Star volleyball gamers to observe on the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Video games

Because the 2021 Volleyball Nations League (VNL) winds down and the groups for the 2020 Olympic Video games are getting finalized, the gamers are getting ready for Tokyo. 

The younger athletes do not know what to anticipate, however they’re bringing of their contemporary outlook and artistic performs to the court docket. The veterans are cool, calm and picked up as they set their sights on making it to the rostrum this 12 months. 

An additional 12 months meant further touches and extra taking part in time, however these gamers are stressed and able to compete. So who’re some new and noteworthy gamers to look out for? Who’s coming again for one more likelihood to safe the Gold? 

Beneath are a few of our high picks for the most effective gamers to observe in the course of the indoor volleyball occasion on the 2021 Tokyo Olympic Video games. 

Professional Picks

Our consultants inform us who they’re excited to observe

Debutants on the lookout for success of their first Olympics 

Ladies

Jordyn Poulter
USA / Setter

Jordyn Poulter is a younger participant with a really lengthy listing of achievements and already has three gold medals below her belt: two from the FIVB Nations League and one from the Pan-American Cup. Poulter has performed for Crew USA since 2018 as a setter after a really profitable faculty profession at Illinois. She was within the high three for finest setters on the 2021 VNL event and is wanting actually assured after USA gained that complete event. 

Ai Kurogo
Japan / Outdoors Hitter

Ai Kurogo is one to observe on the Japan girls’s nationwide group as a result of she’s not solely an awesome exterior hitter, however she is available in clutch within the backrow along with her digs and serves as nicely. She led the 2021 VNL event in diges with 28 digs and solely 5 errors. She additionally got here in second for serves in that very same event. Japan has some nice servers on their group with Koga and now Kurogo, so be careful as they take the court docket of their house nation. 

Ebrar Karakurt
Turkey / Reverse

Ebrar Karakurt is an enormous persona on the court docket, not simply due to her vivid pink hair on the 2021 VNL event, however due to her huge assaults and lengthy, highly effective limbs. She’s been taking part in for the Turkey girls’s nationwide group since 2018 and has helped them win a silver medal on the 2018 FIVB Volleyball Ladies’s Nations League and on the 2019 Ladies’s European Championship. At solely 21 years previous, she’s wanting like an awesome addition to the rotation as an reverse. 

Males

Ran Takahashi
Japan / Outdoors Hitter

Ran Takahashi is a 19-year-old taking part in for the Japanese nationwide group and is claimed to be the subsequent Ishikawa, the captain of the Japan males’s nationwide group. This younger gun is an explosive exterior hitter straight out of Higashiyama Excessive College, the place he led his highschool group to the 2020 All Japan Intercollegiate Volleyball Championship, the place they acquired the runner-up place and Takahashi took house the “Finest Scorer” award. He made his nationwide group debut on the 2021 VNL event, the place he ended up within the high 20 for finest attackers general. He’s bought a variety of potential and it is going to be enjoyable to see what he does throughout these Olympics. 

Saber Kazemi
Iran / Reverse

Saber Kazemi is barely 22 years previous however has been taking part in on the Iran males’s nationwide group since 2018. Kazemi is a pressure on the precise facet, with highly effective hits and large blocks. He was towards the highest of the leaderboard on the 2021 VNL competitors in high scorers, so his capacity to transform his performs to factors is one thing to be careful for. 

Alessandro Michieletto
Italy / Outdoors Hitter

Alessandro Michieletto is the son of a volleyball participant, Riccardo Michieletto, who was a pressure within the membership volleyball world, successful many tournaments within the late ’80s and early ’90s. Since volleyball runs in his blood, Michieletto is somebody to observe on the surface. At 19, he doesn’t have the skilled expertise because the older gamers, however he nonetheless has the abilities to compete with the most effective of the most effective, so it is going to be thrilling to observe Michieletto step onto the Olympic stage for the primary time this 12 months. 

Veterans indoor volleyball gamers coming again to the Olympic Video games

Ladies

Brenda Castillo
Dominican Republic / Libero

Brenda Castillo stood out on this 12 months’s VNL after main the pack in digs. Whenever you watch her play, it looks like nothing can contact the bottom. She stands at simply 1.67m tall, however her quickness and talent to learn the ball makes her an unstoppable libero for the Domincan Republic girls’s nationwide group. She helped her group land in sixth place within the 2021 VNL, an enchancment from final 12 months once they ended up in eighth place. She’s been taking part in for Dominican Republic since 2007 and has an awesome, skilled group behind her this 12 months, so don’t rely them out simply but.

Zhu Ting
China / Outdoors Spiker

Zhu Ting is an out of doors hitter and the captain for the China girls’s nationwide volleyball group. She helped lead her group to the gold medal on the 2016 Olympics the place she scored 33 factors of their semifinal match in opposition to the Netherlands, incomes her the No. 3 spot on the all-time high scorers listing in a single match within the Olympic video games. She is a big asset on the surface, successful a number of awards within the 2019 FIVB World Cup together with Most Precious Participant and Finest Outdoors Spiker. Ting is one to observe at this 12 months’s Olympic Video games as she chases down one other gold medal. 

Tandara Caixeta
Brazil / Reverse

Tandara Caixeta is a veteran reverse hitter for the robust, skilled Brazil girls’s nationwide volleyball group. She’s been taking part in for this group for a decade now and was a part of the 2012 Olympic group that took the Gold for Brazil. Caixeta was one of many high scorers general within the 2021 VNL and is wanting actually good going into the Olympics this 12 months. 

Males

Maxim Mikhaylov
Russia / Reverse

Maxim Mikhaylov is among the older gamers on the Russia males’s nationwide volleyball group, however age is only a quantity relating to Mikhaylov’s taking part in capacity. This reverse hitter has helped Russia win seven gold medals since he began taking part in for them in 2008, together with two European Championships and the 2012 Olympic Video games. Even after being out for the 2013 and 2014 seasons resulting from accidents, Mikhaylov’s taking part in capacity continues to be constant and highly effective, and he’s capable of convert his performs into factors, whether or not that’s within the type of an assault, serve or block. 

Earvin N’Gapeth
France / Outdoors Hitter

Earvin N’Gapeth is an enormous identify in France, not simply due to his capacity to attain factors, but in addition due to his explosive persona. He likes to speak just a little smack to the opposing group and he’s capable of again it up together with his aggressive swings. N’Gapeth can generally be a lazy again row participant, not shifting his toes to get to the ball, however his again row assaults are unstoppable, in order that makes up for it. N’Gapeth additionally appears to play significantly better in worldwide play, fairly than membership play, so he can be one to observe as France takes the court docket in Tokyo. 

Bartosz Kamil Kurek
Poland / Outdoors Hitter

Bartosz Kamil Kurek is a good participant out of Poland who has a large swing and an equally huge presence on the surface. This can be his third Olympics and this 12 months, Poland is wanting like a pressure that may take the Gold this 12 months. Kurek has many accolades below him together with a world championship, a gold medal on the 2012 FIVB World League and a silver medal on the 2011 FIVB World Cup. We’ll see if he can add an Olympic medal to his assortment this 12 months. 

Who’re a few of your favourite indoor gamers to observe? Are there any gamers we missed that you simply’re excited to observe this 12 months?