014 edition in Pasay, the Philippines, Korea did not send any team to the Asian Men’s Club Championship.

Meanwhile, the 2016 Asian Women’s Club Championship will take place in the Philippines from September 3 to 11. A total of 13 teams are expected to take part in the championship, from which Bangkok Glass VC emerged as the first club team ever from Thailand to capture the last year’s crown in Ha Nam, Vietnam following their stunning victory over title-holders Hisamitsu Springs from Japan in the final showdown.

The remaining two competitions will be the 5th AVC Cup for Women in Vietnam from September 12 to 18 and the 5th AVC Cup for Men in India between September 19 and 25, with eight teams apiece competing in both competitions.

Since only top eight teams each from the previous Asian Senior Men’s and Women’s Championships will make the cut for the respective AVC Cup for Men and Women, eight teams have confirmed their participation in both events.
Nevertheless, in the AVC Cup for Men in India, Thailand finished eighth in the previous episode in Chinese Taipei, but India has already gotten the AVC’s nod to host the 2016 edition, leaving Thailand to miss the cut for this year’s AVC Cup for Men.